Premise
This article on CNN came out a couple weeks ago, but I struggled with if it was a massive, oh-my-god the sky is falling problem, or something closer to a “meh” issue. Marriott announced on June 15th, 2017, that the cancellation policy has changed across the board – from what was usually a 24 hour period, to at least 48 hours.
Cancellation Policy Details
Guests will now be required to cancel their room reservation by midnight 48 hours prior to arrival in order to avoid a fee
The Marriott statement above represents a fundamental change in policy, affecting hotels in North and South America. These currently do not apply to the AP or EU regions, as well as independently owned Design Hotels, and the Marriott Vacation Worldwide hotels.
Some hotels already had 48 or 72 hour cancellation policies, and some of those will bump up from 48 to 72 hour required. This will also affect Starwood hotels, of which I am a frequent visitor.
How does this affect you?
It depends – on the type of traveler that you are. If you’re a planner, this shouldn’t affect you too greatly, barring some emergency that happens one to two days before your reservation.
Marriott is spinning this as a positive for guests, as it will “help out customers seeking reservations on short notice”. However, it is more likely due to the fact that last-minute cancellations left rooms unsold, and thus losing real money for the hotels and chains.
Points & Comparison
Because I typically book all of my stays on points and free night awards, and carefully plan my trips, I rarely need to cancel. Two days is more than sufficient, which is what I face now (or three days in some instances). Comparatively, this policy is more restrictive than some – IHG’s ridiculous 6pm night before cancellation policy is extremely favorable for guests, but compared to many other chains 24 hours is shorter than the norm.
Conclusion
I do not expect this change in cancellation policy to play a significant role in my travels, but may affect those who book and stay last minute. If you can avoid emergencies, do so, by planning ahead and being careful. Of course, you can’t always anticipate everything, but you can do your best to minimize disruptions in your travel plans!
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Club Carlson hotels have usually 6PM first night cancellation policy also for reward stays…
“By midnight 48 hours before arrival”… isn’t that a backdoor way of doing 3 days notice? If my flight is scheduled to arrive at 8 PM, so I have a 10 PM checkin on the 30th… midnight on the 28th is only 46 hours ahead, so it becomes midnight on the 27th. If they really mean “48 hours”, why is the “midnight” wording in there?
As to what that does for my reservations: the reason I book direct with the hotel website or app is to make cancellation possible. If cancellation will not be possible, I’ll go through third-party sites, and take the lower rate (and/or extra airline miles, such as with Rocketmiles).
Third party sites are typically subject to the same or worse cancellation policies. It’ll usually be at least 48 hours – with typical checkin of 3pm, 48 hours before would be midnight at least two full days beforehand. it’s two-and-some-change days notice. it’s at least 48 hours, but by midnight at least 48 hours – so it’s standardized regardless of when that day you check in.
Best of luck!
I’m not sure who Marriott is thinking of as their customers, but sure as hell isn’t us business travelers. I gave up a 15 year Hilton Diamond Level more than 6 years ago for precisely this reason-my plans changed, and Hilton refused to let me out of the reservation. I even made a alternate reservation at another Hilton property. They couldn’t care less. I called the Diamond Desk thinking someone there might have some common sense and see that I spend some $25K a year on hotels, most of which with Hilton. Their response? “We can’t control what our franchisees do”. Haven’t spent a dime there ever since. I recently had a flight cancelled, last flight out for the day. I also had a reservation at a Marriott property that I was now not going to make it to. I asked Marriott if I was supposed to predict 2 days before my flight was going to be cancelled. They agreed to let me out of the reservation-if I sent them a copy of my flight itinerary. Ironically, this is what made Marriott my ONLY hotel choice-their flexibility. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve called and cancelled, sometimes well past 5pm, and it was never a problem. Now as Platinum Premier/Lifetime Platinum for over 20 years, Ive been relegated to Tourist Class.
Not sure why – perhaps it was a bad agent, or constrained by the rules. I agree there should be more flexibility in how customer service treats guests!
The big problem here is when you need to cancel your first night stay due to disrupted travel plans; for example, a delayed or cancelled flight. If I pay extra for a flexible reservation (as opposed to the non-refundable cheap rates), I expect it to to have the flexibility that I paid for.
Oh of course – it will always have that flexibility, but it will tell you at booking point how long you need to cancel ahead of time to not be charged.