Cancellations
Q: How Do I Process a Cancellation?
A: In addition to being able to cancel from your website, a "cancellation link" is also included on the customer's guest receipt which allows the customer to cancel online at their convenience. For cancellations made online a note will display in the ARN customer service application showing “XML API Cancellation”. When cancellations are processed through the system the cancellation number is provided by the supplier and is immediately canceled at the property level. A cancellation number is shown online to the guest when canceling and a cancellation email is also sent to the customer for their records.
Cancellation Errors
Q: I received an error message when canceling the reservation. How can I cancel the reservation outside the customer service application?
A: Since the cancellation failed when attempting to process through our system you will need to contact the supplier directly and cancel manually. Contact Alliance if the supplier is Tourico Holidays (Supply 5, 7), Miki Travel (Supply 31), GDS Net Rates (Supply 3), ARN Net Rates (Supply 1).
If the supplier is Expedia/Hotels.com (Supply 30) contact Expedia, Get A Room (Supply 32) contact Get A Room, GDS Commissionable (Supply 2, 4) contact the hotel or chain.
PLEASE NOTE: Due to the Alliance GDS provider switchover on 4/10/13 any GDS supplier 4 or 2 reservation booked prior to 4/10/13 cannot be canceled through the system, you will receive an error. Those cancellations have to be made by calling or emailing the property or chain directly. You can then manually update the reservation status in the customer service application by using the "update res status" link. All GDS supplier 4 or 2 reservations made after 4/11/2012 will cancel electronically through the customer service application.
Late Cancellation
Q: Guest missed check in and called after the fact for assistance to cancel and get out of a penalty. How can the guest get refunded for the reservation or avoid a no-show penalty?
A: For an early check out issue your team would coordinate with the supplier to see if a late cancel penalty can be avoided.
Contact Alliance with property documentation if exception to policy is allowed for reservations booked from suppliers, Tourico Holidays (Supply 5, 7), Miki Travel (Supply 31), GDS Net Rates (Supply 3), ARN Net Rates (Supply 1)
If the supplier is Expedia/Hotels.com (Supply 30) contact Expedia, Get A Room (Supply 32) contact Get A Room, GDS Commissionable (Supply 4, 2) contact the hotel or chain.
Guest Overcharged at Hotel
Q: Guest Had to Pay More to Hotel for Extra Persons in Room, What do I Tell the Guest?
A: We understand that the guest may have selected 4 adults for their search inquiry, however all rates are based on double occupancy on our websites so guests are always informed rates are for one or two persons. The extra person charges are listed online for the guest to view when they make their reservation and included on their Guest Receipt. Number of guests is not included on the Guest Receipt since we do not know if the rate booked would be valid for all guests. We are a switch pulling rates from multiple suppliers and since not all vendors support extra person fees we must go off of the base rates which is universally one or two guests in room. We are sorry for this inconvenience and we wish all suppliers would provide us this information so we could more accurately quote the total rate for all guest in the room.
Every available room type will always display; the booking engine does not have the ability to remove room types based on the number of guests searched per room so the customer assumes the responsibility to book a room that will accommodate the number of guests traveling.
Unfortunately if the property requires extra payment for additional guests then the guest is responsible to settle payment with the property directly.
Hotel Reservation System Error Message
Q: I tried to book online and received an error that said the hotels reservation system was unavailable but the rate is still showing. How can I book this room?
Answer A: Each booking request is a real time call to book the reservation based on the search results returned from the room supplier who provided the rate. The error that you received for these attempts does mean that the rate is just no longer available from the supplier. Since the rate supplier won’t confirm your booking request they shouldn't give you the option to book and show that the rate plan is available. It’s an issue we are constantly trying to minimize however we can. We work very hard to ensure the rates we display are actually available when guests are searching and we do remove any rates that fail after the first attempt when the system allows us to but ultimately the rates displayed to us are out of our control. In these situations we suggest offering the guest another rate or property location.
