Here’s the legal stuff

THE HILLTOP HOLDING OY (OPERATING AS HILLTOP FOREST) – TERMS & CONDITIONS

Last updated: 2 February 2023


GENERAL 

The legal entity The Hilltop Holding Oy is responsible for the operations of “Hilltop Forest” (“we” or “us” or “hotel”). This website is operated by Hilltop Forest to present the business and its operations at the time the website was created and any updates thereafter. The material on this site is provided for general information only and should not be relied upon. This site may contain certain historical information. Historical information, necessarily, is not current and is provided for your reference only. We reserve the right to update our website at any time. 

All prices displayed on our website are subject to change at any time without notice. At the time of your stay, prices are determined by the menus on site at that time.

While we endeavour to keep our website up-to-date, at any point the actual services offered at Hilltop Forest may differ from that presented on the website. 

At the time of booking you are required to read and accept our Terms & Conditions, after which you and us are bound by Hilltop Forest’s Terms & Conditions.

You agree not to reproduce, duplicate, copy, sell, resell or exploit any portion of this website, our brand, concept, photography or designs unless explicitly agreed, in writing, by us.

RESERVATIONS & CANCELLATION

In general, Hilltop Forest operates as a private resort where a pre-reservation is required to access our premises, this is to ensure the privacy of our staying guests. A reservation can be made for accommodation or dining through our website. At any point, however, Hilltop Forest reserves the right to grant access to non-staying guests for use of our land, facilities, lounge, sauna, guest rooms and Hilltop House.

An accommodation reservation is considered confirmed and binding once payment has been received per our payment policy as set out below. Accommodation reservations are processed by a third party “Moder Oy”. 

You are required to read and accept these Terms & Conditions in our reservation system prior to the completion of your reservation. The content of your reservation is specified in our reservation system against the disclosed price at the time the reservation is made for the selected date of arrival and departure. 

A reservation must be made by persons over the age of 18. A reservation confirmation will be sent to you after completion of your reservation and payment terms are met. Our cancellation and payment terms are set out below depending on the type of the reservation.

Reservations for overnight stays as a private consumer cannot be used for marketing purposes, commercial photography, or your own business publicity. Hilltop Forest offers its spaces for such activities, but on terms & conditions separate to the general consumer terms & conditions. Such activities are to be explicitly agreed with Hilltop Forest. 

Reservation enquiries via email or other forms of communication are considered non-binding until a reservation has been paid per the terms & conditions, unless explicitly stated and agreed by us.

Our check-in time is 15:00 on the day of arrival and check-out time is 12:00 the day of departure. 

Guests arriving early or late should contact us to discuss arrangements, particularly out of the opening hours disclosed on our website at the time of your stay. Hilltop Forest has no obligation to offer rooms to arriving guests prior to 15:00 even if the guest arrives early. 

Arriving guests are to check-in at Hilltop House per our arrival instructions sent to you prior to arrival. Contactless check-in is available for arriving if requested prior to arrival.

You are required to notify us of early departure before 18:00 on the day prior to your departure.

We welcome pets at Hilltop Forest for a surcharge of €35 per stay. We have one pet friendly hideaway which can be selected from our reservation system. If a pet is not disclosed when making the reservation, Hilltop Forest will charge the €35 surcharge during your stay. You agree to be fully responsible for your pet during your stay and we reserve the right to charge you for any excessive damage to the hotel’s property caused by your pet during the stay.

CANCELLATION POLICY & PAYMENT TERMS

INDIVIDUAL BOOKINGS

CANCELLATIONS

Our cancellation policy is 2 weeks. A reservation cancelled up to 2 weeks prior to the date of arrival will be refunded in full, less a €10 handling fee. Within the 2 week period prior to your arrival date, a cancelled reservation is charged in full. 

A change to the reservation date can be made up to 1 week prior to your date of arrival, subject to availability of an alternative date. When the room rate is higher on the alternative reservation date, you will be charged the difference at the time of your stay. Hilltop Forest will not refund the difference when the alternative reservation date has a lower room rate than the original reservation.

Name changes for a reservation can be made up to check-in, however notice must be given from the original booking party.

Hilltop House rental (November 2023 to May 2024)

Our cancellation policy is 4 weeks.

No refund is possible for the following periods:

  • Christmas week: 22.12.2023 to 29.12.2023

  • New year: 29.12.2023 to 2.1.2024

  • Easter: 28.3.2024 to 2.4.2024

PAYMENT TERMS

Payment is required at the time of reservation. Payment is required for the reservation to be confirmed. Payment is made by bank transfer, debit card, credit card or invoice. 

