Canceling reservation tougher at Hilton, Marriott

Two of the world’s biggest hotel companies are cracking down on travelers prone to last-minute cancellations.

Hilton Hotels & Resorts and Marriott International will penalize people who cancel reservations within 48 hours of the planned stay, up from 24 hours. In most cases, the penalty is the price of one night’s room rental.

Hilton Hotels & Resorts announced plans to implement a 48-hour cancellation policy for all Hilton-managed hotels in the U.S. and Canada starting July 31. In Hilton franchised hotels that are managed by other companies, the local manager will decide whether to adopt the 48-hour policy.

Marriott International, the world’s largest hotel company, adopted a 48-hour cancellation policy starting with reservations made June 15. The Marriott policy applies to all hotels in the U.S., Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean.

“The revised policy allows us to make rooms available to guests that would have otherwise gone unoccupied due to a last-minute cancellation,” Marriott International said.

The change is meant to discourage guests who cancel hotel reservations shortly before their stay because they find a better rate while shopping online.