Hotel Cancellation Policies: How They Work, What They Cost and How to Avoid Fees

Quick answer: you can usually cancel a hotel reservation for free if you booked a refundable rate and cancel before the deadline in your confirmation. That deadline is often a set time one or more days before arrival, in the hotel's local time. Cancel late and expect a fee, often one night plus tax. Prepaid, non-refundable rates generally can't be cancelled for a refund.

Every hotel cancellation policy answers the same four questions:

• Which rate did you book?
• When is the last moment to cancel?
• What does it cost after that?
• Who do you cancel with: the hotel, the brand or the booking site?

This guide explains each one, then gives the current rules for the brands people ask about most, with links to each brand's own policy page.

We make TripCache, a trip organizer with free cancellation-deadline reminders. Policies change and vary by hotel and rate. We checked every brand rule below on 5 October 2026, but the confirmation for your booking is the final word.

How a hotel cancellation policy works

Refundable vs non-refundable rates

The rate you pick at checkout decides most of the policy. The same room can be free to cancel at one price and non-refundable at a cheaper one.

A non-refundable rate is a bet that your plans won't change. It's worth taking only when the discount is bigger than the cost of losing the whole booking.

The deadline is in the hotel's local time

Hotel cancellation deadlines are normally set in the property's time zone, not yours. Marriott says its deadline "is always based on the Hotel's local time". Booking.com's guide to cancelling hotel reservations says the deadline is usually calculated in the hotel's local time zone, and Vrbo and Airbnb use the property's or listing's time zone too.

That matters when you book from another time zone. For example, say you live in New York and book a Tokyo hotel for Friday 11 December. The hotel cancellation policy says free cancellation until 11:59 p.m. two days before arrival.

Your real deadline is 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday 9 December in Tokyo, which is 9:59 a.m. Wednesday in New York, not Wednesday night.

Our free hotel cancellation deadline calculator does this conversion for you. Enter the check-in date, the policy window, the cut-off time and the hotel's time zone.

Deposits and when you're charged

Some rates charge you at booking, some take a deposit, and some charge nothing until you stay. The policy tells you which.

• Prepaid rates charge in full when you book. Choice Hotels says its advance-purchase rate is charged within 24 to 48 hours of booking.
• Deposit rates take part of the cost up front. Disneyland Resort hotels take the first night's rate plus taxes and fees when you book a room-only stay.
• Pay-at-hotel rates usually hold your card as a guarantee and charge at check-in, or charge the late fee if you cancel late or don't show up.

What a hotel cancellation fee usually costs

There's no standard hotel cancellation fee. Each hotel and rate sets its own, and the brands we checked describe it in different ways:

• One night plus tax is the most common late fee. Marriott names it as typical; Hilton says only that a late cancellation fee "varies by hotel".
• The deposit at deposit-based resorts. Cancel a Disneyland Resort room-only stay too late and you lose the first night plus taxes and fees.
• A flat fee on some packages. Walt Disney World charges $200 per package to cancel 2 to 29 days before arrival.
• Everything on prepaid, non-refundable rates and, often, on no-shows.

Booking direct vs through Expedia or Booking.com

The hotel sets its cancellation terms, but when you book through an online travel agency (OTA), the OTA usually handles the cancellation and the refund. The hotel cancellation policy you agreed to is the one shown on the OTA's booking page and confirmation.

• Cancel where you booked. Marriott tells guests who booked through a third party that they "must return to where your reservation was made".
• Expedia: go to Trips, select the booking, then Change or cancel. Expedia's help center says that if there's no cancel option, the booking is too close to check-in or non-refundable.
• Booking.com: fees "are determined by the property", and you'll find the policy in your booking confirmation (Booking.com customer service). "Free cancellation" means cancelling before the date and time the property states.
• The OTA rate may differ from the direct rate. A booking site can show a free-cancellation rate and a cheaper non-refundable one for the same room, and hotel loyalty benefits often don't apply to booking-site reservations.

California's 24-hour rule. Since 1 July 2024, California law requires hotels, booking sites and short-term rentals to let you cancel a booking for a California property without penalty for at least 24 hours after it's confirmed, if you booked at least 72 hours before check-in (SB 644). Refunds go back to your original payment method within 30 days. There's no equivalent US-wide rule; outside California, the 24-hour window depends on the company.

Hotel cancellation policies by brand

Here are the current rules from each brand's own pages, checked on 5 October 2026. Most brands say the policy varies by hotel and rate, so treat these as the usual pattern and check the rate details on your booking.

