How to cancel your accommodation booking?

Flight cancellation, illness, lockdown... There are many reasons why you may have to cancel your accommodation reservation. Cancellation is always possible, but it does not mean that you will be automatically refunded. In the absence of a European regulation harmonising the rules in the accommodation sector, the conditions for reimbursement depend on your reservation. And if you have booked your accommodation via an online platform, it is best to know who to ask.

Cancelling your booking: under what conditions?

If you book a hotel or holiday rental on the Internet, you do not have the 14-day cancellation period. Your reservation is therefore firm and definitive.

If you wish to cancel, check the conditions of your booking.

There are no harmonised rules in this sector. Your right to a refund depends on your booking.

Read your rental agreement or the hotel's terms and conditions to check whether your booking is changeable, cancellable and refundable until you arrive or whether you may be charged a fee.

Cancellations due to coronavirus, strikes…: your rights as travelers.

Who do I contact if I have a problem?

Who you contact depends on the type of problem you encounter and how you booked.

  • Booking directly with the hotel or the owner of the accommodation

If you have a problem with your accommodation (room with a view of the car park and not the sea, missing towels, noise, etc.) booked directly with the hotel or owner, contact the hotel or owner of the accommodation and try to find an amicable solution (price reduction, compensation, etc.).

Be careful! If you rent from a private individual who only occasionally rents out his or her accommodation, you do not have the same rights because consumer law does not apply. And ECC France will not be able to help you in the event of a problem with a private individual, even if they are established in another European country.

  • Booking via a platform

If the accommodation does not correspond to the advertisement, take photos of the anomalies found (swimming pool out of order, disorder, missing or damaged objects, missing equipment, etc.) and contact the platform's customer service department as well as the hotelier or owner. As an intermediary, the platform may be able to assist you in your dealings with the hotelier or owner of the accommodation.

If the problem concerns the booking itself (price to be paid different from the one announced, wrong date of stay, payment method not accepted...), the platform is directly responsible. Contact them.

If the problem concerns the accommodation or hotel room during the stay (theft, additional costs, etc.), contact the hotelier or owner.

In the event of a persistent dispute with an owner, hotelier or platform established in another Member State of the European Union, the United Kingdom, Iceland or Norway, contact the ECC of your residence country.

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Innovation Council and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Executive Agency (EISMEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.