Cancellation Fees and Policies In Detail
It is time again to address cancellation policies, fees and charges. Hotels are the ones that charge them but it sometimes appears as if we do.
We get emails from upset customers when they are surprised by cancellation charges and sometimes even have to pay for a hotel stay they didn't complete. This anger is directed at us but that fact is that we don't charge any fees at all. The hotel controls the policies and collects the money. We just take all the blame because it's our name on the reservation.
Most bookings on AllStays.com do not have a cancellation fee at all if it is cancelled by a certain time, usually 24-48 hours ahead of the check in date. However, certain rates are negotiated with the hotels and these include cancellation fees and are clearly stated on the pages for the hotels. Please always read this policy (#3) on the booking page. This is stated before you ever enter your personal information. This fee is in place for about 8,000 out of 54,000 bookable hotels listed. It is part of the contract with the hotels for the cheaper rates. The hotel gets a certain amount of money regardless of what happens in the booking. They are set in that point.
Holiday Inn is an example of a hotel chain that gives out discounted rates. Whether booking with us or at the official Holiday Inn website, if you book one of those rates and cancel, you will pay between one nights rate and even possibly the entire stay. You basically save $5 or $10 a night to give up the right to cancel.
This is one of the most frustrating things about the travel industry these days and we hope you will read all of this to see the concrete proof that we are not the ones that caused fees for a cancellation. If it was up to us there would be no fees at all. But we do not control the hotels policies. We just link to them so you can book your travel. When complaining about fees, make sure to include the hotel. They are the ones that got all the money in fees. We didn't get a dime of it.
For example, please check this link from the official Holiday Inn website for this hotel where they charge you one nights stay for the cancellation. We are picking on Holiday Inn in this case but many of the chains and independents do the same.
Because the credit card is accepted by us and passed onto the hotel, the hotel can dictate the fees charged and they appear as if they are coming from us. AllStays.com does not get a dime of these fees. Zero. They are charges put upon us by the hotel and/or the GDS network (Global Distribution System) which in this case is Sabre which is the same company as Travelocity. They control the most number of access points for travel agents. You get charged the fee, we take the heat and get nothing for it. You get mad at AllStays or your local travel agent and the big greedy corporation gets the money.
You may still want to blame us for charging fees but you can also look up the same hotel on other travel websites like Expedia/Hotels.com (actually same company), or Travelocity. You will find in most cases, the same exact cancellation fee and policy.
And remember that anytime you make a booking for the next day or the same day you are making the booking, you will be paying for the hotel stay. You can't cancel at that point. You are charged the whole room rate because the hotel doesn't have any time to re-sell that room if you cancel.
Because we are always trying to make improvements and want to keep your business, please let us know if there is any way we can make the fee more obvious up front. we state the policy before the booking takes place but we realize it takes time to read the text on the page.
We don't answer to any stock price and stockholders like other websites. We answer to you. We really are on your side, the guest, but the rules of the game are tough on independents and those trying to do the right thing.
Adam Longfellow
President, AllStays.com
We get emails from upset customers when they are surprised by cancellation charges and sometimes even have to pay for a hotel stay they didn't complete. This anger is directed at us but that fact is that we don't charge any fees at all. The hotel controls the policies and collects the money. We just take all the blame because it's our name on the reservation.
Most bookings on AllStays.com do not have a cancellation fee at all if it is cancelled by a certain time, usually 24-48 hours ahead of the check in date. However, certain rates are negotiated with the hotels and these include cancellation fees and are clearly stated on the pages for the hotels. Please always read this policy (#3) on the booking page. This is stated before you ever enter your personal information. This fee is in place for about 8,000 out of 54,000 bookable hotels listed. It is part of the contract with the hotels for the cheaper rates. The hotel gets a certain amount of money regardless of what happens in the booking. They are set in that point.
Holiday Inn is an example of a hotel chain that gives out discounted rates. Whether booking with us or at the official Holiday Inn website, if you book one of those rates and cancel, you will pay between one nights rate and even possibly the entire stay. You basically save $5 or $10 a night to give up the right to cancel.
This is one of the most frustrating things about the travel industry these days and we hope you will read all of this to see the concrete proof that we are not the ones that caused fees for a cancellation. If it was up to us there would be no fees at all. But we do not control the hotels policies. We just link to them so you can book your travel. When complaining about fees, make sure to include the hotel. They are the ones that got all the money in fees. We didn't get a dime of it.
For example, please check this link from the official Holiday Inn website for this hotel where they charge you one nights stay for the cancellation. We are picking on Holiday Inn in this case but many of the chains and independents do the same.
Because the credit card is accepted by us and passed onto the hotel, the hotel can dictate the fees charged and they appear as if they are coming from us. AllStays.com does not get a dime of these fees. Zero. They are charges put upon us by the hotel and/or the GDS network (Global Distribution System) which in this case is Sabre which is the same company as Travelocity. They control the most number of access points for travel agents. You get charged the fee, we take the heat and get nothing for it. You get mad at AllStays or your local travel agent and the big greedy corporation gets the money.
You may still want to blame us for charging fees but you can also look up the same hotel on other travel websites like Expedia/Hotels.com (actually same company), or Travelocity. You will find in most cases, the same exact cancellation fee and policy.
And remember that anytime you make a booking for the next day or the same day you are making the booking, you will be paying for the hotel stay. You can't cancel at that point. You are charged the whole room rate because the hotel doesn't have any time to re-sell that room if you cancel.
Because we are always trying to make improvements and want to keep your business, please let us know if there is any way we can make the fee more obvious up front. we state the policy before the booking takes place but we realize it takes time to read the text on the page.
We don't answer to any stock price and stockholders like other websites. We answer to you. We really are on your side, the guest, but the rules of the game are tough on independents and those trying to do the right thing.
Adam Longfellow
President, AllStays.com
Labels: about us, fees, hotels, rip offs and cons, travel tips