I have a reservation at a Marriott property (Courtyard) on August 19. Here's the cancellation policy for my reservation:
Cancelling Your Reservation
You may cancel your reservation for no charge until August 16, 2017 (2 day[s] before arrival).
Please note that we will assess a fee of 113.12 USD if you must cancel after this deadline.
If you have made a prepayment, we will retain all or part of your prepayment. If not, we will charge your credit card.
This fee equals 1 night of your room charge plus tax (for the first night of your reservation).
Then, I have a reservation at a Starwood property (Four Points) beginning August 19. Here's the cancellation policy for my reservation:
Cancellation Policy:
If you cancel after 6:00 PM hotel time on Thu, 17 Aug 2017, the forfeiture amount will be 50 percent of a 1 night stay. There may be additional applicable charges and taxes.
How hard would it be for Marriott to specify the time of the cancellation decline, such as "6:00 PM hotel time"?
There's a lot to be said for unambiguous wording.