Holiday Inn and IHG cancellation policy

IHG, which runs Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Crowne Plaza and other brands, doesn't publish one chain-wide deadline. Its customer care FAQ says individual hotels "may have unique cancellation policies" and tells you to check your rate details. You can change or cancel any IHG booking on its Manage Your Reservations page.

• Reward Nights: most can be cancelled a day before check-in. Cancel later and IHG returns your points, but the hotel charges its cancellation fee to your card.
• Book Early and Save (advance purchase): prepaid in full at booking. IHG's terms say "No refunds if cancelled or changed."
• Booking fees: IHG says it charges none when you book on IHG's own websites.

Disney resort hotel cancellation policy

Disney's rules depend on whether you booked a package or a room-only stay, and on the resort.

Walt Disney World packages (2026 terms): a $200 deposit is due at booking if you book 31 or more days ahead, with the balance due 30 days before arrival. Cancel 30 or more days out and you get your money back, minus any third-party hotel fees.

Cancel 2 to 29 days out and you pay $200 per package. Cancel 1 day or less before arrival, or don't show up, and the full package price is non-refundable. Cancel in My Reservations in your MyDisney account or by calling (407) 939-5277.

Walt Disney World room-only stays: the official terms page wasn't loading when we checked. A Disney-run planDisney answer and fan sites report that, from 2025, you must cancel at least 8 days before arrival to get your one-night deposit back. Confirm the deadline in your own confirmation.

Disneyland Resort hotels (room-only terms, the version posted for 2027 arrivals): the deposit is the first night's rate plus taxes and fees. Cancel at least 4 days before arrival for a full refund; after that, you lose the deposit, and no-shows are non-refundable. Bookings made 72 hours or more before check-in are fully refundable within 24 hours of booking. Packages are different: a $200 fee applies 4 to 29 days out, and the full price is lost 3 days or less before arrival.

Choice Hotels cancellation policy

Choice Hotels, which includes Comfort, Quality, Clarion, Sleep Inn and Econo Lodge, says in its support FAQ that "every reservation is subject to a cancellation deadline". The deadline varies by hotel and shows on the checkout page before you confirm.

• Advance purchase rates are non-cancellable, non-changeable and non-refundable.
• Arriving late? Choice says a guaranteed room is held until 7 a.m. the morning after your arrival date, so call the hotel instead of cancelling if you're only delayed.

Drury Hotels cancellation policy

Drury's FAQ says its cancellation policy "varies by the reservation, rate, hotel and dates" and points you to your confirmation email.

Drury's own pages give the usual pattern: most reservations can be cancelled until 12:00 p.m. the day before arrival, and free-night rewards must be cancelled before 12 p.m. local time the day before. Advance Purchase reservations are non-refundable and can't be changed or cancelled.

Vrbo cancellation policy

On Vrbo, the host picks the policy, so read it before you book. Vrbo's list of policy options currently has seven:

You must cancel by 11:59 p.m. in the property's time zone on the last day of the window. Vrbo refunds its service fee only when you get a full refund; on partial refunds, booking and service fees aren't returned. The only 24-hour free cancellation Vrbo describes is for California properties, under the state law above.

Hilton cancellation policy

Hilton's help center says cancellation policies "may vary depending on rate type, dates of the reservation, and individual hotel policies", and that a late cancellation fee "varies by hotel".

• Find your deadline online: go to Find Stay, then View/Edit Stay. The cancellation policy sits under the stay dates, with a "Cancel this reservation" option.
• In the Hilton Honors app: open Stays, then Stay details, then "Rate details & policies".
• Not a Hilton Honors member? Use the "Modify your reservation" link in your confirmation email, or contact the hotel.
• Refunds can take up to 30 days to process.
• Advance Purchase rates require full, non-refundable prepayment. Hilton's offer terms allow one exception: call at least three days before check-in and Hilton may consider a cancel-and-rebook, refunded less a service fee.

If you missed the deadline or booked non-refundable

You may still have options. None are guaranteed, so try them in this order.

