Nearly 60% of respondents to a Business Travel Coalition poll say they would likely book away from Marriott International because of its new 48-hour cancellation policy.
The policy imposes a one room-night penalty for cancellations within 48 hours of check-in.
The BTC polled 216 travel manager and travel management company executive respondents from the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, Spain, Switzerland, UAE, Belgium, Bonaire, Serbia, Scotland and Germany.
The results indicate that Marriott may feel a dent in its business: 30% of respondents says they are weighing whether to restrict their travelers from using Marriott properties, and 68% said they will seek to negotiate an exception to the cancellation policy for their travelers.
But if the travel executives’ predictions are correct, they may end up with little leverage: 53% say they expect other hotel companies to follow Marriott’s lead.
The BTC says the new policy is particularly onerous for business travelers, since they are at the mercy of last-minute cancellations of client meetings and similar situations.
BTC describes itself as a small for-profit advocacy group. It has three levels of paid membership but does not publicly disclose its fees.
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Marriott tightens its cancellation policy for hotels in the Americas