Answer B: All of the room availability and rates listed online are provided and confirmed by each inventory source that we are pulling the rate supply from. As a technology provider, we search various vendors for availability and show that availability on our partner’s sites. All reservation requests are sent to the room supplier real time at the point of booking. Reservations are not successfully confirmed until a confirmation number is provided by the supplier to the customer. There are occurrences where the rate availability listed online becomes sold out by the time the reservation request is sent to the supplier. A detailed message that is specific to the issue is displayed online for any failed reservation attempt that you may receive. Unfortunately when a rate plan has become sold out it is no longer accessible to us or the rate supplier. In the event that a rate plan becomes no longer available we suggest offering you an alternate location that would suit your needs.
Additional Guest Charge
Q: Why was I charged for additional guests?
A: All rates through our reservation portal are all based on single or double occupancy.
We are a switch pulling rates from multiple suppliers and since not all vendors support extra person fees we must go off of the base rates which is universally one or two guests. In other terms: some vendors do not adjust their rates based on the number of guests inserted into the search criteria on the search form; therefore we are required to list all available room types regardless of the number of persons occupying a room and alert all customers upfront that the room rates are based on single or double occupancy, unless information is otherwise stated in the room description. It is the customer’s responsibility to settle payment with the property for any additional guest charges required. Number of guests is not included on the Guest Receipt or Check in Voucher as we do not know if the rate booked is valid for all guests. (Unless otherwise stated in the booked reservations room description)
Room Types Displayed
Q: Why do all room types available display when searching rates?
A: The booking engine does not have the ability to remove room types based on the number of guests searched per room so the customer assumes the responsibility to book a room that will accommodate the number of guests traveling. It is the customer’s responsibility to settle payment with the property for any additional guest charges required.
Room Details Different Than Guest Receipt
Q: Reserved room details online don’t match Guest Receipt information.
A: The information on the customers Guest Receipt is transferred from what the guest saw when they were entering their personal information online and will never differ.
Reservations Highlighted in Red in the Customer Service Application
Q: We Did Not Cancel This Reservation, Why is it Highlighted in Red in Customer Service?
A: Commission information from our accounting department flows downstream into the customer service application. In a case where the property marked the reservation as a no show and denied commission the reservation status was automatically updated to canceled in the customer service application. Reservations set at canceled status will display in “Red” on the customer service search page. If the reservation status is manually updated at any time then the customer service notes will show the action log.
Exceptions / Special Circumstances
Q: Are there any exceptions to the cancellation policies on pre-paid bookings?
A: Exceptions to the cancel policy for ARN merchant rates will only be permitted due to these conditions. As always, cancellation exceptions are not guaranteed and refunds are at the discretion of the property and or room rate supplier and therefore approval from the room rate supplier must be obtained before our final decision to credit customer funds can be made.
1. Cancel and rebook situations.
Example. Guest requests to cancel a non refundable booking to move dates would be allowed if a property or supplier is willing to assist either moving dates or gives the option to cancel with no penalty to allow a rebooking.
(The guest should make the first attempt to receive property approval and documentation)
2. Known weather related conditions forcing cancellation.
(Guest should make the first attempt to receive property approval and documentation)
3. Guest has been given prior authorization to cancel by the room rate supplier or property.
(Guest needs to provide property approval and documentation)
4. When partial booking requests are fulfilled. Example; Guest requests to book multiple rooms and not all rooms confirm forcing guest cancellation.
(Guests are guaranteed refunds in these situations so involve ARN customer service for the cancel process)
5. Health issues and family emergency's are a common reason for cancellations. In those situations we can not guarantee any credits but inform the guest that they need the property authorization and that they will need to supply us documents for case file for any request to be submitted.
-Affiliate is required to gather necessary documentation to provide ARN for credit requests.
-Guests are charged a service recovery fee for canceled nights not rebooked. (#4 is the only exception to this rule)
-As always, cancellation exceptions are not guaranteed and refunds are at the discretion of the property and or room rate supplier and therefore approval from the room rate supplier must be obtained before our final decision to credit customer funds is made.
-Besides #4 where its obvious that the guest would be fully refunded, no other exemptions for a full refund can be offered without ARN managerial authorization.
