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Hotel Cancellation Guide

Hotel Cancellation Guide Overview Hotel Cancellation Policies

Hotel Cancellation Policies

A hotel booking cancellation policy can depend on several factors, such as the rate of the booking and the date of check-in.

The “cancel by certain date” policy

This type of cancellation policy gives travelers the option to cancel hotel reservations free of charge up until a certain date. Once this date passes, hotel cancellation policies can either:

  • Charge a standard cancellation fee
  • Require the full payment for the reservation

The “one night penalty” policy

For this type of hotel room cancellation policy, hotel charges a cancellation fee equivalent to one night’s stay at the hotel.

The prepaid, nonrefundable hotel reservation policy

This type of hotel booking requires payment for the entirety of the reservation at the time of booking and is nonrefundable.

See below for a few examples of different hotel cancellation policies

Cancellation hotel policy

Hotels.com Cancellation Policy

  • No cancellation fee imposed by Hotels.com itself
  • Individual hotels are responsible for setting their own cancellation policies for hotels.com reservations booked through hotels.com
  • Such policies vary depending on the specific hotel and may or may not include cancellation fees
Cancellation hotel policy

Disney Hotel Cancellation Policy

The hotel booking policy for reservations booked through Disney’s Central Reservation Office (CRO) requires:
  • An initial deposit of one night’s rate within 14 days of the reservation in order to secure it.
  • Compliance with the reservation cancellation policy which allows cancellations up to six days in advance of your check-in date in order to be reimbursed for the initial deposit.
Cancellation hotel policy

Choicehotels.com Cancellation Policy

This hotel booking cancellation policy consists of two layers:
  • The Choicehotels.com layer:
    Requires a minimum cancellation fee of one night regardless of the hotel with which you book your reservation.
  • The hotel layer:
    Travelers may be subject to other cancellation penalties according to the hotel reservation policy for the individual hotel.
Cancellation hotel policy

Hotelreservations.com Cancellation Policy

  • Similar to Hotels.com
  • Hotels are responsible for cancellation policies for reservations booked through hotelreservations.com
  • Such cancellation policies are displayed in the “description” section at the time of booking.
Cancellation hotel policy

Hilton Hotels Cancellation Policy

The cancellation policy for reservations booked directly from the Hilton Hotels chain is as follows:
  • Each individual hotel has a "Local Hold Time" for if a customer wants to cancel a hotel reservation.
  • The management of each specific hotel sets its own cancellation policy, though typcially Hilton Hotels enforce a 24-hour cancellation policy.
  • Hilton holds the customer responsible for checking with the specific hotel from which they booked to learn its specific policy for cancelling a hotel reservation.
Cancellation hotel policy

Expedia Hotel Cancellation Policy

Should a buyer want to cancel a hotel reservation booked through Expedia, he would need to know the following:
  • Expedia pre-negotiates room rates and cancellation policies with hotels before posting their rooms on the site.
  • Thus, the cancellation policy of a room on Expedia from a certain hotel might differ from that hotel's general policy.
  • Expedia states that most cancellation policies give a full refund up to 24 or 72 hours before the first night, but that this varies by reservation.
Cancellation hotel policy

Hotwire Cancellation Policy

  • Hotwire does not allow any cancellations, refunds, transfers, or exchanges on bookings through their site.
  • However, there is an option to extend a reservation, using the "Add to your stay" feature.
  • With this in mind, be aware before booking through Hotwire!