The following policy has been agreed by the NOG Committee on 31/05/2016 and will be reviewed in approximately 6-9 month’s time. This does not cover Exclusive Hire trips (formerly Rent-a Hostel) – the process for this will remain the same as currently.

• Beds will be booked in advance by the Booking Officer and a judgement will be made as to when they need to be booked and how many beds, depending on the type of weekend planned and the time of year e.g. 6 months before for regular weekends, 8-12 months before for bank holiday weekends, and a ratio of 6 male and 4 female beds (or less) for regular weekends, 9 male and 5 female beds for Bank Holiday/popular weekends.
• Beds will be paid for by the Booking Officer and will be reimbursed by Newport Outdoor Group as soon as possible after booking.
• The beds will be sold to NOG members on a first come first served basis on or before the advertised booking night. Any unsold beds can be offered for sale after the booking night or refunded by YHA as per their refund policy*, therefore minimising the risk to NOG funds. (See below regarding private
  room beds). Unsold beds can be offered for sale to non NOG members but they will incur a surcharge of £2.50 per person per night. This would be payable to Newport Outdoor Group.
• For private room beds, if not all beds are occupied in the private room then Newport Outdoor Group will bear the cost of the remaining beds. Where all beds are unoccupied the whole room can be refunded by YHA as per their refund policy*. The Booking Officer will reconfigure any bed allocation
  as appropriate to minimise any loss to NOG.
• Cheques should be made payable to Newport Outdoor Group or, if agreed by the Treasurer, payment can be made by bank transfer direct to the NOG bank account. Members must inform the Booking Officer and the Treasurer by email of any bank transfers to allow for accurate bookkeeping.
• The booking night will be set at approximately 8 weeks prior to the trip date (more for Bank Holiday weekends to allow time for people to self book if the NOG beds are sold out).
• The Booking Officer will book the cheapest beds available at the time of booking. This may involve booking private rooms as well as dormitory beds. If a mixture of private rooms and dormitory beds are booked then an average price will be charged to members. This does not apply if single/double rooms are booked by request and a supplement is applicable.
• The NOG affiliate discount will be utilised at the time of booking where applicable. Also, beds will be booked assuming YHA membership so that a discount of £3 per person per night can be applied for at the time of booking. Any person who is not a YHA member would need to purchase YHA
  membership prior to going on the trip.
• If an individual has paid for the trip but is then unable to go, their place will be offered for sale to NOG members first, then if not sold, a refund will be applied for from the YHA* by the Booking Officer.
• The Booking Officer will produce a detailed account of monies to the Treasurer showing a deficit/surplus/break even for that booking (as currently for Exclusive Hire bookings).
• * YHA refund policy states that any refunds for beds can be applied for up to 24 hours before the first night’s stay. Any such refund will incur a 10% charge (therefore offering a 90% refund for each bed per night). Newport Outdoor Group will bear the loss of 10%. The YHA policy also states that any
  refunds should be applied for by the person making the initial booking (the Booking Officer) and can take up to 28 days to be refunded. Any refunds received by the Booking Officer will be paid to the individual or Newport Outdoor Group as applicable.