COVID-19—Important message for customers with upcoming bookings
The entire travel industry is experiencing an unprecedented increase in service requests from customers due to the overwhelming impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
We’re really sorry for such long wait times due to the increase in call volumes. Every Hotels.com team member who can help is working to add more capacity, self-service options, and collaboration with many thousands of our global travel partners.
Importantly, we are focused on customers traveling in the next 72 hours. If your travel is not immediate, please visit our Customer Service Portal which includes newly built online tools to help you change or cancel travel plans electronically yourself.
Here’s what you need to know:
- For customers who booked a non-refundable rate prior to March 19, 2020 for stays between March 20, 2020 and April 30, 2020, we will email you in the coming days to ask if you wish to keep or cancel your existing booking. If you decide to cancel, you will be eligible for a full refund or, in some cases, a voucher allowing you to rebook the original property at later dates. There is no need to call us, but you must cancel your booking at least 24 hours before check-in in order to be eligible for this offer.
- For customers who booked a non-refundable rate for stays after April 30, 2020—with the situation continuing to evolve, we will continue to work with travel partners as necessary to implement flexible policies.
- For customers whose accommodation plans have already been impaired by COVID-19 and whose travel date has passed, we want to assure you that we are working to attend to your needs as well. We appreciate your patience.
- For customers who have booked a refundable rate, please visit our Customer Service Portal to change or cancel.
- For those looking to make a new booking, we strongly recommend choosing a rate that allows for free cancellation.
While we are adjusting our operations and policies as quickly as possible, we do ask for patience and reiterate that if your travel is not within the next 72 hours, please hold off contacting us so we can prioritize urgent customer queries and resolve cases faster.
We thank you for your continued understanding. There’s nothing more important to us than you, our customers, remaining safe through this stressful time. All of us at Hotels.com value you and are grateful for your business.
How can I contact Hotels.com?
You can find all contact options here. Please bear in mind that we are experiencing unprecedented call volumes. To help us serve those with the most urgent needs, we request you only call if your check-in date is within the next 72 hours.
What is the Hotels.com cancellation and refund policy?
This will depend on the property you booked, when you booked it, and your stay dates:
- Your reservation is fully refundable because you booked a “Free Cancellation” rate. This means you will be able to get a refund to your original form of payment. See how to cancel below.
- Your reservation is non-refundable or a cancellation fee applies to your booking. This means one of three things:
- You will be eligible for a full refund. Due to COVID-19, anyone who booked a non-refundable rate before March 19 for stays between March 20 and April 30 will be entitled to a full refund, except where the property has opted to refund with a voucher. You must cancel your booking at least 24 hours before check-in to be eligible. See how to cancel below.
- You will be eligible for a voucher equal to the full value of your original booking. Some properties have opted to refund with vouchers instead. Anyone who booked a non-refundable rate at one of these properties before March 19 for stays between March 23 and April 30 will instead be entitled to a voucher equal to the full value of their original booking, which can be used to book a future stay at the property they booked. See how to cancel below.
- For non-refundable stays after April 30. We will continue to work with properties as necessary to implement flexible policies. Rest assured that we are doing our best to make this experience as easy and stress-free as possible for our customers, and will keep everyone updated with the latest information.
How can I cancel my booking?
We’ve simplified our process so that you can now cancel without needing to call or email. You can view, manage, and cancel bookings straight from Your Account. Choose the booking you wish to change or cancel, then select “Cancel Room” or “Change Booking”. Alternatively, contact us here.
When will I receive my refund?
Please note that due to the unprecedented volume of travel disruptions, refunds may take up to 30 days to process.
When will I receive my voucher?
Please note that due to the unprecedented volume of travel disruptions, vouchers may take up to 30 days to be issued.
How can I still make use of my Rewards status under the current circumstances?
We know that our Silver and Gold members’ travel plans may have been affected and this may impact their membership status upon renewal. Therefore, if your renewal date is between February 01 and May 31, 2020, we will extend your membership status for another year. That’s one less thing for you to worry about. Check your Rewards status here.
How can I book future travel without hassle down the line?
We have stopped selling non-refundable rates for customers shopping with us over the next two months. We want to offer you a product that is fully flexible, so it’s easy for you to change your plans as conditions change. We will be rolling this window forward every day and re-evaluating conditions weekly. This means that, for the time being, you should only be able to find refundable rooms to book with Hotels.com (look out for the badge to be sure) and can, therefore, amend your booking when and as needed. Book your next trip now.
