These Booking Conditions, together with our privacy policy and any other written information we brought to your attention before we confirmed your booking, set out the details of your booking with Georgian Polyphony SP (Malkhaz Erkvanidze 37001000965), Registered Office Nutsubidze 42, Tbilisi, Georgia (hereafter referred to as “we” or “us”). Please read them carefully as they set out our respective rights and obligations. In these Booking Conditions references to “you” and “your” include the first named person on the booking and all persons on whose behalf a booking is made or any other person to whom a booking is added or transferred.
By making a booking, the first named person on the booking agrees on behalf of all persons detailed on the booking that:
He/she has read these terms and conditions and has the authority to and does agree to be bound by them;
He/she consents to our use of information in accordance with our Privacy Policy;
He/she is over 18 years of age and where placing an order for services with age restrictions declares that he/she and all members of the party are of the appropriate age to purchase those services.
- Booking
When you make a booking, you confirm that you have the authority to accept and do accept these conditions on your behalf and on behalf of all members of your party and further, if you are making a booking for more than one person, that you are responsible for all payments due from each and every member of your party. It is your responsibility to ensure that any information which you give us is accurate and that information which is given to you by us or any of our suppliers is passed on to all members of your party.
When you make your booking you must pay the relevant deposit as specified at the time of booking. No contract will come into existence until we accept your booking and we receive your deposit or full payment in cleared funds and issue you with a confirmation invoice. either on behalf of ourselves or the supplier in question.
Please check that all names, dates and timings are correct on receipt of all documents and advise us of any errors immediately, as changes cannot be made later and it may harm your rights if we are not notified of any inaccuracies in any document immediately. Please ensure that the names given are the same as in the relevant passport.
The booking information that you provide to us will be passed on only to the relevant suppliers of your travel arrangements or other persons necessary for the provision of your travel arrangements. The information may therefore be provided to public authorities such as customs or immigration if required by them, or as required by law. This applies to any sensitive information that you give to us such as details of any disabilities, or dietary and religious requirements. Certain information may also be passed on to security or credit checking companies.
- Payment
At the time of booking you will be required to pay a deposit of 10% of the tour price (or other amount specified at the time of booking) per person or make full payment via bank transfer for your booking if booking less than 15 days before departure. Where you only pay a deposit you must pay the full balance by the balance due date notified to you. If full payment is not received by the balance due date, we will notify the supplier who may cancel your booking and charge the cancellation fees set out in their Terms and Conditions. Alternatively, where you have booked a package with us, you will be subject to our cancellation charges as set out in Sections B below.
Once a booking has been created and the deposit paid, the currency can no longer be changed on that booking.
Group Bookings:
Where 10 people or more are booked on the same reservation, you will be required to make deposit payments as set out below:
- 10 % deposit payment due when the booking is created
- Full payment due 15 days before travel via bank transfer
PayPal will not be accepted as a payment method;
clients can transfer the payment into our Bank of Georgia’s account (details….).
- Accuracy
We endeavour to ensure that all of the information and prices both on our website and in our brochures are accurate; however, occasionally changes and errors occur and we reserve the right to correct prices and other details in such circumstances. You must check the current price and all other details relating to the arrangements that you wish to book before your booking is confirmed
- Special Requests
If you have any special requests please let us know at the time of booking. We will pass on all such requests to the supplier/representatives but we do not guarantee that they will be met and we will have no liability to you if they are not.
- Insurance
Adequate travel insurance is a condition of booking with us. You must take out a policy of insurance in order to cover you and your party against the cost of cancellation by you; the cost of assistance (including repatriation) in the event of accident or illness; loss of baggage and money; and other expenses. Failure to disclose relevant information will affect your insurance. You agree to provide us with a copy of your insurance policy on request.
Please note we do not check insurance policies. If you choose to travel without adequate insurance cover, we will not be liable for any losses howsoever arising, in respect of which insurance cover would otherwise have been available.
- Guaranteed Departures
All tours operated by us becomes guaranteed when a minimum number of guests (3 persons) is met and will operate unless force-major circumstances or other unforeseen circumstances arise. Due to the traveler numbers on a specific tour, we reserve the absolute right to change the type or style of transportation or other elements, to enable the tour to operate.
