What hotel booking conditions are you accepting?

[albatross710]

I'm looking at taking Mrs Albatross away for a few days in middle of September here in Qld. I'm happy to pay in advance provided there are reasonable 'covid' aka 'lockdown' cancellation conditions. ie if the state /area is in lockdown and we cannot travel then I don't want to be paying for an unused hotel room.

AirBNB last time I checked was adamant that no refunds in the event of lockdown.
Hotels.com says "no refunds " if you don't turn up
BreakFree says "Full payment is required 7 days prior to arrival."
Holiday rental agency says its up the to individual apartment owners who will tell me after the lockdown starts.

In January we were half way through a booking with ctrip and stamford hotel and received an immediate refund for the unused portion.

Are there preferred booking processes that have a built-in covid protection?

Alby

 

[Must...Fly!]

Are you talking prior to check-in, or cutting a trip short after already arriving?

 

[Mattg]

Prior to covid, I was happy enough to book a cheaper non-refundable room rate in advance. Now, no way. If booking more than 2 days out, I'm now only rooms that are flexible or I can cancel for a refund.

This is purely an economic calculation. With the way things are going at the moment, there is more than a 10% chance I won't be able to travel as I had planned. So a 10% discount (or whatever small amount it may be) is not worth the risk of booking early and not getting a refund if I can't use the booking. The expected return of doing this is lower, not higher in the current context.

 

[Seat0B]

I’m doing the same as @Mattg. Pre-COVID I often booked cheaper non-refundable rooms. Now I am only booking rooms that are fully refundable, and prefer those that allow me to make the cancellation right up to check in. There are a number of places that will refund on cancellation 24hrs out - I found some of these on wotif and booking.com recently, and both of those platforms are now offering apartments and booking.com even has whole holiday houses too. So they might be a bit of con petition for Airbnb and Breakfree etc. However, read the small print carefully because it seems that it is up to the individual properties to set their cancellation conditions.

Also, when staying at a hotel, I try to book directly with the hotel now rather than use a website aggregator. You can usually pay the website prices (price match) if you ask the hotel to do it, and I have found the hotels more willing to be reasonable about cancellations, refunds, credits, special add ons etc because they are not paying the aggregator’s commission, which apparently is pretty high.

Best cancellation policy I’ve had so far was Hotel Grand Chancellor Hobart which allowed cancellation for full refund up to 11 am on the da6 of check in, with check in at 2pm ie you could cancel and be refunded with just 3 hrs notice.

I hope in the end of this, we all remember and reward those accommodation providers who have behaved honourably in the COVID times, and that we avoid the snakes and sharks who have used this to gouge us.

 

[daft009]

Cancel in full for any reason 24hrs before

 

[albatross710]

Are you talking prior to check-in, or cutting a trip short after already arriving?

thanks for the replies so far. It's both. If vooking 2-3 weeks in advances for a7 day bookings:

a) travel restriction could be imposed prior to arrival, so will to arrival.
b) have arrived, restrictions imposed in the holiday area and therefore wish to depart as unable to use any of the resort facilities.

I'll make calls today directly to the properties and see what luck I have.

 

[Cruiser Elite]

Sofitel Noosa - we have 6nts booked Dec 24-30 - cancellation and full refund til Sept 25 - post that date cancelation for any reason all funds forfeited.

I am making one more call to Reso Manager today and if they do not agree to full refund up until checkin if we as Victorians are not permitted to enter QLD then no decision other than to cancel

 

[Beano]

Never booked a non-refundable room. Too risky when travelling overseas.

 

[MARTINE]

Before Covid - unless it was a place I would walk over hot coals to stay and there was no choice ( i.e Chateu Lake Louise in Alberta) - I booked cancel at 24 hours notice.

Post Covid to one month ago ( when I decided to cancel all future trips due to multiple voided no-lidays) - It was fully refundable (if I had to pay ahead) with clearly documented Covid policies confirming this.

Currently I book nothing

I will wear the cost of travelling at a moments notice when the circumstances promoting ‘living with Covid‘ are clearer. I'm fully vaccinated and so far have not lost any $$

none of the above is a happy place to be - but I have so much to be grateful about I’ll leave it at that..

