Hyatt tightens cancellation policy

Hyatt on Jan. 1 will tighten its cancellation policy for all but its most frequent guests, requiring them to give 48 hours' notice to avoid a fee.

Hyatt will keep the no-fee cancellation requirement at 24 hours for its World of Hyatt Explorist and Globalist members only.

The revised policy "allows hotels to manage guestroom availability more effectively, including offering rooms and upgrades to rooms that would have otherwise gone unoccupied," Hyatt said.

Other hotel companies have tightened policies already. Marriott International last spring began requiring 48 hours' notice. This summer, Hilton extended its no-fee cancellation requirement to 48 hours from 24 hours, and went a 72-hour deadline in a number of U.S. markets.

This summer, IHG standardized its cancellation policy, requiring 24 hours' notice across most of its brands in the U.S. and Europe, while retaining a 48-hour cancellation policy for Kimpton.