- Accommodation Ratings and Standards
On any of our tours, accommodation is provided in twin or triple accommodation, which may be two or three single beds or a double bed and a bunk bed.
Two travelers booking together will be accommodated in a twin room. Three travelers booking together will be accommodated as follows: two travelers will be roomed in one twin room, the third person will be accommodated in a same gender twin share room. We will use our discretion in allocating the third person to a room share; unless we are otherwise advised in writing as to who will be sharing with whom.
Single travelers will be accommodated in same-gender twin rooms paired with another single traveler, unless they pay a single room supplement at an additional cost. Single rooms do not always match up either in size or facilities to twin bedded rooms.
Please note that since our tours are cultural and rural oriented, properties that we provide are not luxury hotels, but local guesthouses, there might not be facilities like elevators or pools. The bathrooms will be also shared, might be one bathroom on each floor.
We do not provide towels, bathrobes or slippers, guests are recommended to have their own.
Safety standards is not same in some countries. We strongly advise that all customers seek to minimize their exposure to injury by familiarizing themselves with relevant safety information that may be posted around the hotel or anywhere else.
- Food
Three meals per day are included as stipulated in the tour itinerary. Meals are prepared by local bio products. Meals are represented by dishes of local cuisine. Vegetarians can be catered for, so please inform us at the time of booking, as well as your tour leader at the start of the tour. Please be aware that in many parts of the world vegetarian meals are classified as meals without meat or fish, and may not be what you are used to. Specific religious dietary requirements can be catered for by providing the vegetarian option.
- Fitness to Travel, Age and Medical Conditions
If you have any medical condition, disability or special requirements, which may affect your holiday, please, tell us before you confirm your booking, as we are able to make enquiries of the supplier about the suitability of arrangements for you and provide replies prior to booking.
Clients are also expected to accept that the components described constitute “Adventure Travel” and that travel to and facilities in other countries will not be to similar standards which they may be accustomed to at home.
Persons over 65 years of age may be asked to provide medical evidence of fitness to travel on certain itineraries. Minors (those under 18 years of age) are accepted on some group tours operated by us at our discretion provided they are accompanied by a parent or guardian who accepts full responsibility for them. Unaccompanied minors will not be accepted. We have recommended ages for participation in group tours which act as a guide only.
Clients agree to accept the authority and decision of our employees, tour leaders, and agents whilst on tour with us. If in the opinion of such a person, the health or conduct of a client before or after departure appears likely to endanger the safety, comfort or enjoyment of a tour, the client may be excluded from all or part of the tour, without any refunds. In the case of ill health we may make such arrangements as it sees fit and recover the costs from the client.
If a client is excluded from the tour as above or chooses to leave the tour of their own free will or leaves the tour due to ill health or any other reason there will be no refund of the tour price, extra services, surcharges, local payments/funds or any local surcharges. All services forming part of the whole package booked will be forfeited though may be recovered through travel insurance in some circumstances.
- Behavior
Please be aware that your holiday arrangements can be terminated, with no refund, if the behavior of your party falls below an acceptable standard. Suppliers will also often require you to pay for any damage you cause to the accommodation or services. We are under no obligation to you if any event such as this occurs. You agree to indemnify us for the full amount of any claim (including all legal costs) made against us by the supplier or any third party as a result of your conduct.
All participants in tours operated by us are expected to obey the laws and regulations of the countries visited and any failure to do so may relieve us of any obligation that they may otherwise have under these booking conditions.
- Passports, Visas and Health
We can provide general information about the passport and visa requirements for your trip, but this is for guidance only and it remains your responsibility to check the requirements before you travel. Your specific passport and visa requirements, and other immigration requirements, are your responsibility and you should confirm these with the relevant Embassies and/or Consulates prior to travel. Neither we nor the supplier accept any responsibility if you cannot travel because you have not complied with any passport, visa or immigration requirements and normal cancellation fees will apply
We can provide general information about any health formalities required for your trip but you should check with your own doctor for your specific circumstances. Up to date travel advice can be obtained from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, visit www.fco.gov.uk.
- Final Travel Arrangements
Please ensure that all your travel, passport, visa and insurance documents are in order and that you arrive in plenty of time for checking in at the relevant departure point.
To fully prepare yourself for your tour we strongly recommend you read the pre tour recommendations that are available on the website and check all necessary information in person.
