Travel Tips

Travel Tip: New Changes for Last-Minute Hotel Cancellations

hotel roomIt used to be that canceling your hotel reservation was no big deal. But some hotels have quietly changed their policies, so listen up.

Both Hilton and Marriott now require that you cancel by midnight the night before your reservation. If not, you’ll be penalized one night’s stay.

Franchised properties can opt out of this rule, so be sure to ask about each hotel’s policy.

Hotels don’t earn revenue from unused rooms, so this gives them the opportunity to sell last-minute inventory.

Collecting the penalty doesn’t hurt either. One NYU study found that hotels earned $2.25 billion last year in ancillary fees and surcharges alone.

As for other hotels, cancellation policies already vary between hotel chains, brands, and even between individual properties, depending on who owns and operates it.

Some will continue to be lenient, allowing cancellations until 6 pm the night of your reservation, but others are much more strict.

So pay attention to the fine print with last-minute hotel cancellations, or it may end up costing you when it’s too late to do anything about it.

For more information, visit the Hotels & Accommodations archives

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