Q: How Do I Process a Cancellation?
A: In addition to being able to cancel from your website, a "cancellation link" is also included on the customer's guest receipt which allows the customer to cancel online at their convenience. For cancellations made online a note will display in the ARN customer service application showing “XML API Cancellation”. When cancellations are processed through the system the cancellation number is provided by the supplier and is immediately canceled at the property level. A cancellation number is shown online to the guest when canceling and a cancellation email is also sent to the customer for their records.
Cancellation Errors
Q: I received an error message when canceling the reservation. How can I cancel the reservation outside the customer service application?
A: Since the cancellation failed when attempting to process through our system you will need to contact the supplier directly and cancel manually. Contact Alliance if the supplier is Tourico Holidays (Supply 5, 7), Miki Travel (Supply 31), GDS Net Rates (Supply 3), ARN Net Rates (Supply 1).
If the supplier is Expedia/Hotels.com (Supply 30) contact Expedia, Get A Room (Supply 32) contact Get A Room, GDS Commissionable (Supply 2, 4) contact the hotel or chain.
PLEASE NOTE: Due to the Alliance GDS provider switchover on 4/10/13 any GDS supplier 4 or 2 reservation booked prior to 4/10/13 cannot be canceled through the system, you will receive an error. Those cancellations have to be made by calling or emailing the property or chain directly. You can then manually update the reservation status in the customer service application by using the "update res status" link. All GDS supplier 4 or 2 reservations made after 4/11/2012 will cancel electronically through the customer service application.
Late Cancellation
Q: Guest missed check in and called after the fact for assistance to cancel and get out of a penalty. How can the guest get refunded for the reservation or avoid a no-show penalty?
A: For an early check out issue your team would coordinate with the supplier to see if a late cancel penalty can be avoided.
Contact Alliance with property documentation if exception to policy is allowed for reservations booked from suppliers, Tourico Holidays (Supply 5, 7), Miki Travel (Supply 31), GDS Net Rates (Supply 3), ARN Net Rates (Supply 1)
If the supplier is Expedia/Hotels.com (Supply 30) contact Expedia, Get A Room (Supply 32) contact Get A Room, GDS Commissionable (Supply 4, 2) contact the hotel or chain.
Guest Overcharged at Hotel
Q: Guest Had to Pay More to Hotel for Extra Persons in Room, What do I Tell the Guest?
A: We understand that the guest may have selected 4 adults for their search inquiry, however all rates are based on double occupancy on our websites so guests are always informed rates are for one or two persons. The extra person charges are listed online for the guest to view when they make their reservation and included on their Guest Receipt. Number of guests is not included on the Guest Receipt since we do not know if the rate booked would be valid for all guests. We are a switch pulling rates from multiple suppliers and since not all vendors support extra person fees we must go off of the base rates which is universally one or two guests in room. We are sorry for this inconvenience and we wish all suppliers would provide us this information so we could more accurately quote the total rate for all guest in the room.
Every available room type will always display; the booking engine does not have the ability to remove room types based on the number of guests searched per room so the customer assumes the responsibility to book a room that will accommodate the number of guests traveling.
Unfortunately if the property requires extra payment for additional guests then the guest is responsible to settle payment with the property directly.
Hotel Reservation System Error Message
Q: I tried to book online and received an error that said the hotels reservation system was unavailable but the rate is still showing. How can I book this room?
Answer A: Each booking request is a real time call to book the reservation based on the search results returned from the room supplier who provided the rate. The error that you received for these attempts does mean that the rate is just no longer available from the supplier. Since the rate supplier won’t confirm your booking request they shouldn't give you the option to book and show that the rate plan is available. It’s an issue we are constantly trying to minimize however we can. We work very hard to ensure the rates we display are actually available when guests are searching and we do remove any rates that fail after the first attempt when the system allows us to but ultimately the rates displayed to us are out of our control. In these situations we suggest offering the guest another rate or property location.
