A national hotel chain has been accused of not passing on the recent VAT cut to a Cross Roads customer.

Travelodge charged Barry Thorne the same amount for two bookings despite the tax dropping by 2.5 per cent.

The firm instead increased its room charge by 54p to make up for the 54p drop in value-added tax.

This meant the final price for each of the two bookings — for stays within eight days of each other — was an identical £30.

Mr Thorne, a Haworth parish councillor, had made the two bookings for his adult son Stephen, who has learning disabilities.

The bookings cover hotel stays during Stephen’s outward and return journeys from Keighley to Bristol, on June 5 and 13.

Mr Thorne booked on November 27 last year for Travelodge, at Taunton, Somerset, and on January 16 this year for Travelodge, at Bristol Cribbs Causeway.

The Government reduced VAT from 17.5 per cent to 15 per cent on December 1.

Mr Thorne accused Travelodge of taking taxpayers’ money. “It’s an example of Robin Hood in reverse,” he said.

“This is a big chain and they take lots of bookings. They’re not passing the 2.5 per cent on. We were waiting for the price to come down after the VAT announcement.”

A spokeswoman for Travelodge said that from last December to the end of 2009 it was offering 10 per cent more “saver” rooms than in 2008.

She said: “This is equivalent to the value of the VAT cut.

“This will enable us to provide more cut-price rooms than ever before and maintain our position as the leading budget provider in the UK.

“Already Travelodge rooms in all the major cities of the UK are 15 per cent less than they were in 2008 and we are committed to cutting prices further at every available opportunity.”