One other twist is that different rates at the same property may have different cancellation deadlines. e.g. Last year I changed from an MVP rate with a 2-day in advance cancellation policy to a AAA rate with a 1-day policy to give me more flexibility for that stay. Also a hotel may have different cancellation deadline policies for special occasions (Super Bowl, Mardi Gras, etc.) These types of things would make it difficult for them to put a blanket cancellation policy on the website for each hotel. They could make it more obvious though that the exact cancellation deadline for a given stay will show up in your confirmation email so that people know to read and save the darn thing.