About cancelling a hotel reservation while traveling
 

Have any of you done this?..I notice that one hotel requests that a cancellation be done by fax?...one requests 5 days notice??. one 72 hours?..

I have one says they have no cancellation policy at all...what does that mean????

Would like to hear some feedback on this.

Thanks..

Hi lois,

Each hotel has its own policy.

Faxing is the most common way, because that way, if you do show up, they have your signed FAX that you cancelled.

>I have one says they have no cancellation policy at all...what does that mean????<

That's a good one. I suggest that you fax them.

((I))

You can also use e-mail and what I always do is request that the hotel acknowledge the cancellation with a return e-mail.

Unless you have some way of PROVING that a hotel received your fax return e-mail acknowledgement works just as well IMO and is easier to do and is cheaper to do, too.

I don't cancel hotel reservations, but generally note the terms in case of some emergency or delay, and they vary a lot, so that's not unusual. They can be particularly stiff in certain resort areas for smaller places, as they can really take a hit if you cancel at the last minute. Cancellation terms for many Provence hotels can be quite stiff in summer, for example.

I don't know about requiring a FAX, I would think if you were in France it would be normal to call up and cancel a reservation. I've never run across that, but it could be that particular hotel has had problems and wants things in writing, or just finds it more efficient for their own staff and records.

Perhaps there is a language misunderstanding about the one that says it has no policy. They have one, even if it's a complete absence of notice time or penalty. Even the ones in Provence I noted that have very stiff cancellation requirements, have some policy -- it may be you must cancel 4-6 weeks in advance to get a refund or something like that.

YOu'll have to ask them. Conceivably, it could mean you never get a refund, no matter what. I have actually known of some really cheap Parisian hotels with that policy.

I have never done it because my itineraries are simple and I keep to them.

My concern on that one would be that they mean exactly that... no cancellations, no refunds.

Are you having to cancel the entire trip, or wanting to change dates, or skip a town? Are you needing to cancel all the hotels you mention above, or just wondering about typical hotel policies? Just curious.

Occasionally I book hotels and cancel (usually because I've found something cheaper or at a better location that wasn't available initially, so I had to book something else first).

As you say, there's no uniform cancelation policy, so I always check with the hotel and I stick to the policy. I've never had a problem.

Occasionally I use Utell.com to book my hotels and the cancelation policies are always fairly liberal. (Usually 24 hours notice but sometimes 72 hours notice.) I cancel online and get a confirmation sent via Utell. Again, never a problem.

I think that this is all standard and as long as you follow instructions re cancelations you shouldn't be charged.

Anyway, I don't see why sending a cancelation by fax is so unusual -- I've had hotels that insist on confirmation by fax (with a cc number), so it's natural that they'd want cancelation by fax.

Anyway, as I said, follow what they want and say and you'll be just fine.

I have heard of problems with hotels, particularly small hotels, where the hotel claims it never received notice when you cancel by phone. So something in writing is best, as well as a confirmation number if applicable.