Originally Posted by
salteen
Thanks everyone for the heads up about the potential cancellation charge. No charge has posted to my credit card yet two weeks later, but I will keep an eye out. The cancellation email I received simply says it's canceled and they hope to welcome me next time. No mention of a no-show fee. I guess we'll see.
It appears the hotel waived the cancellation fee as a courtesy for you. Time will tell for sure, but looking good so far. For weather related issues or cancelled flights, I have had good luck with calling properties directly and asking them to cancel for me.
One time with a Hampton Inn cash reservation I realized I hadn't cancelled it the day before arrival and it had like a 2 to 3 day in advance cancellation window. It was totally my fault. I had made different arrangements at another hotel and had forgotten about the HI reservation. I called the property and was honest about my mistake and they cancelled the reservation for me and waived the cancellation fee.
Distilling it down, calling a property and asking nicely to cancel never hurts. The worst that will happen is they will say no and still charge you the cancellation fee. Many times honesty and politeness will work and they will cancel without a penalty. This is essentially what you did and so far looks like a good outcome for you.. YMMV...
--Jon