Hello Swisscheese!
I've done some digging through various travel pages, and it does
appear to be common for resorts to charge an actual deposit. Here are
a few examples of such deposit charges (some insisting on a 50%
deposit!):
"Reservations and Deposits– Reservations are accepted with a valid
credit card as a guarantee of deposit. A reservation deposit is
required within 7 days of making a reservation. Final payment is due
45 days prior to departure date. Final payment is due 60 days prior to
departure date for holiday periods.
[...]
Cancellations and Refunds– All reservations payments are
non-refundable unless ESSV can re-rent the same property for the same
period of time. Reservations that are re-rented are subject to a $50
cancellation fee. Holiday payments are non-refundable regardless of
re-rental. Reservations may be re-scheduled (Same property and number
of nights) up to 30 days prior to departure subject to a $25
re-scheduling fee. After departure any un-used portion of your
vacation is non-refundable."
Cabo San Lucas Travel
http://www.cabosanlucastravel.com/terms.asp
"Deposit and Cancellation Policy: A deposit of 50% of the total cost
of a trip is due within 7 days after booking. The remaining 50% of
the total cost of the trip is due 45 days or more prior to the
scheduled arrival date. A full refund will be given if a trip is
cancelled more than 45 days prior to the scheduled arrival date. No
refunds will be given for cancellations made less than 45 days prior
to the scheduled arrival date. Deposits and payments may be made by
US check, MasterCard, Visa or wire transfer. Contact us for
additional information on payment options. If foul weather (small
craft warnings) prevents transport to Ranguana on the scheduled
transport date, reasonable efforts will be made to reschedule the trip
to another date. No refunds will be made for cancellations due to
foul weather."
Destinations Belize
http://www.destinationsbelize.com/ranguana.htm
"Deposits/Refunds/Cancellations
Reservations for 1 to 2 cabins: Reservations are considered finalized
when your 35% deposit is received. Deposits will be refunded if a
cancellation is received 30 days prior to the reserved time, minus a
$35 administrative fee. In case of last minute cancellations, your
deposit will be refunded if your cabin can be rented to another party
at the same rate and length of stay as your canceled reservation. We
will do everything in our power to fill your cancelled reservation."
Pine Springs Resorts
http://www.pinespringsresort.com/rates.htm
"Deposit Policy: We require a $500.00 deposit on all reservations
within 14 days, with balance due upon arrival at Kenai Riverbend
Resort. Written notice of confirmation will be sent when deposit is
received.
Cancellation policy: A $100.00 cancellation fee is charged per person
for any cancellation. We require a written notice of cancellation.
For cancellations received less than 90 days prior to arrival, the
following cancellation charges will apply. 90-61 days cancellation
charge is 50% of the total cost. 60 days to the day of departure the
cancellation charge is 100% of the total cost. Non-appearance will
result in no refunds. No refunds on early departures and missed
trips. We recommend travel insurance!"
Kenai Riverbend Resort
http://www.kenairiverbend.com/winter.htm
My first step in researching your question was to see if I could find
Secret Harbor's web page. I did, and immediately went looking for
Reservations policies. Their online form, while not detailed, does
specifically state that a deposit will be charged for a reservation:
"If we cannot accommodate your request, we will notify you via fastest
method. Otherwise, your reservation request will be confirmed back via
mail or email or fax as you requested showing dollar amount we have
charged as deposit."
Secret Harbor Beach Resort and Villas - Reservations
https://secure.netsonic.net/vvi/st-thomas/shb-vi/book.html
I wasn't particularly satisfied with this lack of detail, so I called
the Secret Harbor Reservation line, and asked to speak with the
Reservations Manager:
1-800-524-2250
I asked the following questions:
"What is your standard deposit policy?"
-- The reservations manager quoted a policy of a three night deposit,
payable by check or credit card, upon confirmation of your
reservation.
"What is your standard cancellation policy?"
-- The reservations manager quoted a policy of 14 days advance notice
for winter, 7 days for summer, with special policies for Christmas and
the month of February (ostensibly because many people book "romantic
vacations" for Valentine's Day).
"If my clients arrive at your resort and are unhappy with their
accomodations or with the resort overall, is the deposit refundable?
They were told by a manager that if they didn't like the resort, they
could cancel."
-- The reservations manager stated that cancellations are only
accepted according to the cancellation policy. If you do not cancel
prior to your cancellation deadline, the deposit is not refundable.
She suggested you call back to speak with whichever manager you spoke
with before to clarify their policy.
I asked the reservations manager to fax or e-mail a copy of the
cancellation policy to me, which she did. The policy states:
"Three nights deposit is required upon confirmation. Payment is fully
refundable upon notification of cancellation at least 14 dayd
(Winter), 7 days (Summer), prior to arrival. Cancellation within the
cancellation period will forfeit the deposit. A 4 nights deposit
required, 30 days cancellation is required for Christmas, 21 days
cancellation for February."
I've exported the entire fax to .jpg format - you may doublecheck the
policy for yourself by downloading this .zip file:
http://www.darkfriends.net/princessmoo/extras/SecretHarbor.zip
The .zip file contains the entire 3 page fax sent by Secret Harbor.
My next step was to call a local travel agent for a bit more
information. She has asked that I do not disclose her name or travel
agency, however, as she is a personal acquaintance and was lending
assistance "off the clock".
The agent stated that it is indeed customary to charge anywhere from a
few nights stay, up to 75% of the total vacation cost as a deposit,
and that such deposits are typically NOT refundable once the
cancellation period has passed - it's not unheard of for resorts and
cruise lines to refuse to refund a deposit even if one of the persons
booked for a particular vacation has *died* prior to the vacation!
I also inquired after Travel Insurance. She told me that Travel
Insurance is useful for "emergency cancellations" or "unforseen
circumstances" - for example, you fall ill after the cancellation
period has passed or during your vacation, miss your flights, the
airline or resort goes bankrupt, or if you're involved in an accident
en route. Such insurance typically does not cover "customer
dissatisfaction" -if you leave the resort early for anything other
than an emergency, your travel insurance will not pay, and your
deposits and other payments are forfeited.
My contact suggested that if you are at all unsure about the resort
you have chosen, to call travel agents in your area for opinions about
the resort. She said that if you are still uneasy about the vacation,
you would be best served by cancelling within the prescribed
timeframe, and booking with another resort - keeping in mind that each
resort's policies for cancellation are different, and most resorts do
not give you the option of a refund if you don't like the resort once
you get there. She suggested that you get all policies in writing
*before* you book, to spare yourself any unpleasant surprises later.
I hope this information has been helpful to you. If I can be of
further assistance, please don't hesitate to ask for clarification.
I'll be glad to help.
--Missy
Search terms: [ Resort Vacations refunds cancellations ], and a few
phone calls |
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