Hilton Follows Marriott's Lead, Changes Cancellation Policy to 48 Hours
Last month, Marriott changed its cancellation policy to be more customer-unfriendly, requiring travelers to cancel their reservations at least 48 hours in advance, with some hotels requiring 72 hours. The new policy was seen across the travel space widely as a negative change, especially for business travelers whose plans frequently change. Now, Hilton is jumping on the same trend with a more restrictive cancellation policy.
Beginning July 31, 2017, Hilton will require that travelers cancel their hotel reservations at least 48 hours in advance. If you don't cancel at least two days in advance, you'll end up having to pay the full price for your first night. According to TravelSkills, a Hilton spokesperson said that in more desirable locations, the cancellation policy will switch from 48 hours to 72 hours, requiring you to cancel your reservation a full three days in advance.
This is a pretty unfortunate change for travelers — both leisure and business, the latter of which especially so since their plans tend to change at a moment's notice. Now that Hilton and Marriott (and thus, former Starwood) properties have this more restrictive cancellation policy, it looks like this is going to be the new norm, and you'll definitely want to take note of the policy if you're making a hotel reservation.
The changes likely come on the heels of the rise of last-minute booking apps. Apps like Hotel Tonight that offer low prices for close-in bookings have become increasingly popular. And thus, travelers who have had their hotel stays booked well in advance have likely taken to cancelling their reservations closer to their stay. These new policies are likely an effort to curb the practice of travelers canceling existing reservations in order to take advantage of cheaper rates found elsewhere closer to the date of travel.
