In the event of a conflict between this Schedule of Conditions and the terms and conditions for working with us, the schedule of conditions shall have precedence.
1. In this schedule of conditions the following words will have the meanings ascribed to them:
| Term | Meaning |
| VisitScotland | an Executive Non Departmental Government Body (including any subsidiaries thereof), established under the Development of Tourism Act 1969 as amended under the Tourist Boards (Scotland) Act 2006, and having its principal office at Waverley Court, 4 East Market Street, Edinburgh EH8 8BG. |
| Quality Assurance Scheme(s) | VisitScotland’s Quality Assurance Schemes are branded under the name of "Scottish Tourist Board". Hereinafter, referred to as Quality Assurance Scheme(s). |
| Operator | the person (whether an individual or individuals, partnership, trust, company or other corporate body) carrying on the business associated with the Establishment; |
| Final Quality Assurance Scheme Year | the period from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025, being the year following notification that the Quality Assurance Scheme is closing; |
| Establishment | the accommodation or attraction (including any online presence) to which an award has been given, or which is awaiting a quality assurance award visit, and includes any third party goods or service operator on site; |
| Scheme Year | the period ordinarily from 1 April in any one year to 31 March of the following year. |
2. The Schedule of Conditions applies for the period of participation within the Quality Assurance Scheme, from the date of VisitScotland’s receipt of application and payment throughout the Scheme Year, the granting of any award that may be given until such time as:
i. the Operator voluntarily withdraws from participation in the Quality Assurance Scheme;
ii. the Quality Assurance award given ceases to have effect in accordance with the terms hereof;
iii. VisitScotland ends the Quality Assurance Scheme.
VisitScotland reserves the right to modify this Schedule of Conditions at any time at its absolute discretion.
3. (a) The Quality Assurance award shall apply to the Operator in respect of the Establishment for the period from the date of receipt by the Operator of the award confirmation letter or e-mail from VisitScotland until the earlier of:
i. the date on which the Operator ceases to participate in the Quality Assurance Scheme; or
ii. the Quality Assurance award ceases to have effect in accordance with the terms hereof, which period is hereinafter referred to as “the relevant period”.
(b) VisitScotland may, from time to time, during the relevant period, revise the Quality Assurance award to be applicable to the Operator in respect of the Establishment. The said revised Quality Assurance award shall be the one in force and applicable to the Operator from the date of notification from VisitScotland confirming the said revised Quality Assurance award until the earlier of:
i. the date of receipt by the Operator of a letter or email from VisitScotland further revising the Quality Assurance award; or
ii. the occurrence of one of the events referred to on sub-paragraphs (i) or (ii) of paragraph (3a) of this clause.
(c) All references in this Schedule of Conditions to the “Quality Assurance award’’ shall, unless the context requires otherwise, be taken as references to the Quality Assurance award given by VisitScotland to the Operator in respect of the Establishment as revised by VisitScotland, from time to time, in accordance with the provisions of this clause.
4. (a) Initial participation in the Quality Assurance Scheme is from the date of VisitScotland’s receipt of the Operator’s application until the end of that Scheme Year, thereafter participation is renewed annually by the Operator’s payment of the annual fee as prescribed by VisitScotland and will continue until the end of the Final Quality Assurance Scheme Year.
(b) The annual fee is payable in advance, and within 30 days of invoice date. Any annual fees which remain unpaid after this time will be passed to VisitScotland’s credit control team. The fee contributes towards the continued use of the Quality Assurance award by the Operator. The fee also covers scheme administration, promotion of the Quality Assurance Schemes and awards, data management and Quality Assurance visits at the discretion of VisitScotland. A Quality Assurance visit may take place in advance of VisitScotland’s receipt of payment of the invoice by the Operator.
(c) The annual participation fee is payable regardless of whether or not a Quality Assurance visit has taken place, and it will be non-refundable under any circumstances after the end of June.
5. The Quality Assurance award may be subject to such terms and conditions as VisitScotland sees fit and, in the event that the Quality Assurance award given to the Operator in respect of the Establishment is subject to terms and conditions, the Operator shall comply with them in full in the operation of the Establishment. The level of any Quality Assurance award granted is at VisitScotland’s sole discretion.
6. If the Operator provides catering at the Establishment, the catering provision will be assessed under our “Taste our Best” scheme for free as part of the assessment for the Quality Assurance Scheme. The Operator can choose whether or not to accept the award under the “Taste our Best” scheme if the business achieves the award. If the business is not successful in achieving the “Taste our Best” award, this will not impact the assessment under the Quality Assurance Scheme. If the Operator does accept the “Taste our Best” award, the Operator agrees, as part of the “Taste Our Best” scheme, that VisitScotland may at any time conduct spot checks to verify the provenance of Scottish produce on menus in use by the Operator. Failure to participate in a spot check or failure to verify Scottish sourcing at the required level, as pre-determined by VisitScotland, will result in withdrawal of the “Taste Our Best” award, and removal of the Operator from the “Taste out Best” scheme.
7. (a) All serviced bedrooms must be declared and inspected.
(b) Self-catering Operators must clearly identify graded and non-graded properties in all marketing, and clearly identify star awards for individual properties where appropriate.
