How Do I Cancel a Hotel Reservation?

To successfully cancel a hotel reservation, you need to pay attention to two things: one is the rate type, and another is your deadline. In terms of flexible bookings, normally you can cancel 24 hours prior arrival and is usually refunded fully. In terms of non refundable bookings, terms and regulations are stricter but there are exceptions and changes possible. Booking through platforms such as Trip.com, you can see your policies and cancel directly through the platform or customer services will sort it out for you which is available 24/7.

How Do I Cancel a Hotel Reservation: Flexible vs Non-Refundable

Open your confirmation email or booking details and check for the following:

• Free cancellation: Meaning your booking can be canceled by a specific date or time with no penalty (full refund without any charges).
• Partially refundable: A portion of your booking fee is refunded if you cancel before the deadline (normally its a small rate but also depends on hotel availabilities)
• Non-refundable: No refund if you cancel and is noted during booking. You may still inquire about refunds and ask for flexibility to an extent. though you may still ask for flexibility.

Pay attention to:

• Time zone: When you are visiting a place with a time zone different than the one you're in, the time is based on the local time. Pay attention to the local deadline to avoid not getting your full refund.
• No-show: If you simply do not show up, you may be charged the full stay, even on flexible rates.

If you booked a room with the “pay at hotel” rate, you may still need to cancel before the deadline to avoid a charge (normally you will need to pay a reservation fee to have the hotel to hold on to your room).

How Do I Cancel a Hotel Reservation: Step-by-Step

No matter which booking platform you use, always cancel through the channel in which you made your bookings from so they have a record. Say you booked through a travel agency and you called the hotel to cancel your reservation, they often need a lot of information and there could be issue with the payment method and refund channel.

1. Log in to your account on the site/app you used.
2. Go to your orders or upcoming trips (related wordings, may be different for different channels)
3. Select the reservation/booking you want to cancel.
4. Choose Cancel and read the policy shown: for full refund, no refund, partial refund, etc.
5. Confirm and save any cancellation number or confirmation screen in case your money isn't refunded in a certain amount of days.

For bookings made through Trip.com, this process can be done inside "My Trips". The system clearly displays whether your booking is refundable before you confirm cancellation making everything crystal clear to you without hidden charges and complications.

How Do I Cancel a Hotel Reservation: Other Options

Under circumstances in which the hotel cancellation policies are strict, you can always try asking... here are a few situations that may happen:

1. Unavoidable disruptions: There is always a chance of flight cancellations when there is unforeseeable conditions. You could also happen to get sick or run into a situation where you're not in control. You could always phone customer support or the hotel directly to provide proof. Under most situations, the hotel may offer a refund, credit, or change of date as a one time thing.
2. Change not cancel: Some properties allow you to change your dates or room type instead of losing the full booking amount due to cancellations.
3. Technical issues: If the system you used for booking does not let you cancel but you are still within the safe window to make a cancelation, contact customer support immediately and keep screenshots for further investigations.

No matter what you run into that may lead to the cancellation of your stay, the earlier you act, the better your chances!