1. Ask the hotel to move your dates. A hotel may prefer changing your stay to losing you, especially well ahead of arrival. Ask before the original check-in date.
2. Check for a written exception. Hilton's advance-purchase terms, for example, allow a cancel-and-rebook request at least three days before check-in.
3. Check the 24-hour rule. If the property is in California and you booked at least 72 hours before check-in, you may be within the 24-hour free-cancellation window.
4. Check your travel insurance. If you bought cover, read which reasons for cancelling it accepts before you file a claim.
5. Dispute only real billing errors. The FTC covers disputes over charges you didn't accept or that weren't delivered as agreed. It isn't a way out of a fee you agreed to. For a real error, write to your card issuer within 60 days of the statement, as the CFPB explains.

How to avoid hotel cancellation fees

1. Read the rate before you pay. Choice shows the deadline on its checkout page; Hilton shows it in the rate details. If you can't find a deadline, assume it's strict.
2. Write down the exact deadline and time zone. "Cancel by 6 p.m., 2 days before arrival" isn't a date until you work it out. Use the deadline calculator.
3. Set more than one reminder. One a few days out gives you time to compare prices or decide; one the day before is your backup.
4. Cancel through the channel you booked with, and keep the cancellation email or number.
5. Check that the refund arrives. Hilton says refunds can take up to 30 days. If nothing arrives, contact whoever took your payment.
6. Hold backup bookings carefully. If you reserve two hotels while you decide, give each one its own reminder.

Never miss a hotel cancellation deadline

A cancellation fee often comes down to a deadline buried in an email you didn't reopen in time. Getting your confirmation emails organized is the first step; a reminder is the second.

TripCache keeps the deadline from each hotel cancellation policy with the booking and reminds you before it passes. On the free Basic plan:

1. Add the hotel as a stay in your trip, or add a rental car, tour or other refundable booking.
2. Enter the cancellation deadline from your confirmation.
3. Choose your reminders: 7 days, 2 days, 1 day before, or on the day. You can pick more than one.
4. Save the confirmation PDF in the trip's documents, so the confirmation number is ready when you cancel.

With TripCache Pro, you can forward supported booking confirmations to your personal import address instead. The importer reads the free-cancellation deadline separately from other cancellation terms, and you review the details before saving.

TripCache is on the App Store and Google Play. For more on the workflow, see our hotel cancellation reminder guide, the free cancellation reminder guide for cars, tours and tickets, and the rental car cancellation reminder guide.

Frequently asked questions

Can you cancel hotel reservations?

Yes, most hotel reservations can be cancelled. On a refundable rate, cancelling before the deadline in your confirmation is usually free. After the deadline you will usually pay a fee, often one night plus tax. Prepaid or advance-purchase rates generally cannot be cancelled for a refund, though some hotels will move your dates if you ask.

How much is a hotel cancellation fee?

It depends on the hotel and rate, but one night's room and tax is the most common late cancellation fee. Marriott calls that typical, while Hilton says its fee varies by hotel. Deposit-based resorts keep the deposit, some packages charge a flat fee, and prepaid non-refundable rates keep the full amount.

What is a 24-hour hotel cancellation policy?

It usually means you can cancel for free until 24 hours before check-in, in the hotel's local time. It can also mean a free cancellation window for 24 hours after booking. California law requires that window for California properties booked at least 72 hours before check-in, but elsewhere it depends on the company.

What happens if I don't show up for a hotel reservation?

A no-show is usually treated at least as harshly as a late cancellation. Expect to pay the late cancellation fee, often the first night plus tax, and to lose any prepaid amount. Disneyland Resort, for example, says no-shows are non-refundable. If you are only arriving late, call the hotel so it holds the room.

Can I cancel a hotel reservation on the day of arrival?

Only if your rate allows it, and most do not. Many hotels set the deadline a day or more before arrival; Drury, for example, allows most cancellations until noon the day before. If your rate does allow same-day cancellation, the cut-off is a set time in the hotel's local time, so cancel well before it.

Is a hotel deposit refundable?

Usually, if you cancel before the deadline. A Disneyland Resort room-only deposit, for example, is refunded in full if you cancel at least 4 days before arrival and kept if you cancel later. Prepaid non-refundable rates are different: that money is the full price of the stay, not a deposit.

How long does a hotel refund take?

It varies by hotel and booking site. Hilton says refunds can take up to 30 days to process. California law requires refunds for cancellations in its 24-hour window to reach your original payment method within 30 days. If you booked through a travel site, the site usually issues the refund, so contact it first.

What does non-refundable mean on a hotel booking?

It means you pay in full when you book and get no money back if you cancel or change the stay. Hotels often sell these rates under names like Advance Purchase or Book Early and Save, usually at a discount. Choose one only if your dates are fixed and the saving is worth the risk.