Marriott Updates COVID-19 Cancellation Policy (March 30, 2020)

Marriott has updated coronavirus (COVID-19) reservation policies that waive all cancellation fees and refunds prepayments for all existing reservations with any arrival date if done 24 hours before the scheduled arrival or by June 30, 2020.

Reservations made between March 13 - June 30, 2020, for any arrival date, can also be canceled without penalties for up to 24 hours before the scheduled arrival. Marriott will also waive points expiration, and extends Suite Night Awards and certificates.

You can access Marriott's's page for COVID-19 here.

Here's the updated policy:

Our Cancellation Policy:

In response to changing marketplace conditions, Marriott International is committed to ensuring our customers experience flexibility during these challenging times.

For all Marriott International hotels world-wide, we are implementing the following policies:

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• For guests with existing reservations for any future arrival date, including reservations with pre-paid rates that are typically more restrictive, we will allow full changes or cancellation without a charge up to 24 hours prior to arrival,* as long as the change or cancellation is made by June 30, 2020. Please note that any changes to existing reservations will be subject to availability and any rate differences.
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• For guests making new reservations for any future arrival date, including reservations with pre-paid rates, between today and June 30, 2020, we will allow the reservation to be changed or cancelled at no charge up to 24 hours before your scheduled arrival date.* Please note that changes to the reservation will be subject to availability and any rate differences.

Guests who booked via online travel agents or other third-party travel professionals are advised to contact their booking provider for information on their policies.

*Important Information:

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• Some exclusions may apply. May exclude periods with special event restrictions or peak demand weeks. Please refer to the property's Rate Details for applicable terms or exceptions, if any, when booking or changing reservations.
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• Individual (transient) guestroom reservation refunds of any kind (e.g., cash or credit voucher) may take up to 90 days from the date of cancellation to be processed. The form and timing of refund may be subject to applicable laws where each hotel is located.
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• Design Hotels and Homes & Villas by Marriott International (HVMI) are excluded from this policy. HVMI-specific cancellation guidance is available here.
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• Marriott Vacations Worldwide (e.g., Marriott, Sheraton and Westin Vacation Ownership resorts) is included in this policy for transient reservations only. For owner occupancy reservations, please visit http://hub.vacationclub.com.
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• For individual reservations booked into a pre-existing group block, please refer to cancellation terms quoted at the time of reservation. For more information, please contact the group organizer or the hotel.
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• For group organizer questions on terms and conditions of group contracts, please contact the hotel.

It is unclear if hotels can decide what these "event restrictions" and "peak periods" are? Most of the events are canceled for the next few months.

Making all prepaid and noncancelable bookings done March 13 - June 30, 2020, cancelable is a sensible policy. Nobody would make reservations for travel late this year unless they can be sure that they can get out of them in a case someone gets sick or travel restrictions are still in place.

Marriott Bonvoy Extensions:

We are focused on how the coronavirus is impacting our Marriott Bonvoy Members and have made some important updates to our loyalty program to provide greater flexibility when planning future travel.

Specifically, we have paused points expiration until August 31, 2020 allowing Members ample time to redeem their points. In addition, we have extended the expiration of suite night awards (SNAs) with an expiration date of December 31, 2020 by one year to December 31, 2021. Lastly, Members who currently have an active Free Night Award (FNA) expiring in 2020 as part of their credit card benefit, annual choice benefit, promotions or travel package will be able to use it through January 31, 2021.

We understand that earning status for 2021 may also be on your mind. As the current situation is still evolving, it is too early for us to make any changes. We will keep you updated on all loyalty program changes through our Marriott Bonvoy member benefits website.

Points expiry is paused until August 31, 2020. The expiry date of Suite Night Awards (SNA's) is extended by a year from December 31, 2020, to December 31, 2021.

Free night awards (certificates essentially) that are expiring between now and January 31, 2021, are usable until January 31.

Hilton already announced a similar plan last week (read more here) and is also extending all member tiers by a year (read more here) even for those whose was about to expire yesterday.

Let's hope that Marriott Bonvoy comes up with a coherent status extension policy by the time the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic peak has been reached.