As the novel coronavirus develops into a full-blown pandemic, travel providers such as airlines and hotel chains are making adjustments to their change and cancellation policies. The waivers have, necessarily, become increasingly broad and flexible.
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Hilton Hotels, for example, just announced a major update to its cancellation and change fee waiver to give travelers peace of mind.
If you're in a region affected by government-issued travel restrictions, Hilton will continue to waive change fees or offer full refunds. Hilton has also expanded this waiver to accommodate travelers affected by the ban on travel from Europe. These are the region-specific travel waivers to take note of:
- For guests traveling to, through or from China with stays from Jan. 23 to March 31, 2020.
- For guests traveling to, through or from Italy with stays from Feb. 24 to April 30, 2020.
- For guests traveling to, through or from South Korea with stays from Feb. 24 to March 31, 2020.
- For guests traveling to, through or from Saudi Arabia with stays from Feb. 27 to March 31, 2020.
- For guests traveling to, through or from Israel with stays from March 10 to March 31, 2020.
- For guests traveling between the U.S. and the following European countries from March 13 to April 12, 2020:
Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
All reservations — yes, even those that are noncancelable (known as "Advance Purchase" rates) — scheduled for arrival before April 30 can now be changed or canceled at no charge up to 24 hours in advance.
Related: Everything you need to know about the US European travel ban.
In addition, any reservation you make (also including "Advance Purchase" reservations) booked between Thursday, March 12 and April 30 for any future arrival date can also be changed or canceled at no charge up to 24 hours prior.
You can adjust reservations made through Hilton's website, app or call center via the Hilton Guest Assistance team. Keep in mind that, if you made reservations through another travel site (such as an OTA like Expedia or Booking.com), you may need to get in touch with them for assistance.
Hilton is also pausing the expiration of all points scheduled to lapse between now and May 31, 2020. As far as elite status goes, they will "make updates to the requirements for earning tier status for 2021," but note that it's too early to make specific changes. More details will be released in the days and weeks to come.
Additional resources for traveling during the coronavirus outbreak can be found here:
- How coronavirus is impacting airline award availability
- How coronavirus has left the travel industry reeling
- Airlines scale back inflight offerings due to coronavirus
- How to ward off coronavirus in your hotel room
- Guide to traveling during the coronavirus outbreak
- Extreme measures cruise lines are taking during coronavirus