Answer B: All of the room availability and rates listed online are provided and confirmed by each inventory source that we are pulling the rate supply from. As a technology provider, we search various vendors for availability and show that availability on our partner’s sites. All reservation requests are sent to the room supplier real time at the point of booking. Reservations are not successfully confirmed until a confirmation number is provided by the supplier to the customer. There are occurrences where the rate availability listed online becomes sold out by the time the reservation request is sent to the supplier. A detailed message that is specific to the issue is displayed online for any failed reservation attempt that you may receive. Unfortunately when a rate plan has become sold out it is no longer accessible to us or the rate supplier. In the event that a rate plan becomes no longer available we suggest offering you an alternate location that would suit your needs.
Additional Guest Charge
Q: Why was I charged for additional guests?
A: All rates through our reservation portal are all based on single or double occupancy.
We are a switch pulling rates from multiple suppliers and since not all vendors support extra person fees we must go off of the base rates which is universally one or two guests. In other terms: some vendors do not adjust their rates based on the number of guests inserted into the search criteria on the search form; therefore we are required to list all available room types regardless of the number of persons occupying a room and alert all customers upfront that the room rates are based on single or double occupancy, unless information is otherwise stated in the room description. It is the customer’s responsibility to settle payment with the property for any additional guest charges required. Number of guests is not included on the Guest Receipt or Check in Voucher as we do not know if the rate booked is valid for all guests. (Unless otherwise stated in the booked reservations room description)
Room Types Displayed
Q: Why do all room types available display when searching rates?
A: The booking engine does not have the ability to remove room types based on the number of guests searched per room so the customer assumes the responsibility to book a room that will accommodate the number of guests traveling. It is the customer’s responsibility to settle payment with the property for any additional guest charges required.
Room Details Different Than Guest Receipt
Q: Reserved room details online don’t match Guest Receipt information.
A: The information on the customers Guest Receipt is transferred from what the guest saw when they were entering their personal information online and will never differ.
Reservations Highlighted in Red in the Customer Service Application
Q: We Did Not Cancel This Reservation, Why is it Highlighted in Red in Customer Service?
A: Commission information from our accounting department flows downstream into the customer service application. In a case where the property marked the reservation as a no show and denied commission the reservation status was automatically updated to canceled in the customer service application. Reservations set at canceled status will display in “Red” on the customer service search page. If the reservation status is manually updated at any time then the customer service notes will show the action log.
Exceptions / Special Circumstances
Q: Are there any exceptions to the cancellation policies on pre-paid bookings?
A: Exceptions to the cancel policy for ARN merchant rates will only be permitted due to these conditions. As always, cancellation exceptions are not guaranteed and refunds are at the discretion of the property and or room rate supplier and therefore approval from the room rate supplier must be obtained before our final decision to credit customer funds can be made.
1. Cancel and rebook situations.
Example. Guest requests to cancel a non refundable booking to move dates would be allowed if a property or supplier is willing to assist either moving dates or gives the option to cancel with no penalty to allow a rebooking.
(The guest should make the first attempt to receive property approval and documentation)
2. Known weather related conditions forcing cancellation.
(Guest should make the first attempt to receive property approval and documentation)
3. Guest has been given prior authorization to cancel by the room rate supplier or property.
(Guest needs to provide property approval and documentation)
4. When partial booking requests are fulfilled. Example; Guest requests to book multiple rooms and not all rooms confirm forcing guest cancellation.
(Guests are guaranteed refunds in these situations so involve ARN customer service for the cancel process)
5. Health issues and family emergency's are a common reason for cancellations. In those situations we can not guarantee any credits but inform the guest that they need the property authorization and that they will need to supply us documents for case file for any request to be submitted.
-Affiliate is required to gather necessary documentation to provide ARN for credit requests.
-Guests are charged a service recovery fee for canceled nights not rebooked. (#4 is the only exception to this rule)
-As always, cancellation exceptions are not guaranteed and refunds are at the discretion of the property and or room rate supplier and therefore approval from the room rate supplier must be obtained before our final decision to credit customer funds is made.
-Besides #4 where its obvious that the guest would be fully refunded, no other exemptions for a full refund can be offered without ARN managerial authorization.