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Situation: Booked 7 nights via Hotels.com but may have to leave early
I have read online there is a fee involved but how does this happen in practice?
I may need to leave after 3 nights / 4 nights but dont really want to pay a FEE if could avoid it, I mean I am literally giving them back a room backWould an email on the day of checkout work?
Would freezing the check in card after 3 days work?Or simply asking them to waive it off, due to whatever reason and hoping that there is not a fee
I found it massively depends on the reason for your early departure. If there is a health or other unexpected issue, I found hotels are often very understanding and allow you to not pay any charge and in one case with us, they refunded the unused nights to us. Are you able to say a little bit about why you need to leave early?
Yes, you are giving the hotel their room back, but they may not be able to re-sell it at short notice so can apply a cancellation/early departure charge which you will probably have agreed to at check-in. It’s the same as a no-show. Freezing your card may not help as the cost of the whole stay plus maybe a daily sum for potential extras will already have been pre-authorised/blocked on the card. Hotels aren’t so daft as to make it too easy for people to do a runner. It would seem best to approach the reception and leaving it until the (early) checkout day (rather than within normal cancellation time) makes it less likely they will agree to waive the cost.
Yes, you are giving the hotel their room back, but they may not be able to re-sell it at short notice
I think @redethernet1 is trying to ascertain whether there will be a fee on top of the amount they initially paid for the entire 7 night duration, rather than asking whether they can just pay 3 nights and not pay the rest? In which case it doesn’t really matter if the hotel can’t re-sell the room as they’ll still get paid for the entire 7 night duration.
But responding to the initial question – I’ve checked out days earlier than expected before, and I just left the key on the desk in the room, and not say a word to the reception when leaving. They’ll think that I’m still using the room until the original checkout day. So no extra fees involved.
Correct. I have paid upfront the whole 7 days and dont want any of it back. Just wanna be able to say heres the key no hard feelings, busy schedule.
Just leave the keys in the room, stick DND on the door handle and leave. On the last morning msg / email / phone that you’ve left already.
Is the booking non changeable, non refundable etc ? Or gets a silly reprice when you reduce to say 4 nights?
Correct. I have paid upfront the whole 7 days and dont want any of it back. Just wanna be able to say heres the key no hard feelings, busy schedule.
If that’s the case, I don’t understand your post. Your cancellation fee is paying for the unused nights. To the extent that some hotels, usually resorts, have cancellation fees that add minimum daily spend amounts, that would have been clearly specified in advance.
When I’ve experienced an Early Departure Fee, that is paid instead of the rate for the remaining now to be unused nights
Being a hotels.com booking im assuming that you’re not especially looking to stay checked in to earn elite nights? In which case just explain at front desk you need to leave early and depending on hotel policy and how much notice you’ve given you might receive refund for nights not stayed, perhaps less an admin fee/early departure charge. Unless a non-refundable booking. I’m a hotel GM so speak with some authority on the matter.
Its a non refundable booking furthermore not too worried about getting any refund and i think its not possible either as I have used a gift voucher via tesco 3x which I obtained which were going to expire in May so I booked a mid Sept date which is still doable but perhaps not the full duration.
I think I will explain at the desk I may need to leave early. I was just thinking about the block they do on your card when checking in. Do they release it without seeing you?
When I’ve experienced an Early Departure Fee, that is paid instead of the rate for the remaining now to be unused nights
This. Not massively clear in the way Ts&Cs are written but I’ve found this mainly applying to flexible rate rooms, where you tell them and they charge this fee instead of the room rate. Never seen it apply to a prepaid.
TBH in your situation I’d be telling them as there is a chance they may refund some of the prepaid stay depending how they feel about reselling the room, I think the risk of an additional charge on top of the prepaid rate is v.low.
I agree that this is often not clearly expressed but you are not charged this fee on top of an already fully paid bill.
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