- Complaints
Where you have booked a tour with us where we are acting as principal, please inform your Tour Leader about any queries or concerns immediately or contact us via the contact numbers listed on our website. If your complaint is not resolved locally, please follow this up within 14 days of your return home by writing to us giving your booking reference and all other relevant information. It is strongly recommended that you communicate any complaint to the supplier of the services in question without delay whilst on tour. If you fail to follow this procedure we will have been deprived of the opportunity to investigate and rectify your complaint whilst you were on tour and this may affect your rights under this contract.
If you wish to complain when you return home, write to the supplier. You will see the name and address plus contact details in any confirmation documents we send you. We will of course assist you with this if you wish – please contact us. However, any assistance will be provided as a gesture of goodwill.
- Lost property
Joyous Host and its staff do not accept liability in respect of any loss or damage to articles brought on tour. It is the sole responsibility of all guests to make arrangements for adequate insurance coverage on all valuable items prior to departure. Should any items be left behind at our partner hotels whilst on tour, it is your responsibility to contact the relevant hotel to make arrangements for the items to be returned. We will assist where possible in the tracking of lost items. Should the item be found it will be posted to you. You agree to pay a handling fee of 30$ per lost item as well as the relevant postage fee. Joyous Host accepts no liability for helping with your lost property, nor do we take responsibility for any loss or damage to your luggage while on our vehicles or public transport.
- Force Majeure
Except where otherwise expressly stated in these booking conditions we will not be liable or pay you compensation if our contractual obligations to you are affected by any event which we or the supplier of the service in question could not, even with all due care, foresee or avoid. These events can include, but are not limited to war, threat of war, civil strife, terrorist activity and its consequences or the threat of such activity, riot, the act of any government or other national or local authority including port or river authorities, industrial dispute, lock closure, natural or nuclear disaster, fire, chemical or biological disaster and all similar events outside our control or the control of the supplier concerned.
- Law and Jurisdiction
These terms and conditions are governed by Georgian law and any dispute arising between the parties is subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the court of Georgia.
If any exclusion(s) or limitation(s) contained in these Conditions is found, in whole or part, to be unlawful, void or for any other reason unenforceable for any purpose(s), that exclusion(s) or limitation(s) or the part(s) in question shall be deemed severable and omitted from these Conditions for that purpose / those purposes. Such omission shall not affect the validity, effectiveness or enforceability of the other provisions of these Conditions.
- Definition of tour
A “Musical tour” exists if you book a pre-arranged combination of at least two of the following components when sold or offered for sale at an inclusive price and when the service covers a period of more than twenty-four hours or includes: (a) transport; (b) accommodation; (c) musical masterclasses; Where you have booked a tour with us, we will accept responsibility for it in accordance with these Booking Conditions as an “Organizer”.
- Pricing
We reserve the right to amend the price of unsold tours at any time and correct errors in the prices of confirmed tours. The price of your confirmed tour is subject at all times to changes in transport costs such as fuel, any other cost changes which are part of our contracts with operators and any other transport providers; changes in the currency exchange used to calculate your arrangements and to rates, dues, taxes or fees chargeable for services such as embarkation or disembarkation fees at ports any or all of which may result in a variation of your holiday price.
We will absorb and you will not be charged for any increase equivalent to 2% of the price of your travel arrangements, which excludes insurance premiums and any amendment charges and/or additional services or travel arrangements. You will be charged for the amount over and above that, plus any applicable administration charges together with any amounts to cover agents’ commission. If this means that you have to pay an increase of more than 10 % of the price of your confirmed travel arrangements (excluding any insurance premiums, amendment charges and/or additional services or travel arrangements), you will have the option of accepting a change to another holiday if we are able to offer one (if this is of equivalent or higher quality you will not have to pay more but if it is of lower quality you will be refunded the difference in price), or cancelling and receiving a full refund of all monies paid to us, except for any insurance premiums and any amendment charges and/or additional services or travel arrangements. Should you decide to cancel for this reason, you must exercise your right to do so within 7 days from the issue date printed on your final invoice. There will be no change made to the price of your confirmed holiday within 14 days of your departure nor will refunds be paid during this period. We will consider an appropriate refund of insurance premiums paid if you can show that you are unable to transfer or reuse your policy. Should the price of your holiday go down due to the changes mentioned above, by more than 2% of your confirmed holiday cost, then any refund due will be paid to you. However, please note that travel arrangements are not always purchased in local currency and some apparent changes have no impact on the price of your travel due to contractual and other protection in place.