All payments are made in Euros (€).


SMALL GROUP BOOKINGS (MULTIPLE ROOMS BUT NOT A PRIVATE RESORT)

For small group bookings (i.e. multiple rooms for the same party), our cancellation & payment policy differs from that of individual bookings in the following ways: 

  • Cancellation: 3 weeks prior to the reservation date.

  • Date change: 2 weeks prior to the reservation date.

As with individual bookings, payment is made at the time of reservation. 


This applies to both cancellations of the entire reservation or partial cancellations (e.g. 1 room).


PRIVATE EVENTS & COMPANY RESERVATIONS

CANCELLATIONS 

A cancellation to a reserved private event can be made on the following basis:

  • Up to 30 days prior: A full refund will be given, less a €50 handling fee.  

  • 30 to 15 days prior: 50% of the total price. In practice, the 50% deposit will not be refunded.

  • Less than 15 days prior: 100% of the total price will be charged.

These terms apply to both cancellations of the entire reservation or partial cancellations (e.g. enrolled party members).

A reservation can be transferred to a different booking party on the following conditions:

  • For any reason, up to 7 days prior. Notice must be given by the original booking party.

  • The services and agreed fee remains the same as the original reservation.

  • Changes to services agreed during a transfer will be charged in line with the cancellation policy above. 

Hilltop Forest’s right to cancel the reservation:

  • In cases of force majeure, the Merchant has the right to cancel the service/event. The customer has the right to a refund.

  • Expenses incurred by the customer due to force majeure will not be reimbursed.

  • A force majeure obstacle can be a dangerous weather condition, such as heavy rain, snow or thunder. It can also be damage or technical problems at Hilltop Forest properties or facilities.


PAYMENT TERMS

A private event is typically invoiced in 3 instalments:

  • 50% at the time the reservation is confirmed.

  • 50% 30 days prior to the event.

  • Beverages and additional services during the event are invoiced immediately after. 


For reservations made within 30 days of the event, the full amount will be charged at the time the reservation is confirmed. Beverage and additional services immediately after the event. 

Payment is made by invoice with 7 days payment terms. All payments are made in Euros (€). 

COMPENSATION FOR DAMAGES

Hilltop Forest does not compensate for damages or costs resulting from possible harm to the customers during activities provided by our 3rd party suppliers. 3rd party supplier terms & conditions can be provided at the customer's request.

COMPLAINTS

Any complaints must be made as quickly as possible after the topic arises and no later than 7 days after the completion of the event. Hilltop Forest will seek to manage the complaint as quickly as possible.

If the customer and the merchant cannot reach an agreement, the customer has the right to raise the dispute to the Consumer Complaints Board.

PAYMENTS

Payments are to be made in line with our payment policy per the reservation type as laid out above. 

Payments for bookings are handled by a third party “Paytrail Oyj”. Paytrail Oyj co-operates with Finnish banks and credit institutions as the payment service provider and payment service provider. Paytrail Oyj appears as the payee on the bank statement or card invoice and forwards the payment to the merchant. Paytrail Oyj has a payment institution licence. For reclamations, you will be required to contact Hilltop Forest in the first instance.

Additional services and purchases during your stay will be charged at the time of purchase or at the time of your departure. Hilltop Forest reserves the right to charge guests after their departure for additional services used by guests during their stay and not disclosed at check-out (such as minibar purchases).

GIFT CARDS

Gift cards sold are valid for the period stated on the gift card sent to the purchaser. After the valid date expires, there is no right of redemption. Gift cards cannot be used together with discount codes.

Gift cards, valid or expired, cannot be refunded or exchanged for cash.

DATA, PRIVACY & INFORMATION

This website uses cookies to enhance your experience, these can be opted out of when you opened the website. Please see our Privacy & Cookies statement on our website for more information. Other information provided to us is processed by third parties. Hilltop Forest has no responsibility or control over the data, privacy or information handling policies in place at those third parties.

You may provide other information voluntarily for marketing by signing up for our newsletter. For our newsletter we use Mailchimp. Mailchimp processes data in accordance with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and has strict security procedures.

To make a reservation you will be required to provide relevant information required by our reservation system Moder Oy. The processor ensures an adequate level of data protection in the processing of data on its own equipment. The processor does not transfer personal data outside the EU. Under no circumstances will the processor disclose personal data to third parties.

