Marriott and Starwood flexible hotel rates: No more

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Booking Marriott or Starwood Hotels for a flexible rack rate in the United States, Canada, Caribbean and Latin America?  You may be in for a surprise  A big company can be a trendsetter. Marriott and its Starwood company

You may be in for a surprise  A big company can be a trendsetter. Marriott and its Starwood company became a trendsetter changing free cancellation for expensive “flexible hotel rates” to make them less flexible. You now have to cancel 48 hours instead of 24 hours prior to arrival to avoid a one or two night cancellation fee.

The world’s largest hotel chain announced on Thursday that customers must give at least 48-hours notice if they plan to cancel a reservation — or cough up a fee equivalent to one night’s stay.

Up until Thursday, guests were generally allowed to cancel reservations without a penalty up until the day before their visit.

“Guests will now be required to cancel their room reservation by midnight 48 hours prior to arrival in order to avoid a fee,” Marriott International (MAR) said in a statement. The new policy applies to hotels in the United States, Canada, Caribbean and Latin America. Marriott added that the change will not apply to Design Hotels, which are independently owned, and Marriott Vacation Worldwide hotels.

A handful of Marriott hotels already had a 48-hour or 72-hour cancellation policy in place prior to the company-wide decision, according to Allison Sitch, a Marriott spokeswoman. She said that some of those hotels with a 72-hour cancellation policy will continue that practice, and some that had previously maintained a 48-hour policy have switched to a 72-hour cancellation policy.

Marriott explained that the change will help out customers seeking reservations on short notice, adding that hotels with a one-day policy were left with “a significant number of unsold rooms” due to last-minute cancellations.

About the author

Avatar of Juergen T Steinmetz

Juergen T Steinmetz

Juergen Thomas Steinmetz has continuously worked in the travel and tourism industry since he was a teenager in Germany (1977).
He founded eTurboNews in 1999 as the first online newsletter for the global travel tourism industry.

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