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Same hotel but different cancellation policy?
Have award bookings at RC Kyoto.
march awards 1 day before arrival april 1 month before arrival is this accurate ? To have 2 diff cancellation deadlines? |
Sure. The paid rate is 4 times higher in April than March. Dates I looked at were claimed to be almost full. When business is good rates and cancellations are worse than when business is not good.
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Is your April stay during some big special event? If anything, I would have expected the tougher cancellation policy during March, which is usually when cherry blossom time falls. It's possible but IMO unlikely. I'd contact the hotel and ask for a written clarification, although I would expect the answer to be two or three (not one) days before arrival for both if there isn't some extraordinary situation. If it really is a one month deadline, you might want to either book some other hotel or investigate travel insurance. |
Originally Posted by lougord99
(Post 30585046)
Sure. The paid rate is 4 times higher in April than March. Dates I looked at were claimed to be almost full. When business is good rates and cancellations are worse than when business is not good.
Why? For the entire month? This sounds like a mistake in loading rates and terms. A factor of four for rates for the same room category in the same hotel is extraordinary and would be unlikely to persist for an entire month as most major special events don't last much beyond a week at most. |
Originally Posted by MSPeconomist
(Post 30585055)
Why? For the entire month? |
I thought April was cherry blossom season, not March
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In USD, this is a difference of about $725 versus $2158 currently. Even in Tokyo or Kyoto, $2158 seems like an extraordinary amount to pay for a regular hotel room (not a suite, and not in some very prestigious/luxurious ryokan). |
Originally Posted by skywardhunter
(Post 30585071)
I thought April was cherry blossom season, not March
I remember it as late March for the Tokyo area. |
The month is the peak for so many tourists, hence the stricter conditions. Quite common in this business.
April is; cherry blossom season in Japan. long Thai holiday season (Songkran), so lots of Thai tourists expected. school holidays in Australia (and Easter holidays too), so lots of Aussie tourists expected. among others. So, the hotel expects high occupancy that month, but since it cannot/will not outrightly block points awards (like some other hotels unscrupulously do), they add cancellation restrictions. FYI; I am writing this from Bali, where Courtyart Bali cancellation deadline policy is 1 month for December, but only 1 day in January....the season matters. So, either lock in your trip and the award, pay cash, move your trip to March, or stay elsewhere! You still have many choices. |
To me, it seems somehow unfair (even if the current T&Cs don't preclude this) for a hotel to have a much earlier cancellation deadline for a standard room booked on points than for the same room category on the same dates (using something like a standard or best available rate) to be paid with money. The rule seems to be that if there's a no show, the award booking is charged for the first night (although this can vary with isolated resorts typically having more draconian policies) in money at the prevailing rate (something like best available rate), although Starwood gave us the option of forfeiting points instead. |
Unfair? Yes.
Illegal? No. Either accept it or vote with your wallet (i.e. chose another hotel) |
Originally Posted by kkl
(Post 30585034)
Have award bookings at RC Kyoto.
march awards 1 day before arrival april 1 month before arrival is this accurate ? To have 2 diff cancellation deadlines? |
Originally Posted by kkl
(Post 30585034)
.....is this accurate ? To have 2 diff cancellation deadlines?
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In my experience, the award cancellation policy reflects the standard rate cancellation policy.
For my award at the RC Kyoto in the Christmas holiday period just gone, I also had a 21-day cancellation policy. For my award tomorrow night at the RC Dubai DIFC, my points booking is non-refundable full stop. |
Originally Posted by MSPeconomist
(Post 30586568)
To me, it seems somehow unfair (even if the current T&Cs don't preclude this) for a hotel to have a much earlier cancellation deadline for a standard room booked on points than for the same room category on the same dates (using something like a standard or best available rate) to be paid with money. |
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