Can we cancel our pre-paid hotel reservation, for free?

Are pre-paid reservations able to be cancelled?

That’s a question that we get asked allot.???First off, what is a Pre-paid reservation??Another term for it is Advance Purchase. ???Airlines and Hotels offer discounts for those willing to pay in advance.?It’ allows us to have a better handle on inventory for further dates.

?If you are willing to pay us in advance, then we know how busy we will be on certain dates and adjust pricing. ?That allows both Airlines and Hotels to be more profitable.?So, what’s the catch???To get those discounts, (usually about 15%) you pay up front and they are not refundable, should your plans change.??So, it’s kind of a two-edge sword!?

If you shop our Hampton Inn Spanish Fork for March 26th ,?you’ll see the going rate is $139.00.?If you look on many of the ??online sites, like Expedia, they will quote “rates from $120” So are you really getting a better deal with Expedia????Make sure that you read the fine print.?

If they are quoting a rate that’s lower than you get by booking directly with the hotel, then they quoting a “pre-paid” rate.??Otherwise, they would be breaking the rate Parity guarantee that is made by all the Major Hotel Franchise groups (That is a subject for anther post).??

?The third party booking agencies ask us all the time, ?“will release this persons pre-paid reservation without penalty???What do you think our answer is??????Should we give you an unfair advantage????By allowing third party groups to make pre-paid reservations and cancel without penalty is just not good business.?????So having said all of that, what is my suggestion???

I always suggest that guests book direct.?That way you get what you booked.

?Go on to Hilton Website and check that same date of March 26th,?put in your Hilton Honors number.?You’ll notice that the discount is down to $115 instead of the $120 offered by Expedia.??

?While it is also a Pre-Paid reservation, who’s reservation do you think we are more likely to cancel without fee??The third party groups want to say that they are good partners with hotels,, not so much!

If you would like more information about booking discounts with hotels, give me a call.?I’d be glad to help.???Mike Treasure?