Accommodation refund coronavirus

[JaceLancs]

Booked holiday back in January
Flights through Jet2.com
Accommodation non cancellable through booking.com
Had email to say flights not going ahead - fine will just wait for a refund or transfer to 2021
Booking.com say nothing they can do to help if accommodation refuse to cancel - accommodation just not responding to email
I paid on credit card - would you go to them for help?
I also have annual travel insurance - would you claim from them instead?
Any helpful suggestions

[Reluctantbettlynch]

When is the accommodation booked for?

[Starisnotanumber]

Can't help but in exactly same situation booked Seville for next week with booking.com before coronavirus was a thing. All I get from website is the hotel is temporarily closed and nothing from booking.com at all.
Like you have insurance and paid by credit card. I hope that as hotel is closed I will get money back but who knows. If I get anywhere I will let you know

[JaceLancs]

Booked for end of June
I tried ringing bank re annual travel insurance and couldn’t get through
Their website just says wait until after date of travel
Tried credit card couldn’t get through there either but recorded message says if travel related to wait until 48 hours before due to travel
Which makes no difference as flight has been cancelled!

[Mirrorxx]

I have just got money back in similar circumstances through my credit card. Just submitted form on their website to dispute the payment and explained reason. It did take over a month.

[SoloMummy]

If their company are open, you've lost the money. Credit cards or not.

If they're not open for Brits then you maybe able to claim.

They won't refund though until know the situation for definite.

[stringbean]

We are in similar situation - had booked a long weekend in Paris next weekend. While we can move the Eurostar, and the hotel we had in London has refunded us without us even asking, the Paris hotel has been very quiet. Initially they told us we could claim back via booking.com, but when we pointed out that we had booked with the hotel direct, we've had no further response from them since.

We don't actually want a refund - would be very happy to move the booking to another date or accept a credit for next year - I just don't want the hotel to have my money and nothing to show for it. Unfortunately, hotels in France have never been required by the government to close, which has confused the situation, so it seems they're under no obligation to refund us anything. Our travel insurance has also decided that they will not cover pandemics so, unless we can get money from the credit card, we're stuffed.

[Reluctantbettlynch]

As stated above if they are open and it's not against advice to travel you won't get a refund.

[Janek]

We had overnight accommodation booked in Turin at Easter through booking.com - there was a button on the website/booking which said 'request to cancel' which we clicked, not really expecting anything as we'd booked a non-refundable rate, but the money was back on our credit card very quickly.

This was in the middle of Italy's lockdown so it may be different now, but there are dire warnings all over booking.com about bookings made after 13 March not being refundable, implying to me that bookings made before then may well be.

[stringbean]

@Reluctantbettlynch - at the moment it IS against FCO advice to travel to France: does this mean we are entitled to a refund from the hotel or our travel insurance? Nothing about this situation seems to be clear and any advice I've looked for online mentions package holidays, but doesn't say what position you're in if you've booked independently.

[KoalasandRabbit]

I've got a few hotels booked in August for Thailand / Malaysia and atm no refunds from 5 including 1 refundable in theory. Rest were pay on arrival so they are cancelled fine. The refundable one may now be refunding after 2.5 months of asking but will believe it when I see it. One is on points so no big deal.

Other 3 one isn't replying, one said no to refund and offered no alternatives and one said they may consider refunding / changing travel dates closer to time with proof from government. All booked about a year ago. 2 are via Booking.com. Booking.com I've found great in the past for getting refunds and not approached but presumably overwhelmed.

I'm not sure what you can do when they are abroad and I would like to know too. Our insurance says they won't pay out if offered a credit note or change of date but if those are within 6 months that's useless. Our insurance is covered pandemics for us as booked before 13 March and covering the UK travel ban though strictly speaking they could get out of it as terms and conditions say travel advice to other country is at least avoid all but essential travel. I would try insurance but depends on terms and conditions you have. Normally you have to have tried everywhere else first though.

[Zodlebud]

If you go into the “Manage my booking” section on Booking.com you should have the option to request a change of dates or request a refund with no cancellation charge (although both are at the discretion of the hotel). You can then chase through Booking.com if you don’t receive a reply.

We have booked a very expensive (non-refundable) stay at a big hotel chain in Asia for this summer. I will request a date change as we have had to shift the rest of the holiday and if they refuse I know I can call them out on social media as the place we are going to is closed to all but domestic travel.

My travel insurance covers shifting the entire trip to next year on a like for like basis. If the hotel refuse to move it or refund then all I need is that refusal in writing and my travel insurance will cover it.

[KoalasandRabbit]

Thanks Zodlebud That's useful to know. On our Booking.com on our 2 hotels, one only has the contact property option re Covid so have just sent a message to them with copy of UK travel advice. Other has options of contact property or change dates and you can select dates up to next summer. The issue with date change is to when and my daughter has some GCSEs next summer. We can't really travel pre a vaccine due to health issues and not sure if insurance will cover anything we book now. Well it won't. I don't want to just move our holiday a year as it's too complicated now with 3 destinations in 2 countries and flights between them all. But our EVAAIr flights are no longer for sale, we've not been told it's cancelled but looking hopeful for the flights to Thailand being cancelled and full refund on that. So that would be £2186 back.

