Hilton Worldwide has completed a two-month trial in which a few of its hotels charged $50 for reservations canceled any time after they
were booked.
The hotel company confirmed that its 60-day trial, which
included 24 hotels, was conducted in November and December. Hilton declined to
disclose further information about the trial, which was detailed in a New York
Times report.
“This past November, we began testing a new cancellation
policy at select hotels, given late cancellations have historically created
challenges for both our guests and owners,” the company said in a statement.
“At this time, we have collected the data we need from this test and have ended
the trial to evaluate the results.”
The concept of hotels enacting cancellation fees similar
to those of airlines has gained relevance with a proliferation of apps specializing in
last-minute hotel deals, giving consumers ample opportunity to look for
last-minute discounts then cancel their existing reservations.
Both Hilton and Marriott International addressed this
issue at the beginning of last year by enacting a policy in which guests who
cancel reservations the same day as the scheduled stay are charged for one
night. Additionally, both hoteliers have looked to reduce cancellations by
offering discounts on pre-paid, nonrefundable rooms at some of their hotels.
Hilton
representatives declined to say whether its cancellation policies would be
further altered, while Marriott representatives declined to respond to a
request for comment from Travel Weekly.