Accommodation

Accommodation comes in many shapes and sizes in British Columbia. It could be a yurt or A-frame in the mountains, a hotel or motel, resort by the ocean, an RV friendly campsite in the Interior or a rustic lakeside cottage. As with any vacation, it’s recommended to review your consumer rights and be aware of what you are paying for before your visit.

Reservations, Cancellations and Refunds

Accommodation reservations can be made in advance online, by contacting the property directly or even by showing up to see if there is ‘room at the inn’. In general, each establishment requires the equivalent of the daily room rate or site rental to hold the accommodation. When requesting overnight or site rental accommodation it is recommended that you ask for the cancellation and refund policy applicable to the establishment.

Complaints

If you would like to file a complaint against an accommodation facility in British Columbia there are several options available. The first is to contact the business directly to discuss your concerns. If this course of action does not attain the desired results you may then contact Consumer Protection BC which can offer assistance with financial or contractual disputes. Lastly, you can share your experience with other consumers via a review of the business on popular peer-to-peer review sites such as TripAdvisor.

Goods and Services Tax (GST)

The federal Good and Services Tax (GST) of 5% is applicable to most purchased goods and services. GST is charged on all campsite, RV site and room rentals in British Columbia.

Provincial Sales Tax (PST)

In British Columbia an 8% Provincial Sales Tax (PST) is charged on the majority of short-term room rentals by hotels, motels, cottages, inns, resorts and other roofed accommodations. Campsite and RV site rentals are exempt from PST.

The Provincial Sales Tax for other goods and services is set at 7%. Some items such as food and books are exempt from PST.

Municipal and Regional District Tax (MRDT)

In British Columbia a Municipal and Regional District Tax (MRDT) of generally 2-3% is charged in provincially approved municipalities on short-term room rentals by hotels, motels, cottages, inns, resorts and other roofed accommodations. This levy is used to fund local destination marketing organizations and does not apply to overnight campsite or RV site rentals.

Room Rates

Lodging room rental rates are normally quoted before the calculation of GST, PST and any MRDT. All establishments have the right to change their quoted rates from those published in printed guides or other online sources but rates quoted at the time of reservations and accepted by the guest must be honoured.