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| Help! I’m Owed a Refund, But the Hotel Owner Refuses to Budge | Help! I’m Owed a Refund, But the Hotel Owner Refuses to Budge |
| (8 days later) | |
| My wife and I were supposed to attend a wedding in Sonoma this spring, but the affair was obviously canceled. I canceled our Best Western reservation well before the 24 hours required by the company’s new coronavirus cancellation policy, but was told that the only option is to postpone our stay for a year — as if I jet-set out to wine country every year for a wedding (and besides, I’m more of a beer guy). I’ve been messaging back and forth with Best Western on Facebook; the customer-service people said the hitch lies with the hotel owner, who is refusing to issue the refund. What’s the point of flexible corporate cancellation policies if individual hotels aren’t required to adhere to them? George | My wife and I were supposed to attend a wedding in Sonoma this spring, but the affair was obviously canceled. I canceled our Best Western reservation well before the 24 hours required by the company’s new coronavirus cancellation policy, but was told that the only option is to postpone our stay for a year — as if I jet-set out to wine country every year for a wedding (and besides, I’m more of a beer guy). I’ve been messaging back and forth with Best Western on Facebook; the customer-service people said the hitch lies with the hotel owner, who is refusing to issue the refund. What’s the point of flexible corporate cancellation policies if individual hotels aren’t required to adhere to them? George |
| The pandemic has brought to light some nerdy issues about the travel industry — ones that most of us never needed to think about before. But here we are, wondering aloud about the oversight capabilities of hotel franchises, and what powers they can exert over their thousands of individual owners. | The pandemic has brought to light some nerdy issues about the travel industry — ones that most of us never needed to think about before. But here we are, wondering aloud about the oversight capabilities of hotel franchises, and what powers they can exert over their thousands of individual owners. |
| I got several emails about this topic. Nick, another reader, faced a nearly identical uphill battle while trying to cancel a June reservation at the Hilton Rome Airport. Hilton’s stated policies for refunds are flexible, yet the individual hotel owner refuses to budge. | I got several emails about this topic. Nick, another reader, faced a nearly identical uphill battle while trying to cancel a June reservation at the Hilton Rome Airport. Hilton’s stated policies for refunds are flexible, yet the individual hotel owner refuses to budge. |
| For starters, the answer is yes: Whenever a company like Best Western or Hilton announces a flexible corporate cancellation policy, it’s meant to apply to all branded hotels. But Best Western also states outright that a small percentage of individual owners may be eligible to deny refunds on a small percentage of bookings. And that’s what happened here. | For starters, the answer is yes: Whenever a company like Best Western or Hilton announces a flexible corporate cancellation policy, it’s meant to apply to all branded hotels. But Best Western also states outright that a small percentage of individual owners may be eligible to deny refunds on a small percentage of bookings. And that’s what happened here. |
| A spokeswoman for Best Western said in a statement that “During the COVID-19 pandemic, Best Western Hotels & Resorts has offered a flexible cancellation policy to its valued guests. This policy includes that ‘a more restrictive cancellation policy may apply to a limited number of high-demand dates at individual hotels,’ which was applicable to this guest’s reservation.” | A spokeswoman for Best Western said in a statement that “During the COVID-19 pandemic, Best Western Hotels & Resorts has offered a flexible cancellation policy to its valued guests. This policy includes that ‘a more restrictive cancellation policy may apply to a limited number of high-demand dates at individual hotels,’ which was applicable to this guest’s reservation.” |
| After reaching out to Hilton, I learned that Nick got trapped by an even more peculiar loophole — a bizarre wrench in the pandemic’s ever-expanding toolbox of bizarre wrenches. On March 17, Italy passed the “Cura Italia” decree, a relief measure meant to offset the economic toll of the pandemic in one of the hardest-hit countries. The new law gave hotel owners in Italy the option to make the call on whether to issue refunds or vouchers. | After reaching out to Hilton, I learned that Nick got trapped by an even more peculiar loophole — a bizarre wrench in the pandemic’s ever-expanding toolbox of bizarre wrenches. On March 17, Italy passed the “Cura Italia” decree, a relief measure meant to offset the economic toll of the pandemic in one of the hardest-hit countries. The new law gave hotel owners in Italy the option to make the call on whether to issue refunds or vouchers. |
| As I’ve reported before, cash-strapped travel companies have numerous reasons for retaining non-refundable payments in the age of the coronavirus, and it’s also not hard to understand why the owner of hotel in Italy — at an airport, no less — would choose that option, especially when expressly given the greenlight by the Italian government. Another reader bemoaned a similar issue, also with an Italian hotel. “Why is an American who never set foot on Italian soil subject to a new Italian decree?” she wondered. | As I’ve reported before, cash-strapped travel companies have numerous reasons for retaining non-refundable payments in the age of the coronavirus, and it’s also not hard to understand why the owner of hotel in Italy — at an airport, no less — would choose that option, especially when expressly given the greenlight by the Italian government. Another reader bemoaned a similar issue, also with an Italian hotel. “Why is an American who never set foot on Italian soil subject to a new Italian decree?” she wondered. |
| In general, though, hotels have generally been better about Covid-related cash refunds than airlines, tour operators and cruise lines. In mid-March, as the world started shutting down, every major hotel company announced newly flexible cancellation terms, even for “non-refundable” or “advance purchase” reservations. And even now, as we move into summer, hotel policies remain pretty flexible. Hilton, for example, allows guests to cancel any reservation booked through August without penalty, so long as it’s done so at least 24 hours before the arrival date. It’s a strategic move meant to get people to take a leap, plan travel, book trips. | In general, though, hotels have generally been better about Covid-related cash refunds than airlines, tour operators and cruise lines. In mid-March, as the world started shutting down, every major hotel company announced newly flexible cancellation terms, even for “non-refundable” or “advance purchase” reservations. And even now, as we move into summer, hotel policies remain pretty flexible. Hilton, for example, allows guests to cancel any reservation booked through August without penalty, so long as it’s done so at least 24 hours before the arrival date. It’s a strategic move meant to get people to take a leap, plan travel, book trips. |