- Changes by You
If you wish to change any part of your tour after our confirmation invoice has been issued, you must inform us in writing as soon as possible. This should be done by the first named person on the booking. Whilst we will do our best to assist, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to meet your requested change. Where we can meet a request, all minor changes will be subject to payment of an administration fee of 25 $ per booking per change as well as any applicable rate changes or extra costs incurred as well as any costs incurred by ourselves and any costs or charges incurred or imposed by any of our suppliers. You should be aware that these costs will increase the closer to the departure date that changes are made and you should contact us as soon as possible.
Where we are unable to assist you and you do not wish to proceed with the original booking we will treat this as a cancellation by you. A cancellation fee will be payable. If you are prevented from traveling it may be possible to transfer your booking to another suitable person provided that written notice is given. An administration fee will be charged, details available upon request.
Note: Certain arrangements may not be amended after they have been confirmed and any alteration could incur a cancellation charge of up to 100% of that part of the arrangements.
- If You Cancel
If you or any other member of your party decides to cancel your confirmed Package you must notify us in writing. Your notice of cancellation will only take effect when it is received in writing by us at our offices or by email (when you receive an email response confirmation from us). Since we incur costs in cancelling your arrangements, you will have to pay the applicable cancellation charges up to the maximum shown in the table below (the cancellation charge detailed is calculated on the basis of the total cost payable by the person cancelling, excluding insurance premiums and amendment charges which are not refundable in the event of the person to whom they apply cancelling).
Period before departure within which notice of Cancellation by you is received and amount of cancellation charge
35 days or more before departure – 10% (nonrefundable prepayment)
15 – 34 days before departure – 50% of tour cost
Less than 14 days before departure – 100% of tour cost
Please note that certain arrangements may not be amended after they have been confirmed and any alteration or cancellation could incur a cancellation charge of up to 100 % of that part of the arrangements, in addition to the charge above.
If the reason for your cancellation is covered under the terms of your insurance policy, you may be able to reclaim these charges. We will deduct the cancellation charges from any monies you have already paid to us.
NOTE – COVID-19 pandemic update:
In the event of cancelling a tour due to the travel restrictions associated with Covid-19, our customers will be issued with a refund in the form of bank transfer (It takes about 7 working days, full amount except bank fees (approximately 30 $ – 50 $ depending on bank and transferred amount).
As an alternative, customers will have the option to opt for a travel credit instead. Travel credit can be used for future bookings or as a travel gift, and only needs to be redeemed before the voucher expires, to the end 2022.
- If We Make a Change or Cancel Your Tour
It is unlikely that we will have to make any changes to your tour, but we do plan the arrangements many months in advance. Occasionally, we may have to make changes and we reserve the right to do so at any time. Most of these changes will be minor and we will advise you of them at the earliest possible date. We also reserve the right in any circumstances to cancel your Package. However, we will not cancel your travel arrangements less than 35 days before your departure date, except for reasons of force majeure or failure by you to pay the final balance. Most alterations will be minor and while we will do our best to notify you of any changes as soon as reasonably possible if there is time before your departure, we will have no other liability to you. Examples of “minor changes” include the following when made before departure:
A change of accommodation to another of the same standard or classification.
Occasionally we may have to make a major change to your tour. Examples of “major changes” include the following, when made before departure:
A change of accommodation area for the whole or a significant part of your time away.
A change of outward departure time or overall length of your arrangements of twelve or more hours.
A significant change to your itinerary, missing out one or more destination entirely.
If we have to make a major change or cancel, we will tell you as soon as possible via email and if there is time to do so before departure, we will offer you the choice of (for major changes):
- accepting the changed arrangements;
- having a refund of all monies paid; or
- accepting an offer of alternative travel arrangements of comparable standard from us, if available (we will refund any price difference if the alternative is of a lower value).
You must notify us of your choice within 7 days of our offer in writing. If you fail to do so we will assume that you have chosen to accept the change or alternative booking arrangements.
