In the industry’s latest cat and mouse game, IHG on Tuesday announced that starting this month most of its hotels will move to a 24-hour cancellation policy.
With Marriott and Hilton very recently announcing a predominantly 48-hour cancellation policy, an IHG spokesperson told HOTELS changes to its policy will “provide guests with greater consistency when managing their reservations and offer certainty for our owners.”
The spokesperson added that IHG’s previous cancellation policy varied by both region and brand, and this new change will mean that the majority of the IHG estate will now operate under similar terms. Guests will have one day prior to arrival to cancel their reservations without penalty, which still leaves them with 24 hours if they need to cancel their booking.
Implementation will begin within each of the regions as follows:
- Beginning July 28 – Europe
- Beginning August 4 – Americas
- By end of September – Asia, Middle East and Africa
Further detailing the changes:
- The cancellation for Reward Nights will remain as it works today and follows the hotel house cancellation policy
- Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants currently has a 48-hour cancellation policy in place and there will be no change
- The cancellation policy for Greater China region will remain the same where 85% of hotels have a same-day cancellation policy and the remaining 15% range from one-day up to nine days prior to arrival