supatight80

The supervisor I spoke with specifically said that flexible rate does not mean refundable. She said flexible rate pertains to payment being not pre-paid. (ie. flexible to pay on arrival with cash or card). As per her, that's what flexible rate means.

She also said it's not the case that all Non-refundable reservations have a 24h grace period to cancel. Such as my case where my booking is past 90d cancel without penalty.

Well now we know...

platbrownguy

I mean, of course "flexible" doesn't mean "refundable" -- although I think you're using the phrase "refundable" interchangeably with "freely cancellable"... there's no reason for "flexible" to mean "refundable" because on a flexible rate you don't actually make a payment until you arrive (unless the property takes a deposit -- sometimes they take one night, usually nothing; very very rarely more than one night).

The real (meritorious) point of your OP is that no one takes "flexible" to mean "flexible as long as you cancel 90 days out," which is why your rate conditions were obviously in error and why the hotel agreed with you.

But it's common practice for "flexible" rates to be binding and non-cancellable on short notice (as in, within 1 to 3 days of arrival), and it's common practice for rates not to have a 24-hour grace period to cancel (as far as I've seen, the 24-hour grace period is expressly stated when it exists, so there's no reason to assume it exists when it's not stated).

HereAndThere

Maybe a flexibility rate just means that Marriott properties have the flexibility to decide what it means when they choose to decide what it means?

supatight80

Actually... The hotel first said that because it's "high season" on some days September /October in Nuremberg , the 90d cancelation is correct. Then I emailed backed saying your OTA rates have 1d cancelation for all days. So hotel said because of "technical problems", they allowed my reservation to be cancel 1d before arrival as a courtesy.

So here we still are. All flexible rates on MR still shows 90d cancel policy. But major OTAs still show 1d cancel before arrival policy.

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flyme2

Makes no sense. I've never seen a 90 day cancellation policy, not even at resorts during high season. I suspect some personnel are unsure of the policy and are making up an explanation as they go along. If all, or even most OTA's have a one day cancelation rate available, it indicates to me at least, that whoever entered the 90 day rate, either did so in error, or there is a reason they don't want bookings completed through the Bonvoy channel.

supatight80

Tell me about it! Not even Munich Oktoberfest has crazy flexible cancel policies like that.