Online payments for reservations are processed by Paytrail Oyj. Paytrail Oyj (2122839-7) co-operates with Finnish banks and credit institutions as the payment service provider and payment service provider. Paytrail Oyj appears as the payee on the bank statement or card invoice and forwards the payment to the merchant. Paytrail Oyj has a payment institution licence. Paytrail is part of the Nets Group A/S. Nets is the leading provider of payment solutions, information services and digital security solutions in the Nordic countries. Paytrail has been awarded the Safe Pay certificate.

RIGHTS OF HILLTOP FOREST 

We reserve the right to change our pricing, terms and conditions, services offered, menus as well as cease operations at any time. We also reserve the right to refuse access or service to anyone at our discretion.

We reserve the right to cancel your reservation at any time and refund you fully for your booking.

We reserve the right to apply special terms and conditions that differ from these in case of public holidays, special events, seasonality or in the event that additional services are required.

Should you fail to adhere to these Terms & Conditions, Hilltop Forest reserves the right to terminate your reservation or stay. You will not be eligible for a refund in the event of a terminated reservation or stay due to the customer not being in adherence to these Terms & Conditions. 

 

CUSTOMER CONDUCT 

Arrival & Departure

We ask you to respect our neighbours and other surrounding properties when arriving & departing Hilltop Forest. You are required to read the arrival instructions sent to you prior to your arrival, follow signage close to the property and respect local speed limits. 

Hilltop Forest operates on private land with private road access. You are responsible entirely for planning your journey for the prevailing weather conditions at the time of your arrival & departure. 

Given our remote location and hill, Hilltop Forest should be accessed during the Winter months (December-March) using a four-wheel drive car with winter tyres. Any access issues are entirely the customers responsibility. Alternative parking arrangements can be made if you contact us in advance. 

At Hilltop Forest 

We ask you to be polite and respectful to other staying guests at Hilltop Forest at all times. You are also required to respect the surrounding nature and avoid littering or damaging the local environment.

Customers behaving inappropriately may be removed from the site. We reserve the right to refuse access and service to customers found to be inappropriate or disruptive. Hilltop Forest bears no responsibility to other staying guests for the inappropriate behaviour and actions of other guests.

Hilltop Forest buildings and terraces are licenced premises. Alcoholic beverages consumed at Hilltop Forest are to be purchased from and served by Hilltop Forest staff. Guests consuming alcoholic beverages not purchased from Hilltop Forest will have drinks confiscated from them as it is in violation of Finnish law.

Damage and theft 

Any damage caused by you to hotel property or the removal of hotel property from Hilltop Forest will be charged to the customer at either the cost to repair or replace. 

Smoking is prohibited inside ALL of Hilltop Forest buildings. Hilltop Forest reserves the right to fine a customer €250 if found to be smoking inside any of our buildings. During summer months, guests smoking on site should be particularly aware of any forest fire risk.

You remain responsible for your personal belongings at all times during your stay. Hilltop Forest is in no way responsible for damage or theft to your personal belongings.

Responsibility for minors 

Individuals under the age of 18 remain the responsibility of the accompanying adult and person that made the reservation at all times during your stay. Hilltop Forest operates in a private forest which has uneven terrain and other natural hazards; it is for your safety that we ask responsible adults to take care at all times.


DISCLAIMER

General 

Hilltop Forest cannot be held responsible for incidents that occur during your stay, disruption to service out of our control and cannot be seen to be responsible for injury or damages caused to customers. If specific incidents occur that Hilltop Forest could conceivably be considered to have contributed, through neglect or otherwise, our liability is limited to the value of the customers stay. 

Land

Hilltop Forest operates on a 16 hectare natural forest with uneven terrain and wildlife. You agree to use the land entirely at your own risk and Hilltop Forest cannot be held responsible for any incidents that occur while exploring the natural environment. 

Private spa usage 

During your stay, you may make use of our private sauna reservations. During your time in the private spa you will NOT be monitored by staff, therefore it is your sole responsibility to take due care during this time and cannot hold Hilltop Forest responsible for any accident that occurs. You are required to follow any guidance on safety given by staff. Minors must be accompanied by a responsible adult at all times in the spa. 

In the case of an emergency you are required to follow the instructions given by Hilltop Forest staff. Failure to do so and any harm caused as a result is the sole responsibility of the customer.


JURISDICTION

Terms & Conditions and other agreements made between Hilltop Forest and customers will be governed by the law applicable in Finland.