Originally Posted by
Steve M
I did finally decide to never do non-refundable hotel reservations. Even just a few days in advance, I find that I change my plans often enough that I got burned a couple of times by opting for the discount even just a few days in advance for the non-refundable discount rate. I think I'm ahead over time just booking the "Best Available Rate" and sometimes forgoing an advanced-booking discount. And, I never have to file a claim.
Surely you can do better than Best Available though. A 10% discount on 10 nights accommodations would pay for an AAA membership annually. That discounted rate is still refundable.
I do agree on non-refundable. I’m occasionally tempted but things come up and I have been known to shift dates a day or two. You don’t save enough to pay for a cancellation unless your dates are 100% rock solid almost all the time. It’s why AirBnB has been risky for me as well. I almost lost a $900 deposit last month when my beach condo week needed to be moved up 8 days. I only had 48 hours after making the reservation to cancel without a 50% penalty. I had made the reservation in November. Fortunately the owner worked with me on rescheduling although she was not obligated to do so.