Am researching some hotel prices in Venice and have run into a situation where the best rate for a room that can be cancelled is one that requires full payment for all nights (not just one) in advance. Is this typical of Venice? We are looking to book many months in advance and it seems like a lot of money for the hotel to hold onto for 6-9 months. Hotel in question in American Dinesen — appealed to us because of quiet location in Dorsoduro. Thanks for your replies.
Posted by
Vignola, MO, IT
698 posts
It is typical for many hotels on booking.com. Don't take the best rate and you can find one that can be cancelled. That's what I usually do. Or keep looking and find another with a different policy. Not unique to Venice or even Italy.
Posted by
Seattle, WA
17225 posts
That is a nice hotel in an excellent location. Is this the policy with direct bookings on their website? Is your stay during a popular time like Carnevale? I have not seen a pre-payment requirement like that for refundable rates at any other time.
Posted by
Massachusetts, USA
396 posts
I have stayed at this hotel twice and neither time had to prepay in full. I just checked the website for random dates in May 2025 and there are two rates for each room type. One does not require prepayment and is cancelable up to 3 days prior (must be in writing). It is more money (about €40/night more), but I would be willing to pay the additional rather than risk losing all my money.
Posted by
Seattle, WA
17225 posts
I just looked at a booking as well. You must be looking at the “Prepaid Flexible rate”. Looking at the cancellation terms, I would not book that rate-it applies to cancellations resulting from “force majeure” only and you do not get a refund; just a voucher toward a stay some other time.
Special Offer
The total cost of the reservation will be charged upon confirmation. In case of inconveniences connected to causes of force majeure, the reservation can be amended up to 7 days before arrival without any penalty. A voucher egual to the amount paid will be issued and it will be valid as a credit for a future stay within the following 12 months. The amount paid will then be deducted from the total amount of the new reservation (if there are price differences).
You only save €30-40 a night. The regular rate is a much safer, and you should still get some discount for the early booking (at least for the March dates I looked at).
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Thank you to all of you for your replies and helping in my research. Upon your suggestion I looked at the terms more carefully and yes for a higher rate we can cancel up to 3 days in advance. In taking it a step further (without me doing the actual booking) it does indeed require payment for the entire stay up front (looking at early December 2024 date for this test.) It is indeed better than the other “voucher” cancellation so thank you for explaining that. Perhaps they have changed their policies through their website also to require full payment up front vs just requiring one night.
Posted by
Seattle, WA
17225 posts
I do not see anywhere that they say the full amount will be charged to your card at the time of booking if you choose the “free cancellation” rate. They just say they reserved the right to “pre-authorize” your credit card prior to arrival. That means they may put a “pending” charge on the card (which confirms validity of the card through the date of your stay) but they do not actually charge it.,