Hello,

I have noticed that many hotels in Paris have language such as this for their cancellation policy:
"(NO SHOW): the first night, without extras.
3 day(s)before arrival: the first night, without extras."

Does that mean that if you cancel more than 3 days before, there is no penalty?

thanks,
karen

<i>Does that mean that if you cancel more than 3 days before, there is no penalty?</i>

Correct.

However, many Paris hotels use a 3rd-party booking engine, and when you book via the 3rd party, sometimes you get charged a non-refundable booking fee (a few euros usually). You won't get that back if you cancel. Just make sure you read and understand the T&amp;Cs of each individual hotel BEFORE you book.

Of course, some hotels offer lower rates if you PURCHASE in advance and those are not cancellable without a substantial fee.

On the subject of booking fees...

My experience has been they can be avoided if reservations are made by sending an email directly to the hotel and not using the hotel's booking engine, whatever it may be.

That's an excellent point, Weekender.

I also have used sites such as booking.com or hrs.com to book hotels. These websites don't charge a booking fee either, and usually have the standard 72 hr cancellation policy, as long as it is not an advance PURCHASE.

I would interpret the &quot;three days before arrival&quot; the first night&quot; as meaning that if you cancel less than 3 days before arrival you would be charged for one night. In this situation I advise you to call the hotel (or look at its own web site, not a third-party) and ask exactly how the cancellation policy works.