What can you do to mitigate the risk of canceling hotels' non-refundable reservations?
As we have seen, handling the admin of applying for a refund can be incredibly time-consuming and stressful. Even with insurance, the process of getting your refund can be long-winded, and you will not necessarily have cover for all circumstances.
For example, in 2020, the coronavirus pandemic was excluded by most policies. Meaning travelers diagnosed with COVID or who had their trips canceled due to restrictions were not covered by their travel insurance policies.
Even in less unusual circumstances, there are always caveats and limitations buried in the terms and conditions that can be a lengthy task to navigate. Relying on a credit card issuer can be equally problematic. Many credit card issuers will have a detailed admin process to complete before you can get back any money from your booking. While you might be able to recoup some of the costs by using a resale website, answering bidders' questions and dealing with less than generous offers could be another drain on your resources.
Non-refundable rates might be tempting, but the discounts they offer are seldom worth the risk if you are a frequent business traveler or travel manager. In business, plans regularly change, even in the best of times, and last year taught us that having flexibility in our travel arrangements is precious.
Even as the pandemic eases, the ability to alter our travel plans will likely continue to be essential for the foreseeable future. Being locked into non-refundable rates could end up costing you more, not just in terms of money but also in lost time trying to plead your case for a refund. If you manage a team of business travelers, you will need a more streamlined solution to avoid being overwhelmed with the admin and racking up unnecessary costs.
Using an
online travel booking tool like TravelPerk
can remove the stress of altering or canceling your travel plans. Knowing you have access to the best rates in the industry eliminates the need to search through multiple booking platforms and juggle various booking conditions.
What's more, we handle everything, freeing up busy travel managers while providing significant savings on your travel spend. Our customer service team is on hand 24/7, 365 days a year, to help travel managers or their corporate travelers with any questions or last-minute changes. Please speak to our sales team to see how
TravelPerk
can remove the stress of cancelations for your corporate travel program today.