If we make a major change or cancel, less than 35 days before departure, we will also pay compensation as detailed below:
Period before departure within which notice of Cancellation is notified to you.
Compensation payable per person booking:
35 days or more – free
34 -14 days – 20 $
Less than 14 days – 50$
We will not pay you compensation where we make a major change or cancel more than 35 days before departure or in the event that we are forced to make a change or cancel as a result of unusual and unforeseeable circumstances beyond our control (also when other travelers cancel and there are less than 3 people left on the tour), the consequences of which we could not have avoided even with all due care or if we cancel your arrangements. (We will tell you if we have to cancel for this reason not less than 35 days before departure).
The above sets out the maximum extent of our liability for changes and cancellations and we regret we cannot meet any expenses or losses you may incur as a result of change or cancellation. In no case will we pay compensation if accommodation is offered by us and accepted by you in the same location with a higher price than at the time of the original booking, where no additional payment is made by you for the higher priced accommodation.
We will not pay you compensation and the above options will not be available if we make a minor change or cancel as a result of your failure to make full payment on time or where the change(s) or cancellation by us arises out of alterations to the confirmed booking requested by you.
Very rarely, we may be forced by “force majeure” to change or terminate your arrangements after departure. If this situation does occur, we regret we will be unable to make any refunds (unless we obtain any from our suppliers), pay you compensation or meet any costs or expenses you incur as a result.
- Our Responsibilities to You in respect of tours
We will accept responsibility for the arrangements we agree to provide or arrange for you as an “organiser”. We will not be responsible or pay you compensation for any injury, illness, death, loss, damage, expense, cost or other claim of any description if it results from:
- the act(s) and/or omission(s) of the person(s) affected;
- the act(s) and/or omission(s) of a third party unconnected with the provision of the services contracted for and which were unforeseeable or unavoidable; or
- unusual or unforeseeable circumstances beyond ours or our supplier(s) control, the consequences of which could not have been avoided even if all due care had been exercised; or
- an event which either ourselves or suppliers could not, even with all due care, have foreseen or forestalled.
It is a condition of our acceptance of liability under this clause that you notify any claim to us and our supplier(s) strictly in accordance with the complaints procedure set out in these conditions.
Where any payment is made, the person(s) receiving it (and their parent or guardian if under 18 years) must also assign to ourselves or our insurers any rights they may have to pursue any third party and must provide ourselves and our insurers with all assistance we may reasonably require.
Please note, we cannot accept any liability for any damage, loss or expense or other sum(s) of any description: (a) which on the basis of the information given to us by you concerning your booking prior to our accepting it, we could not have foreseen you would suffer or incur if we breached our contract with you; or (b) relate to any business.
We will not accept responsibility for services or facilities which do not form part of our Agreement, or where they are not advertised in our brochure. This is for example any excursion you book directly with an external supplier, or any service or facility which your hotel or any other supplier agrees to provide for you.
Extra activities will be available on all tours, that will enhance your travel experience, but you have a choice as to whether or not to participate. Please note these are not part of your tour, These excursions are not operated by Joyous Host, nor do they form part of your contract with us. Whilst we may arrange the activity, where we do so we act as an agent of the local supplier. Should you participate in any extra activities your contract will be with the local supplier and their conditions will apply.
On our behalf, we are responsible to provide accommodation, translation, local transportation to all the destinations, three meals per day, musical masterclasses few hours each day by the expert, at least three other cultural activities depending on the weather and circumstances, such as fishing, cooking local dishes, winemaking, vodka distilling, picnics, dancing folk dances, playing instruments. The itinerary that we provide will be followed precisely, only slight changes might be applied according to weather conditions and changes by suppliers.
- Delays, Missed Transport Arrangements and other Travel Information
If you or any member of your party misses your Coach or other transport arrangement, it is cancelled or you are subject to a delay for any reason on the day of departure, you must contact us and any other transport supplier concerned immediately.
Our tours run to a schedule and if you, or any member of your party is late during the tour, you may be left behind. If this occurs, please contact your tour leader and they will provide you with assistance to help you travel to the next destination, please note that any costs incurred will be at your own expense. The departure times during the tour are set by the tour leader and driver and will be notified to you at each stop. It is your responsibility to be on time, failure to be on time can cause delays to the tour itinerary.