The travel plans of people can change all of a sudden. It might be an accident, family issues, cancellation of flights, work commitment or any other reason that prevents a person from his or her travel. Sometimes it becomes extremely irritating for the traveler when the hotel room that was booked by him or her turns out to be non-refundable.
For years, many travelers simply accepted this loss. They cancelled the trip, contacted the hotel, and hoped for an exception. Sometimes a hotel may offer a date change or credit, but this is not always possible. Today, however, travelers may have another option. If their reservation is eligible for transfer under the applicable booking and hotel rules, they may be able to sell non-refundable hotel booking to another traveler who can use it.
This creates a practical alternative to letting an expensive hotel room sit empty.
The Problem With Non-Refundable Hotel Reservations
The other type of fare is the non-refundable fare. People prefer the non-refundable fares as they tend to be cheaper for the travelers compared to the flexible fares.
This kind of deal seems quite sensible at the time the trip is booked since one never thinks that something urgent will crop up a week or month later.
Then life happens.
A traveler may suddenly become unable to travel because of:
- A medical emergency
- An unexpected family situation
- A cancelled or significantly disrupted flight
- A work-related emergency
- Severe weather affecting travel plans
- Changes to visa or travel documentation
- Other unavoidable personal circumstances
It means that the amount of money spent on it will be very significant. The problem becomes even more acute when speaking about long-term stays, trips abroad, resort bookings, or those done during peak travel season.
The customer has paid for the room, but it remains vacant.
What Should You Do When You Can No Longer Use Your Hotel Room?
First of all, you should stay calm and consider the details of your reservation. Though it might be a non-refundable booking, there should be some things about which you should know.
Find out if you are able to change anything, whether you are allowed to move the dates, or whether the hotel will give you some credit. In addition, you can contact the hotel or booking service and find out what you can do.
However, it does not mean that you will get any exception. Non-refundable policies can be strict and even emergency situations cannot make you get the money back.
This is when a different solution offered by the secondary travel marketplace approach appears.
Not paying attention to cancellation, try to find out if it is possible to legally transfer or sell your reservation.
Why Selling an Unused Reservation Can Make Sense
What if you had paid hundreds or even thousands of dollars for your hotel room only to find out that you could not use it?
Full refunds may not always be possible. Date changes may not help. Travel insurance may not include the specific circumstances that led to cancelation.
Without other options, everything might be lost.
However, resale is an alternative. Instead of watching a potential valuable hotel booking disappear, the original person booking the room could have an opportunity to link up with a different traveler who is searching for accommodation during those same dates.
The second traveler will benefit from getting access to an interesting hotel choice while the first traveler could recoup some of his/her losses.
Such a system can be beneficial to both parties.
A New Way to Sell Non-Refundable Hotel Booking Reservations
The basic concept of the secondary market for travel is very simple, since it involves connecting two parties – those that have an eligible booking but cannot use it anymore and those that need accommodation.
As is obvious, there are many aspects that affect the eligibility of a hotel booking to be transferred, including policies of the hotel, booking provider, the condition of the room itself, and other factors. It is important to read the terms and conditions to understand whether a particular booking can be transferred or changed.
For eligible reservations, there could be created an online marketplace where one can look for buyers.
In place of publicly posting a reservation information on an online forum or using social networks to try arranging the deal with a stranger, travelers could use a specialized platform for traveling resale.
Why Security Matters When Reselling Travel Reservations
Information related to travel bookings is highly sensitive and contains data such as booking number, the name of the guest, hotel data, traveling dates, and information on payments.
Because of this, disclosing travel booking information in the wrong context can present unnecessary hazards.
If one tries to get money back from their unused booking, he should not reveal any sensitive information before getting an idea of the process and making sure the reservation is real and the transfer will be made according to the necessary criteria.
A safe online platform can be used to address this problem and provide a proper environment for both the seller and the buyer.
It is important not only to find a person who would like to make a purchase. The transaction process should also take into consideration reservation eligibility, correctness of booking information, payment safety, and all processes related to the transfer of the booking.
This can be extremely useful when two people do not know each other.
How an Emergency Does Not Have to Mean Losing Everything
Emergencies are unpredictable. It is impossible to plan a trip thinking that you will become ill or that something will happen in your family to keep you from traveling.
However, it does happen all the time.
In such cases, the feeling that you booked accommodation without refund could turn into one more headache. You would not only have problems associated with the emergency itself but also with money spent on accommodation.
The ability to resell your booking offers another solution to the problem.
Instead of thinking solely, “Do I have any chance to get my money back?,” you can think, “Is there a way for somebody else to use this booking?”
If it is possible, the booking will become attractive to other travelers. In such a case, you will have an option to receive at least part of the money for your booking while giving it to other people who need it.
Benefits for Travelers Looking for Hotel Deals
Resale model benefits those who would like to sell, but it also helps travelers looking to purchase something.
A buyer can take advantage of an opportunity to use a reservation that another traveler cannot anymore. A person searching for accommodation will come across one that will suit their travel destination and period without another traveler losing the total cost of the reservation made by him or her.
This is a way how reservations already exist in the industry could be used efficiently.
Not all travelers who face an emergency need to waste their reservation. If it can be transferred to someone else, then other travelers’ plans could help here.
Therefore, secondary marketplaces become a very interesting concept in the whole travel industry.
Important Steps Before Listing a Reservation
However, there are some tips one should follow before trying to resell a hotel booking.
First of all, it is necessary to check out all the details related to the booking conditions. It is important to find out whether it is possible to change the guest’s name and whether other conditions for reselling exist.
Secondly, one can ask the hotel or the service whether there is a possibility of transferring the reservation for another guest. Additional information about the procedure must be found out as well.
Thirdly, it is crucial not to guarantee anything without confirmation. One has to know all the details first.
Fourthly, it is necessary to use such an approach that guarantees a safe transaction process for both sides.
Don’t Assume a Non-Refundable Booking Has No Value
A non-refundable reservation does not always imply that the reservation itself has no residual value if not used.
The term “non-refundable” generally relates to the rules of the reservation cancellation process between the traveler and the original booking company. The term does not automatically solve all questions regarding the eligibility of such reservation for transferring it to another person.
People experiencing some kind of emergency need to consider all possible solutions for themselves. They can contact the hotel, look into their insurance policy, research date changes, and check if the reservation itself is eligible for transferring.
In case resale is allowed, then the secondary market can offer a chance to find another traveler on the Internet.
A Smarter Alternative When Plans Suddenly Change
No matter how well one plans their trip, there is always going to be something that might go wrong and disrupt it.
For people who made refundable bookings, it will not be too difficult to cancel their trips. However, those with non-refundable bookings will be left in a much worse financial position.
Fortunately, it does not necessarily mean having to forfeit the entire cost of a booking. There is a chance that the reservation can be transferred or sold at an online auction provided that the traveler takes the time to look into transfer policies and ways to sell eligible reservations securely.
The occurrence of an unexpected situation can make travel plans go haywire. However, it does not automatically mean that the entire cost of a hotel reservation will be lost.
In case there is an issue with traveling, it will be necessary to explore all available options. One of them might be selling the reservation in question on an online auction site.
