New Award stay Policy?-cancel within policy, charged full $ ?
May 4, 2019, 10:00 am
#1
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Join Date: Jan 2011
Programs: Hyatt Globalist;Bonvoy Lifetime Titan ; Hilton DIA (amex); AA Plat
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New Award stay Policy?-cancel within policy, charged full $ ?
Have not noticed this before- Am I reading this wrong? Cancel an award stay within policy and they will charge you the full $ amount of the stay, but refund the points?
Side note- Love the use of the word "penalty". Really gives you a warm feeling.
Ritz Lake Tahoe
Side note- Love the use of the word "penalty". Really gives you a warm feeling.
Ritz Lake Tahoe
May 4, 2019, 10:02 am
#2
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Yes this is spreading like the plague, particularly at high end properties. It's basically intended to discourage people from booking points stays.
It's a massive devaluation of the Marriott program and our points balances.
And Marriott won't do a thing about it.
It's a massive devaluation of the Marriott program and our points balances.
And Marriott won't do a thing about it.
May 4, 2019, 10:04 am
#3
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I think charging the cost of a stay if you don't cancel by the stated deadline (i.e., within the date - wording could be better) has been around for a while. There were many discussions of it on the legacy SPG forum. SPG had a policy that you could substitute the forfeiture of points instead of the cash - I don't know if the new program has that option.
"Cancellation penalty" is fairly standard terminology, IME.
"Cancellation penalty" is fairly standard terminology, IME.
May 4, 2019, 10:06 am
#4
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It is IMO the single most abusive, customer unfriendly policy you will see in any of the major programs.
May 4, 2019, 10:35 am
#6
Join Date: Aug 2018
Posts: 902
Making award stays nonrefundable/nonchangeable and taking a nonrefundable deposit calculated at the full rack rate for the length of the stay is a completely new phenomenon.
It is IMO the single most abusive, customer unfriendly policy you will see in any of the major programs.
It is IMO the single most abusive, customer unfriendly policy you will see in any of the major programs.
OP’s scenario is different. This is a policy that has always existed. If one cancelled an award stay after the cancellation deadline (I suppose that’s what “cancel within policy” means) a cancellation penalty would apply and points would be returned to the member’s account. Even with SPG it was like that, although after a T&C’s revision in the late 2000’s SPG started allowing members to reverse the cash charge and forfeit the points instead, but members had to request that after the fact (ie after the penalty was charged) and within a specified time limit.Also, deposits for award stays are refundable in the event of a timely cancellation. However, such practice is clearly unfriendly and directed at dissuading members from booking award stays.
May 4, 2019, 10:38 am
#7
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Bottom line is that I would carefully review the appropriate travel insurance covering your stay. If you become ill and cannot travel on a points stay and are then charged $500 per day, is that $500 per day covered?
May 4, 2019, 10:46 am
#9
Join Date: Aug 2018
Posts: 902
I doubt that it is incorrect. The intent is that if one cancels inside the cancellation deadline, one pays the "dollar amount" for the full stay as booked. That "dollar amount" appears to be the rack rate (in the property's discretion).
Bottom line is that I would carefully review the appropriate travel insurance covering your stay. If you become ill and cannot travel on a points stay and are then charged $500 per day, is that $500 per day covered?
Bottom line is that I would carefully review the appropriate travel insurance covering your stay. If you become ill and cannot travel on a points stay and are then charged $500 per day, is that $500 per day covered?
None of my credit cards’ travel insurance would cover this. I occasionally buy a trip cancellation policy that covers up to $12k. And a few airlines also offer travel insurance policies that cover trip cancellation, including cancellation expenses for hotels and other nonrefundable activities. For instance, Emirates’ travel insurance policy (I think it’s AIG) covers trip cancellation up to something like $50k
May 4, 2019, 10:49 am
#10
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May 4, 2019, 10:51 am
#11
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OP, have a look at the “Outrageous No Show Fee at St Regis Aspen” thread. Same issue except guy showed up a day late due to weather issues and notified the hotel!
May 4, 2019, 10:57 am
#12
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May 4, 2019, 11:07 am
#13
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The language is on the first results page after selecting a date, and before you choose a room/ pay option.
May 4, 2019, 11:07 am
#14
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Before long some poor family is going to have to cancel their vacation of a lifetime on points because of illness and will be hit with a $30,000 bill on top of everything else by Marriott and it will hit the media.
It’s a properly nasty, unpleasant policy which claws back in ridiculously high payments some of the cost to Marriott of offering points. I don’t know what i’d do if I was hit with a multi thousand $ bill, but if I was under EU court jurisdiction I’d certainly be tempted to take it to trial as Marriott would lose.
It’s a properly nasty, unpleasant policy which claws back in ridiculously high payments some of the cost to Marriott of offering points. I don’t know what i’d do if I was hit with a multi thousand $ bill, but if I was under EU court jurisdiction I’d certainly be tempted to take it to trial as Marriott would lose.
May 4, 2019, 11:34 am
#15
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If the option is given of giveup the points or get charged then this is fair. However as this isn't the case then this is simply a policy which shows Marriott for its true colours, to say its Nasty is an understatement, frankly its disgusting and gives me another reason not to trust Marriott one little bit!
