Radisson Blu has a "no cancellation" policy
 

On February 10, we made a reservation at this hotel for three nights in May. Our trip plans changed so on February 22 we tried to cancel and were told we were still responsible for the three nights...impossible to cancel...three months before! They do not have a cancellation policy so we are out over 300 euros! How many hotels have this policy?

I just checked with www.booking.com which I use frequently and, like almost all off the hotels listed, they do in fact offer a cancellable rate. This means you can cancel up to 24 hours before arrival with no charges. You do pay a bit more for this rate. I assume you got a non- refundable rate which is lower in price but you can't cancel without charges. Always read the fine print. Guessing it is at the hotel's discretion not to offer a refund for a cancellation that far in advance but, then I've never opted for a non- refundable rate so don't know the rules.

Did you opt for a non-refundable rate (those are usually the cheapest rates but are the most restrictive and usually can't be cancelled)?

I did like History on hotels.com, where I just booked 4-5 nights.

The hotel does indeed offer 2 rates : one (lower by about 40 €/night) which is non refundable, one higher with possible refund.

I don't want to appear snarky but if you booked your room the same way you post here, with bits of info on several different threads, I am really not surprised you booked a non refundable room without noticing it.

Consider it a learning cost and pay more attention next time.

It certainly looks to me like you are leaving some significant information out.

I just did a trial booking for Radisson Blue in Brussels for May 7 and when I checked 'rate details' what it showed was this:

"CANCELLATION POLICY:
Cancel by 6:00 PM hotel time on May 07 2017 = no penalty.
Late cancel or no show will be charged ..........."

So what you are reporting is NOT the hotel's cancellation policy!


I'm wondering WHO you made a reservation with? The hotel directly or through a third party booking site?

Historytraveller, I am 100% against using third party sites, I always book directly with the hotel. If Booking.com is showing you a 24 hour cancellation requirement, that does NOT match up to the hotel's 'by 6.00 pm' requirement.

Some third party sites have their own cancellation policy which has nothing whatsoever to do with the hotel's policy. It is the third party site that is then taking your money, not the hotel.

I usually look at hotel website too but often find the cancellation policy and the rate the same as on booking website.If there is a favorable difference on the hotel website, I'll book it through them. Also, I can keep all my bookings on the booking.com app. which makes it easier to keep my bookings organized. Besides, I usually know within 24 hours whether I'll need to cancel or not. BTW, I always do the research and know what is the best option for me.

You blew it, Mcmrjm, now pay up. Be more careful next time.

Learn to read, mcmrjim.

It doesn't matter a bit how many hotels have a policy like this - that's totally irrelevant. You signed a contract and are obligated to pay.

Seems you are like me History.
You book hotels when you can and don't have the inclination or the time to go via each site separately.

I booked today 4 hotels, all via Hotels.com.
saves me a lot of time, I clikc on 'manage my booking' and send it to my outlook calendar and I'm set.

And if I don't have my laptop, I check on the app, which is linked to my map app and I arrive very easily to my hotel. Paper free and travel free.

And I must say that on 200+ bookings using both sites I have had one unsolved problem and 3-4 solved when I had actually blown it myself. They both really helped.

Bon, where the heck is my hotel tonight ?

Perhaps its for the best. Don't know if the OP will appreciate the multicultural environment of the Radisson Blu Astrid. There are some interesting bars in the street behind. Also lots of Chinese restaurants.
I was just there this afternoon - there's a great butcher in the covered market behind the hotel.

If you manage to change your dates, book a cookery workshop at 'Food for Foodies' on De Coninckplein. They do a tour of the local middle eastern food shops - then a cookery class and lunch or dinner. It's really nice, and a totally non-touristy part of town.

Dogeared said,

<i> Some third party sites have their own cancellation policy which has nothing whatsoever to do with the hotel's policy. It is the third party site that is then taking your money, not the hotel. </i>

Booking.com doesn't have its own cancellation policy. The hotel may have a different cancellation policy for hotels booked through booking.com than through direct booking, to allow for a delay in communications when using a third-party site.

