A HOTEL director has been ordered to pay £5,500 after pleading guilty to misusing tourism logos.

Paul Williams, a director for Rural Retreats and Leisure Limited, was ordered to pay fines and costs by Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court after pleading guilty to five charges under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations at the Radnorshire Arms Hotel in Presteigne.

The court heard that in November 2015, Visit Wales contacted the Powys County Council’s Trading Standards Service to report that the Radnorshire Arms Hotel was displaying a Visit Wales / Wales Tourist Board 3 star quality grading but was no longer participating in a grading scheme.

The last application for a quality grading lapsed at the end of September 2011.

Despite letters of warning in February 2016, the hotel’s website continued to display Visit Wales logos.

Council officers removed the Visit Wales 3 star grading signs from the hotel and a copy of a leaflet showing the Visit Wales logo.

Officers also took action to remove AA signs that displayed a three star grading by the front door of the property and twice on a roadside advertising board. The AA signs were removed at the same time the Visit Wales signs were removed.

The AA ratings were removed after website checks were carried out in January 2016 which showed the hotel had AA star ratings displayed at the property. Enquiries were made with the AA who confirmed the hotel had not been a member of their schemes since 2002.

In May 2016, Visit Wales advised the council that the hotel had re-applied to become a member of the scheme. In June 2016, an unannounced grading visit was carried out at the hotel and following the assessment, the establishment only achieved a two star hotel rating.

Williams was fined £250 per offence (£1,250 in all) and ordered him to pay £4,250 costs.

Cllr Jonathan Wilkinson, Powys County Council’s Cabinet Member for Trading Standards, said: “Those responsible for the Radnorshire Arms Hotel were given numerous opportunities to remove the Visit Wales logos. However, they never removed them and misled those who stayed at the hotel to think they had ratings that they had no right to display.

“This should act as a warning to other tourism establishments in the county that they must get their accreditations correct. We will work with the tourism industry regulators to deal with any breaches.”