After InterContinental Hotel Group and Hyatt Hotels Corp. announced free cancellation or date changes for hotels in China due to the spread of the coronavirus, additional hotel companies have offered similar relaxed policies. As the number of deaths and infections climb, the Chinese government has implemented travel bans on certain regions of the country.
In the event that an Accor guest wishes to cancel a prepaid/guaranteed booking for a stay made for the period between now and Feb. 2, 2020 in one of the company's hotels in Wuhan, China, where the outbreak began, Accor will provide either the option to amend the booking to a later date or to cancel and fully refund the reservation, said the company in a statement. Also through Feb. 2, Accor North and Central America will match the cancellation policy outlined above for guests and clients departing from Greater China who may have difficulty traveling due to restrictions.
Hilton has a modification and cancellation waiver in place for all guests who plan to travel to any Hilton-branded property in China from now through Feb. 8, 2020, as well as for guests who plan to travel from China to a Hilton-branded property globally, according to a company statement. There are no booking channel restrictions. Hilton encourages guests with additional questions about their reservations to contact Hilton Guest Assistance.
Langham Hospitality Group will provide a full refund and waive all related fees for direct bookings on cancellations for all stays up to and including Feb. 9, 2020 at the Langham and Cordis hotels in mainland China, the company confirmed in a statement.
Marriott International will waive cancellation fees until Feb. 8, 2020 for guests with reservations at its hotels in China and for guests from China traveling outbound to other destinations globally, said a company spokesperson.
Peninsula Hotels said it would waive cancellation charges on any bookings in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong, according to the South China Morning Post, which also reported that a Shangri-La Hotels spokesperson said the company would offer free cancellations at all of its hotels in China and for guests who plan to travel from the mainland and stay in any of its hotels globally up to Feb. 8. Neither company responded to BTN's requests for confirmation.
(Update, Jan. 27: Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts have waived cancellation fees for bookings at properties in China through Feb. 16, and Peninsula Hotels "has decided to waive the cancellation charges to any booking made with the Peninsula hotels in Greater China, which include Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing.")
Hyatt, meanwhile, provided additional information on its policy. Guests who have booked stays between now and Feb. 10, 2020 at any greater China Hyatt hotel via Hyatt official channels, including Hyatt.com, World of Hyatt app, WeChat Mini Program and the global contact center can postpone or cancel without any cancellation fee. Guests from Greater China who have booked stays from now through Feb. 10 at any Hyatt hotel in Asia/Pacific via Hyatt official channels as listed above can postpone or cancel without any cancellation fee. Asia/Pacific refers to Hyatt hotels located in Australia, Cambodia, Greater China, Guam, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Maldives, Philippines, Saipan, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam. For additional questions, guests should reach out to their nearest Hyatt global contact center or via WeChat at HyattHotels. For bookings made via OTA or other third parties, guests should contact their booking provider for assistance.
Several companies said they would update their policies as the situation changes.