How to avoid Hotel Cancellation fees

I recently had an unpleasant encounter with hotel cancellation fees that will make me think carefully in the future how I go about booking any hotel stays.

The story went like this. A friend who lives abroad arranged to meet me for a long weekend – it was to be spent in a nice hotel where we could do some walking and visit some lovely gardens, a break for us both the relax and unwind. I did some research and selected a Country House Hotel with stylish rooms, great food and attractive grounds, rang them to establish their availability and made the booking, thinking not much more about it other than to look forward to my short break.

A week after I made the booking, unforeseen events meant my friend could no longer join me so I rang to cancel the hotel reservation. I discovered that despite the booking having been made only a week previously, I was now into a 7 day cancellation period which meant that I was liable for the whole amount, over £600, if the rooms were not re-let. While this seemed somewhat steep, the hotel referred me to the cancellation policy that they had sent with my confirmation email, which stated that cancellations made within 14 days of the arrival date were liable to be charged at 50% of the room rate and within 7 days at 100% of the room rate.

The trouble with these terms is that they hit those booking at the last minute particularly hard. I could have made the booking 6 months ago, and taken the rooms out of circulation until just before the 14 day notice period and then cancelled them without any penalty. But by booking close to the date and keeping them reserved for only a few days, I was now liable for the full amount. In the end, the hotel was able to sell one of the two rooms I had booked and were able to rebook the second room for a later date which I am still hoping to use and enjoy that restful country hotel weekend. Nevertheless, I found the whole episode rather stressful, so here are my suggestions for how to avoid hotel cancellation charges that force you to pay for a hotel stay that you are unable to use;

 Check the hotel cancellation policy before you book

If, like me, you spend some time researching the best hotel to stay, make sure your research includes a check on the hotel cancellation policy. If the hotel is being transparent, this should be given somewhere on their website, although you may have to hunt around for it. If the hotel is being less honest with their customers, you may not find a cancellation policy on the website,or it may only become obvious when you  have completed the booking. In this case you should ask the hotel for their cancellation policy, when you ring or e-mail to check availability. I believe that if more customers made it clear that the cancellation policy could be a factor in their booking then hotels would be forced to be up front about their cancellation policy and more favourable to the customer.

My research on a few hotel websites led me to conclude that many hotels accept cancellations without penalty up to 24 hrs before the arrival date and that the policy of making a charge for cancellation within 14 days was exceptional. I also found that the smaller the hotel the more likely they are to require a long notice period for cancellation.

Take extra care over hotel cancellation policies when making bookings at short notice.

It may seem like a great idea to make a booking at the last minute for some instant sunshine or relaxation, but this is the time when a change of plan will leave you with the highest cancellation charges. While some hotels will accept cancellations up to 24 hours before, others like the one I chose will penalise you for a cancellation, even if the room has only been out of circulation for a few days.

If you book far ahead, review your plans before the cancellation period cuts in

If you’ve made a hotel booking well in advance, it’s worth making a note of the required cancellation period and reviewing your plans before that time. If you know that the hotel requires a 14 day cancellation period, then perhaps make a note in your diary 3 weeks before to check that your plans are still the same, and give you the opportunity to cancel without charge.

You may also enjoy: Luxury for Less – 8 ways to save money on travel (and still have a great experience)

Compare your options when booking through online hotel websites

Once I have decided to book a particular hotel, I often shop around using a hotel comparison website such as Booking.com, which makes it easy to compare the price of a hotel room through different hotel booking websites. The best hotel booking engines also make it easy to check the hotel cancellation policy of the hotel that you’re interested in, as this is normally shown clearly on the booking page, even if it is not obvious from the hotel website. However, beware of banners that proclaim ‘Free Cancellation’ as this may only mean that you will not be charged if you cancel before the stated notice period, or that the hotel booking site itself will not levy an extra charge on top of the hotel’s own cancellation charge. And while you’re using a hotel booking site, make sure that you check the small print to ensure that they will not add an additional cancellation charge of their own on top of the hotel’s.

If you have to cancel at short notice

If plans change and you have to cancel, you will hopefully be aware in advance what charges you are likely to be faced with. Make sure that you treat the hotel with consideration and give them as much notice as possible if you need to cancel, and explain any unfortunate circumstances that may make them more sympathetic. If faced with a cancellation charge, request that they try to re-let the room to avoid charging you for it. If the room is not re-let then you may also request that they rebook the room for a different date which many hotels will do with no cancellation charge.

So I hope by making yourself aware of Hotel Cancellation Policies you’ll be able to enjoy a lovely time in your chosen hotel and avoid any stress, not to mention steep Hotel Cancellation charges.

Photos: The hotel rooms featured in the photos above are lovely hotels that I have stayed in and reviewed that only charge for cancellation within 1-2 days of arrival.

Some great hotels with favourable cancellation policies

Review of Fawsley Hall, Northamptonshire 
Review of Circus Hotel, Berlin 
Review of Menzies Welcombe Hotel, Stratford-upon-Avon 

This article is originally published at Heatheronhertravels.com

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