Read the fine print – Hotel tip

When making reservations for a hotel stay, don’t assume all booking companies (i.e., Expedia vs. Travelocity) are created equal.

If you book a hotel one month with one agency and then book the same hotel again the next month with a different agency, don’t assume the terms and conditions for refunds or changes will be the same. Oftentimes, cancellation fees and refund policies differ from company to company.

Always verify any important conditions such as deposits, refunds, service fees, and fees for changing a reservation. This will ensure that when you do travel, your hotel stay will be smooth and you will limit the unexpected surprises that could possibly ruin your stay.

Elliott reads the fine print for you

Does anyone ever read the fine print when purchasing airfare or booking a hotel room? I’ll be honest — I never do. But Christopher Elliott and his band of smart consumers do, and he wrote a quick piece on “5 travel traps lurking in the fine print.” They are,

  1. Caution: our ships may sink
  2. We’re not responsible for your checked luggage
  3. Something stolen from your room? Tough luck
  4. We can take your rental car back anytime we want
  5. We remove your miles and change our program rules whenever we please

Not that any of this will actually get me to read the fine print, but I now peacefully accept that most major companies who require me to sign a contract can rip me off, steal my belongings, and even kill me without an ounce of responsibility. Surprise, surprise. It’s a sad realization in a world of lawyers and people who will do anything and everything to sue.

Head over to Elliott’s blog to read the details.