| Hilton’s communications department has worked its magic — a spokeswoman for the brand has confirmed that Nick’s refund is in process. And in a followup email, you told me that Best Western’s Facebook customer-service team has offered you a gift card, which, unlike a rebooked stay, can be used at any of the company’s hotels. | Hilton’s communications department has worked its magic — a spokeswoman for the brand has confirmed that Nick’s refund is in process. And in a followup email, you told me that Best Western’s Facebook customer-service team has offered you a gift card, which, unlike a rebooked stay, can be used at any of the company’s hotels. |
| Updated July 7, 2020 | |
| The coronavirus can stay aloft for hours in tiny droplets in stagnant air, infecting people as they inhale, mounting scientific evidence suggests. This risk is highest in crowded indoor spaces with poor ventilation, and may help explain super-spreading events reported in meatpacking plants, churches and restaurants. It’s unclear how often the virus is spread via these tiny droplets, or aerosols, compared with larger droplets that are expelled when a sick person coughs or sneezes, or transmitted through contact with contaminated surfaces, said Linsey Marr, an aerosol expert at Virginia Tech. Aerosols are released even when a person without symptoms exhales, talks or sings, according to Dr. Marr and more than 200 other experts, who have outlined the evidence in an open letter to the World Health Organization. | |
| Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days. | |
| Scientists around the country have tried to identify everyday materials that do a good job of filtering microscopic particles. In recent tests, HEPA furnace filters scored high, as did vacuum cleaner bags, fabric similar to flannel pajamas and those of 600-count pillowcases. Other materials tested included layered coffee filters and scarves and bandannas. These scored lower, but still captured a small percentage of particles. | |
| A commentary published this month on the website of the British Journal of Sports Medicine points out that covering your face during exercise “comes with issues of potential breathing restriction and discomfort” and requires “balancing benefits versus possible adverse events.” Masks do alter exercise, says Cedric X. Bryant, the president and chief science officer of the American Council on Exercise, a nonprofit organization that funds exercise research and certifies fitness professionals. “In my personal experience,” he says, “heart rates are higher at the same relative intensity when you wear a mask.” Some people also could experience lightheadedness during familiar workouts while masked, says Len Kravitz, a professor of exercise science at the University of New Mexico. | |
| The steroid, dexamethasone, is the first treatment shown to reduce mortality in severely ill patients, according to scientists in Britain. The drug appears to reduce inflammation caused by the immune system, protecting the tissues. In the study, dexamethasone reduced deaths of patients on ventilators by one-third, and deaths of patients on oxygen by one-fifth. | |
| The coronavirus emergency relief package gives many American workers paid leave if they need to take time off because of the virus. It gives qualified workers two weeks of paid sick leave if they are ill, quarantined or seeking diagnosis or preventive care for coronavirus, or if they are caring for sick family members. It gives 12 weeks of paid leave to people caring for children whose schools are closed or whose child care provider is unavailable because of the coronavirus. It is the first time the United States has had widespread federally mandated paid leave, and includes people who don’t typically get such benefits, like part-time and gig economy workers. But the measure excludes at least half of private-sector workers, including those at the country’s largest employers, and gives small employers significant leeway to deny leave. | |
| So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement. | |
| Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks. | |
| A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study. | |
| If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.) | |
| If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others. | |
| I realize it’s not quite the same as a cash refund, but amid an era when planning (and canceling) travel feels especially difficult and impersonal, measures like these can feel like a welcome human touch. Whatever you’re drinking — be it beer or wine — I’ll say cheers to that. | I realize it’s not quite the same as a cash refund, but amid an era when planning (and canceling) travel feels especially difficult and impersonal, measures like these can feel like a welcome human touch. Whatever you’re drinking — be it beer or wine — I’ll say cheers to that. |
| The May 25 edition of Tripped Up, about widespread refund issues with a Boston-based tour operator, drew hundreds of reader responses. One, from a woman named Lisa, stuck with me: “I love to travel and am very aware that many travel services companies are fighting for their lives,” she wrote. “But as a customer, I am increasingly concerned about shouldering the bankruptcy risk of the tour operator. If they go bankrupt, those vouchers are worthless. It’s a real dilemma, how to be supportive of travel companies yet not end up losing thousands.” | The May 25 edition of Tripped Up, about widespread refund issues with a Boston-based tour operator, drew hundreds of reader responses. One, from a woman named Lisa, stuck with me: “I love to travel and am very aware that many travel services companies are fighting for their lives,” she wrote. “But as a customer, I am increasingly concerned about shouldering the bankruptcy risk of the tour operator. If they go bankrupt, those vouchers are worthless. It’s a real dilemma, how to be supportive of travel companies yet not end up losing thousands.” |
| Sarah Firshein is a Brooklyn-based writer. If you need advice about a best-laid travel plan that went awry, send an email to travel@nytimes.com. | Sarah Firshein is a Brooklyn-based writer. If you need advice about a best-laid travel plan that went awry, send an email to travel@nytimes.com. |
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