this.

Also, typically, the difference between non-refundable and refundable hotel rates aren’t that much. At least for the rates I often get as a loyalty member or AAA. It’s rare to see it more than $15’ish, so I don’t sweat it too much. That difference, and being able to refund if I need it vs. the paperwork for a claim, really isn’t worth the non-refundable savings.

there was just a hotel I was looking at where non-refundable vs. refundable was something like $75/night. That’s a bit of a different calculus.

one strategy I also sometimes use, especially for farther out travel, is to book the refundable rate and monitor until closer to the time or cancel deadline, and switch to non-refundable when it’s closer to the trip and I’m more confident I won’t cancel unless I absolutely have to. Sometimes, the non-refundable rates do go up a bit, but usually it’s not too bad and I’m comfortable with that balance.