The FedRooms rate guarantees 4:00pm day of arrival cancellation in the U.S.
Best Practices for Canceling Hotel Reservations
COVID-19 has spread rapidly over the last couple of weeks, touching every continent excluding Antarctica. This has left many people to question if it is safe to travel or if they should cancel their trips and opt to stay home.
Recent travel restrictions amid the growing outbreak have resulted in a sense of uncertainty for business travelers.
With flights being rebooked and travel plans interrupted, the hotel industry is following suit by taking measures to minimize negative impacts on travelers whose plans have changed due to recent circumstances. According to a Hilton spokesperson quoted in this CNN article, “We are closely monitoring updates from the World Health Organization, and responding based on the best advice of medical professionals and public health authorities. If additional social isolation, enhanced cleaning, or other operational actions are required, we put those into action.”
In addition to enhanced cleaning measures, a number of larger hotel brands have offered cancellation waivers and are waiving cancellation fees for guests traveling to, or through, high risk areas.
As a part of our rate guarantee, all FedRooms bookings ensure a cancellation policy of 4:00pm or later on the day of arrival for properties in the United States, and 24 hours or less restrictive for properties outside the United States. Travelers who need to cancel an upcoming trip and booked a FedRooms rate at a FedRooms property can cancel with no penalty as long as you notify the hotel within these timelines.
If you took the opportunity to book your air, car and hotel in one transaction, it will be easy to cancel your entire trip through your Travel Management Company (TMC). You can also cancel via your agency’s preferred online booking tool or FedRooms.com, depending on how you booked your stay.
Travelers should also be aware that some major hotel brands, specifically Marriott and Hilton, are temporarily closing properties as global demand for hotels continues to decrease. According to this article in Business Travel News, U.S. hotel occupancy was down 7.3 percent in early March and the average daily rate was down 4.6 percent with some hotels only reaching a capacity of 20 percent per night. If you do need to travel, be sure to check with your hotel before your trip to ensure that your reservation was not cancelled due to the pandemic.