CANCELLATION
Yesterday i waived cancellation for guests who wanted to cancel their bookings.Prior to this had made several requests to them asking them whether they would be coming and they had confirmed.I had even made arrangements for picking them at the airport and communicated the same to them.They did not reply.The day before their arrival i took the trouble of calling them to find out whether they were still coming and still they did not confirm. Therefter they asked for a waiver on cancellation fees and after reading some of the booking.com articles i granted the request.
However i feel that i was too good and should not have granted the waiver.It was my first time to do so.Going forward,is it advisable to do so in order to avoid cancellations?
Please advise,
Ken
Hi! We apply a verystrict cancellation policy as we have only one unit and it would be difficult to have it rebooked off peak and in a short notice period. The policy is very clear on booking and whilst on one side we might scare off potential guests we are only attracting the serious ones. Having said that, things do come up and would consider a refund on a case by case basis.
Thank you for your comment
I believe we need to consider cancellations in light of circumstance. Quite often people have emergencies in their lives which cannot be avoided and consideration is essential.
Where I get vey disappointed is when guests book rooms at multiple hotels for the same dates and, after settling on one cancel the others, often as late as possible. This practise not only damages income earning potential but also ties staff up manage both the booking and the cancellation. I would like to charge a cancellation administration fee regardless of when the cancellation occurs.
While Booking.com does not take commission if we do not charge guests they refuse to allow us to make the business decision to charge this small administrative fee. Surely as owners we have the right to manage our own businesses.