GREENSBORO, N.C. — What happens if your summer trip is on the coast this weekend or next week? You made reservations. A bad beach day doesn’t get you your money back.
But let me start with the good news. If you’re looking at a refund on your reservation, the hotel is the most refundable part of most vacations.
“With hotels, the industry-standard now is a 48-hour cancelation notice but that can vary from hotel to hotel. Some will let you cancel or change your plans up to 24 hours before you arrive. Others require more time, “explained Marrie Dods of AAA.
Chances are if you cancel early, most hotel chains will refund your money unless you paid upfront for a discounted price or if the reservation was non-refundable.
What about if you go to the beach for your reservation and it's a total washout and you want to leave early? The hotel does not have to refund you. The only time a hotel has to refund you is if the electricity is out at the hotel, or the rooms are uninhabitable.
Vacation rentals, like beach houses, are different. You'll need to check your rental agreement. Most rentals address bad weather and storms.
The North Carolina Attorney General has an entire page dedicated to vacation rentals. On the site it says:
If you're ordered to evacuate and you were not given a chance to purchase insurance, the rental is required to refund your money for each night you cannot stay.
But if you were offered the insurance and turned it down, the rental owes you no money.