Hilton and Marriott to Alter Last-Minute Cancellation Policies

Marriott and Hilton plan to introduce fees at the beginning of the year for last-minute reservation cancellation.

Starting at the first of the year, guests intending to stay at Marriott and Hilton hotels will no longer be able to cancel reservations the day of the stay. In the past, the hotel chains allowed these last-minute cancellations at no charge, but now would-be guests will incur a fee that matches the cost of one night’s stay.

Hilton representatives noted that this change will benefit last-minute travelers, ensuring that rooms are available and making the booking process more consistent overall. Some hotels already have policies required two days or more advance notice for a cancellation. Those hotel policies will not be changing — only hotels allowing same-day cancellation will be affected.

According to Bjorn Hanson, a forecaster at the New York University Tisch Center for Hospitality and Tourism, the policies may be changing because last-minute cancellations are on the rise. Tisch says business travelers cancel reservations quite frequently, and he warned that some resorts have increased their fee to as much as the cost of a three-night’s stay, and some have even instituted a policy that guests must reimburse the hotel for the entire cost of their stay, regardless of length.

The bottom line here is to be vigilant. Anyone planning a stay at a hotel that, for some reason, would need to be canceled, should make sure to check the policies at the accommodation. If it isn’t spelled out clearly, call before making the reservation.

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