The Tune Hotel in Malaysia don't rate our chances of them helping or getting money back from AirAsia but AirAsia are currently offering 2 year credits to end of July flights, we are August but that's better than nothing if they offer that. So making progress slowly. Interesting to hear what others are experiencing. No refund of deposit on Italy school trip so may have lost that but at least we got rest back.

[Starisnotanumber]

Hi thanks for the advice I have tried select alternative dates but it comes up dates unavailable even though if I try to make a new booking dates are there. I have been sending nice polite messages for over 2 weeks now with no response at all.
Don't want to press cancel booking as it says I will have to pay whole amount.
The website for hotel says its closed temporarily. Any way of getting hold of a person from booking.com.
The booking is for later this week in Spain in a small independent hotel if that makes a difference.

[Rhubardandcustard]

I have similar booked through hotels.com just heard on first hotel that we can have a voucher (all hotels non-refundable bookings) valid for 12 months. This is no good to us as this year was gcse year and our one opportunity to go on a big international holiday when we could afford it. Now next opportunity won’t be until October 2021 at the earliest.
Our destination currently aren’t accepting any visitors from UK and will likely be the case way beyond our bookings. Flights have already been cancelled and had refund through BA no problem.
Hotels.com we’re no help except to say I booked non refundable and a voucher is all the hotel is offering. Still waiting to hear back from the other hotels we have booked.

[KoalasandRabbit]

Just checked EVAAir website and they are now refunding in full for our dates from today - had to fill in so many forms, one per person per seat reservation so that's 8 and one per flight per person, another 4 forms. 30 minutes of form filling and 12 EVA e-mails later and now needing a drink looking hopeful for their refund and the refundable hotels.

We still have £1959 of things outstanding after EVA and refundable hotel including Italy deposit but at least that's maximum loss now.

[KoalasandRabbit]

Just tried one of two hotels non-refundable on Booking.com, sent in UK travel advice from FCO and they are now refunding so that's another £90 coming back. A lot of rest is AirAsia or AirAsia Tune hotel who don't stand cat in hell's chance with but AirAsia might soon go to a 2 year credit note for flights and insurance should in theory pay out for hotels that are non-refundable not paying out as long as FCO advice remains in place.

[KoalasandRabbit]

Italy deposit back via school's insurance today, on a roll now

[stringbean]

Just came on to post that we got a credit/voucher from our hotel in Paris - we were supposed to travel there yesterday: turns out the manager had been ill with coronavirus over the past week which was why it had gone quiet. He phoned, very apologetic, and couldn't have been nicer - promised to upgrade us when we re-book for next year, so very pleased that this has been resolved.

[HarryDaylight]

That's good news stringbean, you must be relieved. I haven't heard back from the hotel in Mallorca that I booked, but hopefully they'll offer me a rebooking option or refund.

[KoalasandRabbit]

Third attempt and the Home Phutoey replied - they are refusing to refund but say we can move dates up to a year. We'ld prefer a refund so tried insurance but they said they couldn't say if they would refund until 30 days after our holiday, very helpful.

Other hotel in Malaysia via Booking.com refusing to refund or move dates, that's probably the only thing out of the remaining £1600 not got back now insurance will allow so after excess I will get £60. Great. Rest I will get credit notes for but without a vaccine they will be worthless.

[Starisnotanumber]

Stuck it out without doing anything. Less than 24 hours before we were due to arrive got an offer of transferring booking to anytime before the end of 2021.
Really happy with that result

[Rhubardandcustard]

Finally got a result with hotels.com. Contacted each hotel we had booked for our international holiday and said your country isn’t letting in UK nationals so I would like a refund. Each hotel then came back and agreed but said I would need to contact Expedia for the refund.

Got through to an agent on Expedia who looked up each booking and confirmed refunds are on the way, although can take up to 30 days.

Bit fab result for non-refundable hotels. So don’t give up if you had this type of booking and don’t accept the voucher that they first try and fob you off with.

[KoalasandRabbit]

Thanks for the update Rhubarb, that's encouraging. I'm finding persistence pays too. It's a long and painful process not helped by me having used 2 airlines, 2 transport companies and 8 different hotels as well as airport parking, cattery and rabittery and insurancex2. Plus school trip to Italy. Down to 2 hotels and AirAsia flights to resolve. But Malaysia has just banned international travel until 31st August and its an August trip so hopeful for AirAsia to offer credit vouchers for 2 years at least soon. Unfortunately don't appear to be any rights for anything with them as out of EU. But 2 year credit isn't too bad. One of 2 hotels is offering to defer for up to a year, not ideal and quite a big group. That ones in Thailand, non-refundable booking.

[Rhubardandcustard]

Yes I think message is don’t give up and don’t accept vouchers if they don’t work for you.

All the hotels and the flights offered vouchers in the first instance and made of hard to then contact them to get an actual refund.

I would have accepted vouchers if they were valid for 24 months but all of them only offered 12 months which was no use to us. It was our one year to go outside of usual school holidays because it was just after GCSEs- now we will have to wait until after a levels.

I think what helped was the country we were going to isn’t accepting UK citizens and is unlikely to for quite a while, therefore even though we had booked non-refundable hotels, the original contract for that was now void.