 

[BudgetFly]

Cancel in full for any reason 24hrs before

Yes, I'm the same as daft009. I believe Covid has made us more aware of some of the coughpy hotel booking conditions we normally put up with. I don't know that I would ever book a non-refundable room again. And as Seat0B says I also try to book direct with the hotel for equal or better prices and conditions.

 

[MARTINE]

Yes, I'm the same as daft009. I believe Covid has made us more aware of some of the coughpy hotel booking conditions we normally put up with. I don't know that I would ever book a non-refundable room again. And as Seat0B says I also try to book direct with the hotel for equal or better prices and conditions.

Forgot to add my ‘good Covid’ refund experience was LIzard Island resort. Between booking multiple rooms in April 21, paying a month later in full but going into lockdown a few hours before said holiday that had ADDED a full Covid refund policy into t’s abd c’s. Refund received in full . Had the original booking conditions applied it was 30d notice or lose it all.

I also never use hotel aggregators as I’d rather give my money directly to the hotel

 

[bPeteb]

We (I) pretty much only ever booked cheapest non-refundable pre-COVID. Now we (I) only book fully refundable up to no less (more?) that 48 hours before arrival.

 

[equus]

Definitely refundable only all the way.

Then you can get hit with the opposite - no lockdown, no issue but the hotel decides it gets a better offer from International sporting teams wanting to book the entire hotel for 2 weeks (i.e. isolation / quarantine being paid for outside the individual process). On 48 hours notice, hotel just cancels.

Lots of attempts to just suggest rebooking for a different date, or maybe an alternate hotel (no chance there).

Eventually reached a resolution that involved very substantial discounts being provided against the next (much longer, much more expensive) Christmas time booking.

As the hotel is fully booked out then (and for around two weeks), with crazy prices, there is little chance they will feel the economic need to pull this trick again - just hope we have no lockdowns still happening then.

 

[kpc]

Has to be fully refundable up to check in. If not, look elsewhere!

 

[TheRealTMA]

Spicers Resorts in Queensland are very naughty and recalcitrant. Pay in advance (sometimes three months in advance in full at time of booking) and no refunds. Most annoying. Obviously Scroo by name and by nature.

 

[Daver6]

Like most others, I would happily book non-refundable. Now I'll only book fully refundable up to a day or two prior to check-in.

 

[wandering_fred]

Last QF hotel booking was refundable.... if 30 days before arrival.
It was for medical appointments in Perth so cancellation was never gong to happen.....
So it does pay to check BEFORE confirmation
even if wandering
Fred

 

[willclan]

Got caught out with a non refundable booking at a Quest in Perth, booked pre Covid and cancelled three times due to WA border lockdown.

Eventually gave up and took a $400 hit to my pocket. They would not transfer the credit to another Quest in Victoria, which I thought was pretty lousy, and it means I will never stay at another Quest, poor customer service.

Also found out that Big 4 caravan parks will not let you use a credit at any other Big 4 Park, unlike Discovery Parks, where you can credits at any other Discovery Parks, that is customer service. Still trying to use credits which is hard due to lockdown.

Now will only book if free cancellation within a week of travel dates, not worth the risk.

 

[aikman]

Does booking direct actually give you a better deal? I tried doing this before but had a 0% success rate so I stopped doing it. Also, doesn't booking direct mean your refund is at the discretion of the hotel owner/manager? At least with Booking/Expedia the cancellation terms are crystal clear, a refund is available by a certain date and time, no questions asked, and with fast refund processing.

 

[MARTINE]

I’ve always had success and ask them to send t’S and C’s - if they don’t suit me or differ from what I’ve been told I let them know - but have never had a problem. My problem w aggregators is my contact is with them and not the hotel so if a prob arises ‘nothing to do w hotel’! Also it’s easier to get to high ranked people in hotels to direct issues if there is a problem. I also join hotel programs which often provide good access to hotel other than via the website.

Post automatically merged: Aug 30, 2021

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