I use booking.com for perhaps 90% of my bookings. I generally pay more to get the flexible rate. Some hotels and B&Bs, especially small ones, have a no cancellation policy, but most offer two different prices, where you pay more for flexibility.

Like historytraveler, I like the convenience of having all my hotel bookings on a single app, with an easy mechanism for making changes in dates, or cancellations. I also like being able to go to a single place to check past trips. My daughter asked me last week the name of the hotel where we stayed in Lisbon two years ago. I was able to tell her in 30 seconds by opening the booking.com app. I'm sure I could have found it somewhere else in one of my travel folders, but the app is the quickest and most convenient way to check these things.

If I'm staying in one place for more than a few days, or if I want a rural cottage or something similar, I will usually check other sources of information and book directly with the lodging. Otherwise, I use booking.com for the convenience. I often check the prices elsewhere just out of curiosity, and have found booking.com to have prices that are the same, or often even lower, than the hotel's own website.

You're liable for e300 because you entered into a contract.

I don't blame hotels for demanding none cancellable payments, there's so many people out there with little comprehension of what an obligation entails, they need to do so.

Some posters still seem to think that it was the hotel that is charging the OP. There is NO evidence that that is the case and there IS evidence that it is not the hotel's policy. They allow cancellation up until 6pm on the day of the reservation!

On a side note, for those who do make a habit of booking hotels ahead of time and sometimes for whatever reason find themselves in a situation where they booked a hotel with a cancellation policy that they are going to run afoul of. Consider changing the booking.

For example, I'll use historytraveler's example of a 24 hour cancellation policy. Let's say you find yourself for whatever reason, in a position where you are not going to be able to go at all and you are already within the cancellation period.

Many hotels will allow you to change a booking at no charge even within the cancellation period. You are not cancelling, therefore the cancellation policy does not apply.

So you change the booking to a date a week later than the original booking. No problem, no charge. Three days later you call again and cancel that booking which is still 4 days away and so you are not subject to the cancellation policy.

This is a common way to avoid a cancellation charge, suggested by hotel industry insiders. You will find it under, "And you can easily avoid a same-day cancellation penalty." on this insider tips site: http://lifehacker.com/5972701/confes...-hotel-insider

Now the question of the morality of this is up to the individual to answer for themselves.

>>Some posters still seem to think that it was the hotel that is charging the OP. There is NO evidence that that is the case and there IS evidence that it is not the hotel's policy. They allow cancellation up until 6pm on the day of the reservation!<<

You are making a huge leap there. That is only when one pays full fare/rack rate/whatever. Most hotels and 3rd party booking sites also offer discounted, <u>non-refundable rates</u>. That is obviously what the OP booked.

It is also a good time to remind vacationers to ensure they have good insurance to cover the trip. If you have a genuine need to cancel anything due to the likes of an illness (but not changing your mind) then you will be covered for losses. Always read the policy before purchasing!

Well janisj, I don't see anywhere on the Radisson Blu site that offers a non-cancellable price. Do you? Did you look?

https://www.radissonblu.com/reservat...availableRates))

The OP wrote that Radission Blu has a 'non-cancellation policy' and that is simply not true. But I'm happy to change my belief if the OP or anyone else provides a link that shows they do.

Otherwise, their verif policy is 'cancel up until 6pm on the day'.

When I check Radisson Blu Antwerp, the OP's destination, for May 19-22 (just random weekend dates I entered), one of the rate options that came up was for Advance Purchase, save 20%. It was marked non-refundable. As suggested by other posters above, perhaps that's that type of room the OP confirmed.

<< I don't see anywhere on the Radisson Blu site that offers a non-cancellable price. Do you? Did you look?>>

Are you expecting that the non refundable rate be available for all dates, all the time? Have you not heard of rates that sell out? Does it make sense to you that a hotel should offer unlimited availability for the cheapest non refundable rate all the time? Do you not book travel very much?

The OP should have received an email confirmation of the room and rate, and if it does not specify that it is a non-refundable rate, then they should take it up with the hotel or booking company. NP

From my experience, if you have a nonrefundable rate, then it is also not transferable to another date, dogeared. I think they covered that loophole.