Before you book
Hotel cancellation deadlines and deposits
A hotel rate is two decisions bundled into one number: what the room costs, and what happens if your plans change. The second one is set by the property, is written into the rate you picked rather than into the hotel as a whole, and is the part most travellers do not read until they need it. This guide covers what to establish before you pay.
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The deadline belongs to the rate, not to the hotel
The same room in the same hotel on the same night is commonly sold on several rates at once, and the cancellation terms differ between them. A property is not "free cancellation" or "non-refundable"; a rate is. Comparing two quotes for the same hotel without comparing their cancellation terms compares two different products.
Deadlines are stated in the property's local time, which is the detail that catches people crossing time zones. A deadline of 18:00 the day before arrival is 18:00 where the hotel is, and a cancellation submitted at what feels like the afternoon of the previous day can land after it. When we quote a stay we write the deadline out as a date and a time in the property's own time zone for exactly this reason.
Prepaid is a different product, not a discount
A prepaid rate is charged when you book rather than when you stay, and it is usually cheaper because you have taken on the risk of not being able to travel. That is a reasonable trade for a trip that is certain and a poor one for a trip that is not. Where a rate is prepaid we label it as prepaid rather than describing the difference as a saving.
Prepaid does not always mean non-refundable, and non-refundable does not always mean nothing is returned. Some prepaid rates permit a date change but not a cancellation. Some non-refundable rates still return the taxes. The only reliable source is the rate's own terms, which is why we put them in the quote rather than summarising them.
What the property takes at check-in
Most properties place a hold on a payment card at check-in against incidentals, and the amount, the currency and how long the hold takes to drop off afterwards are all the property's own policy. A hold is not a charge, but it does reduce the credit or balance available to you for the duration, which matters on a debit card more than on a credit card.
Some properties require the card used to book to be presented at check-in, and some will not accept a third party's card at all. If someone else is paying for the room, settle that with the property in advance rather than at the desk. Ask us and we will put the question to them in writing before you travel.
- City, tourist or occupancy taxes are frequently collected at the property rather than included in a prepaid rate. We state which applies in the quote.
- A mandatory resort or destination fee is charged whether or not you use what it covers. It is part of the price, and we include it in the total we quote.
- Deposits taken in cash are refunded on the property's own terms and timetable, which is worth knowing before you agree to one.
If the room is not what was booked
Raise it at the property, at the moment you find it, and ask for the resolution in writing before you accept an alternative room. A property that has moved you to a smaller room or a different building can usually fix it while you are standing there, and almost never once you have checked out and gone home.
If it cannot be resolved on the spot, tell us while you are still on site. We can take it up with the property, and a contemporaneous record of what was booked and what was provided is what makes that conversation work. We cannot alter a property's cancellation terms after the fact, and neither can anyone else.
