service charges, such as hotel expenses

so I can get a refund of hotel and restaurant service charges but only IF the establishment participates in the voluntary VAT Retail Export Scheme

Q- How many hotels and restaurants participate - McDonalds?

and

<First, you need to choose a shop that operates the VAT Retail Export Scheme. It's a voluntary scheme and not all shops operate it, so you need to check before you buy anything.>

Well 0% of my VAT-ed purchases are from such shops - meaning I cannot get any VAT refunded, contrary to flanner's claim that "unlike America, we even refund the sales taxes visitors play on merchandise" - so as usual flanner is blowing hot air and misleading folks.