I would appreciate any help people might have of dealing with booking.com about cancellation of non refundable hotel prices. My husband was just diagnosed with throat cancer which means I need to cancel our flight on United for May 28th and hotels that were booked through a 3rd party.... booking.com. I have been their client for at least 10 years never cancelling before. This trip there were 2 stays in Ireland where I opted for a cheaper price and got the non-refundable prices. Of course, I never anticipated a health emergency.
Is there anyone who has been successful with getting a credit or even money back on their CC when health emergency is reason for cancelling? Of course, i can supply any proof necessary to show it's not that we just decided not to go.
Thank you for any information or ideas you might I have. I did contact the hotel directly and they were very nice, but gave me number to contact Booking.com since it is a " 3rd party reservation".
Ticadonnita
Posted by
la la land...
972 posts
Seems like you are close to solving this problem since you spoke to the hotel and they gave you the number to contact booking.com.
I don't know if my example will help, but a few years ago I successfully cancelled non refundable hotel rooms I had booked on Expedia, a similar 3rd party deal. Seeing no solution online, I googled their customer service number and called, explained the medical emergency situation to them, and they said that if the hotel agreed to the cancellation, they would agree to it. So I called the hotel, explained it all, and they agreed to the cancellation, and then I did whatever to get the hotel and Expedia rep to get together on it.
Good luck, sorry about your circumstances.
Posted by
Chicago
624 posts
First off, very sorry for your husband's health issues.
I would get a letter from the doctor confirming the diagnosis, and provide a copy
(electronic or paper) to booking.com and potentially the hotel.
After that, you are at the mercy of the terms and conditions for the original booking,
and whether the hotel decides to give you a break.
I do think that eventually booking.com is just an intermediary and does not make the
final decision - that should be the hotel. But they may be the ones to contact the hotel
and present your case.
Also, if you booked the hotel with a credit card, check to see if trip insurance is included
for travel bookings - you may be able to claim it back that way.
Posted by
Huntsville, AL, USA
8309 posts
In your situation, it's all up to the hotel.
I once booked a hotel in Barcelona, and the air conditioning didn't work. They refused to fix it. Booking said they were sorry, but the refund is at the hotel's option. They couldn't do anything about it. It cost me $300.
Otherwise, I've never had any problem cancelling reservations with them.
Posted by
Phoenix🌵
2994 posts
I’m so sorry about your husband’s illness.
Did you buy trip insurance? It may cover the cancellation due to this being a “covered event (Illness)
Good luck!
Posted by
Seattle, WA
17254 posts
I am very sorry to learn of your husband’s diagnosis a wish him the best with his treatment.
I have successfully canceled a “non-refundable” hotel booking through booking.com. It was not a health emergency. I had booked an airport hotel at Gatwick and British Airways canceled our flight into there and routed us through Heathrow.
I also canceled a non-refundable apartment booking made through booking.com for complicated reasons but it did work.
The request must go through booking.com, and they ask the hotel (or apartment owner if they agree. In the case of the apartment, I had already told them I would cancel and they did agree, so that was simple. In the case of the airport hotel, I listed our reason on the booking.com cancelation form and submitted that to booking.com. They said the hotel agreed right away so it all worked out.
It is probably good that you did contact the hotel and explain, so they will be expecting to hear from booking.com. Hopefully they will be kind.
But if not, shoeflyer’s suggestion to check your credit card for travel insurance is an excellent one. This is not a “chargeback” situation where you were defrauded; this is a request to the credit card company under the provisions that include some insurance for expenses you pay with your card. You are asking for reimbursement for canceling a non-refundable booking for a “covered reason” (illness that prevents your travel).
Good luck to you and your husband.
So it is good that you
Posted by
OP
Dominical, Costa Rica
14 posts
Thank you everyone for your kinds thoughts about my husband's cancer and for the suggestions about possibly getting some refunds for cancelling non-refundable hotel stays. Our flight on United that I booked months ago is also non-refundable, but I am going to pursue that next.
I did not get travel insurance. I never have over 30 years of booking flights. I am wondering about travel ins. someone mentioned that comes with my CC that I booked everything with though . It's a Chase United Explorer Mileage Plus card. I am looking into that now.
Ticadonnita
Posted by
Chicago
624 posts
You at least have some sort of trip insurance coverage with your United Mileage Plus card.
See the section under "Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance". In these situations, fine
print matters, there is no harm in filing a claim, but make sure you've read the details
so you are able to respond if the claim is denied.
Posted by
1546 posts
ticadonnita, I too am sorry to hear of your husband's diagnosis and wish him a speedy recovery. We are in a similar position but only have airfare (Alaska Air) to consider. We have a full credit that must be used within a year. If we can't use that credit we can buy tickets on behalf of someone else. So if your credit card insurance won't cover the airfare maybe you can make a similar arrangement with United.