8. The Operator shall be entitled to display the appropriate wall plaque and window sticker, and any other promotional material provided by VisitScotland in respect of the Quality Assurance award only for the duration of the relevant period and subject to the other conditions of this Schedule.
9. VisitScotland may, from time to time, or in its absolute discretion, alter, amend, replace or vary the criteria and/or method by which the Quality Assurance award is established, and any reference herein to the “Quality Assurance criteria” shall be taken as being a reference to the said criteria and/or method by which the Quality Assurance award assessment of the Establishment is made.
10. The Operator shall be entitled to refer to, or advertise, the Quality Assurance award given only for the duration of the relevant period.
11. The Operator shall, for the duration of the relevant period, be bound to maintain the Establishment so as to continuously comply with the relevant Quality Assurance criteria. The Operator shall also notify any third party operators within the Establishment that they may be assessed as part of the Quality Assurance visit and the Operator shall communicate to them the standards required to comply with the relevant Quality Assurance criteria.
12. The Quality Assurance award, brown tourist signage, wall plaque, and any promotional items acquired by the Operator may not be assigned by the Operator by any means whatsoever.
13. The Operator shall immediately inform VisitScotland of any proposals to sell, lease or otherwise dispose of the Establishment.
14. As there is no annual fee due for the Final Quality Assurance Scheme Year, no refunds will be payable during the Final Quality Assurance Scheme Year.
15. The Operator shall inform any person to whom (s)he intends to sell, lease or otherwise dispose of the Establishment as aforesaid prior to such sale, lease or disposal, that any Quality Assurance award given by VisitScotland in respect of the Establishment shall cease to apply immediately upon the transfer of the Establishment by the Operator whether by sale, lease or otherwise to the said person.
16. Without prejudice to Condition 3 hereof, the Quality Assurance award given will cease to apply with immediate effect in the event that during the relevant period any of the following occur:
i. the Operator sells, leases or otherwise disposes of the Establishment or the business associated therewith;
ii. the Operator fails to comply with the relevant Quality Assurance Scheme criteria for the Establishment;
iii. any information, including information available on the visitscotland.com website, given to VisitScotland by or on behalf of the Operator and whether or not in connection with the application for Quality Assurance or during any visit to the Establishment, is found to be false or misleading, or where it is found that there has been a failure to disclose any material fact that would have had a bearing on VisitScotland’s award;
iv. the Operator displays or allows to be displayed at the Establishment, or refers or allows reference to be made in any form whatsoever, to a Quality Assurance award differing from that which has been awarded by VisitScotland to the Operator in respect of the relevant period; and/or
v. VisitScotland ends the Quality Assurance Scheme.
17. The Operator shall be bound at the end of the relevant period or on the earlier cessation of the Quality Assurance award given in terms of any of the conditions of this Schedule, forthwith to remove from the Establishment all promotional material pertaining to the Quality Assurance award provided by VisitScotland and any other advertisement pertaining thereto and any promotional items acquired by the Operator. The Operator shall also forthwith delete or cause to be deleted any reference to any Quality Assurance award whether then in force or otherwise, which appears anywhere in the Establishment or in any advertising or business material pertaining thereto.
18. The Operator shall indemnify VisitScotland against all claims for compensation including any expenses arising from or in respect of such claims arising out of or in connection with the failure by the Operator to maintain the Establishment in accordance with the Quality Assurance criteria upon which the award to the Operator was based during the relevant period.
19. VisitScotland reserves the right to withdraw any Operator from the Scheme where:
i. VisitScotland has received three or more written complaints about an Operator within one Scheme Year/12 month period;
ii. where the business has failed to achieve an award;
iii. in VisitScotland’s opinion, the Operator does not meet the minimum criteria for achieving or maintaining a Quality Assurance award;
iv. where access to the Establishment by VisitScotland for the purposes of the quality assurance visit has been refused or denied by the Operator on more than two occasions and, in the sole opinion of VisitScotland, such refusal or denial of access is being used to frustrate the efforts of VisitScotland to grade the Establishment;
v. there has been a breach by the Operator of any of these conditions; or
vi. the Operator fails to pay the annual fee within the specified period of the award.
20.
i. VisitScotland reserves the right to end the Quality Assurance Scheme at any time on giving notice to Operators. Where VisitScotland ends the Quality Assurance Scheme, the Scheme Year following notification of such closure shall be the Final Quality Assurance Scheme Year. No fee shall be payable for continued participation in the Quality Assurance Scheme during the Final Quality Assurance Scheme Year. Operators shall maintain the Quality Assurance award awarded at their last grading until the Quality Assurance Scheme ends, unless they choose to withdraw from the Quality Assurance Scheme. VisitScotland will not conduct Quality Assurance visits which would have otherwise been scheduled to be carried out within the Final Quality Assurance Scheme Year. VisitScotland may at its discretion perform Quality Assurance visits where such visits are overdue from a previous Scheme Year due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
ii. When the Quality Assurance Scheme comes to an end following the Final Quality Assurance Scheme Year, Operators will be responsible for removing from the Establishment all promotional material pertaining to the Quality Assurance award provided by VisitScotland and any other advertisement pertaining thereto at their own expense within such reasonable time frame to be indicated by VisitScotland on closure of the Quality Assurance Scheme. For the avoidance of doubt, the relevant period will end at the end of the Final Quality Assurance Scheme Year.