Did Hojos Cancellation Policy Change?

[TiggerCat]

There is absolutely no way you could be sure that dates won't be changed. I have booked vacations months in advance, planned every detail, then had unexpected illness and surgery so the vacation had to be cancelled. Life happens. I always check the cancellation policy before booking a room - whether or not I have to pay the first night or not. You can never be 100% sure you will not have to cancel. If there is a cancellation policy, you have to be sure you can live with whatever that is before you book.

As a matter of fact, we had rooms booked at the ET rate in May to go to the Food & Wine Festival, which was already being advertised and dates were out. This was cancelled, so we are no longer planning on going. Yes, we were going specifically for F&W. How could we have known that would happen?



This is different than no cancellation or changes.



Agreed.

So what do you do for airfare? Some of the deeply discounted air fares are non-refundable. The same goes for the deeply discounted hotel rooms. If you are worried about making changes, book using a different discount. Then you can cancel without penalty if need be and the cheaper rates can be left for those who are certain about their trip.

TC.

 

[Hojoanaheim]

OK. So with a cancellation, the customer is not on the hook for the entire cost of the reservation, just the first night? Then a comparison to an advance purchase is not correct. Charge would be made at check-out, not booking, but I presume, if I were to call and cancel I would at that time be charged for the first night of the reservation I'm canceling? Since I can't make changes, if I had booked 5 nights but suddenly decided I only wanted to stay for 3, do I still pay for all 5 nights?

How would mixed reservations be handled? At Thanksgiving, we stayed for 7 nights. The first 5 nights were the excellent AP rate. The remaining 2 nights were at the also very good 20% off AP rate. What happens with a reservation like that? What if this new policy was in effect, and I had at some time decided I wanted to drop the 2 nights of the reservation that were booked at the 20% off rate? What if instead one or both of those 2 nights had gone down in price since booking? I used to be able to call and ask for the lower rate even though I had already booked. Would this be a change, and, therefore, not permitted?

I appreciate that you are interested in what your customers have to say and are actually willing to consider reviewing this policy change. In any case, making clear whatever the actual policy is, whether it changes or not, would be most helpful.

Please keep in mind that the wording on the Hojo.com brand website is more restrictive than we'd prefer. We will work with hojo.com to modify their policy wording.

1. Retro Discount room reservations are charged at checkout.
2. RD reservations cancelled prior to the arrival date will be charged 1 night's charge.
3. If you add or subtract nights from a reservation (changes) we will not charge a fee.
4. Mixed rate reservations will revert to the standard 48 hour cancellation policy
5. Additional RD days may be added as they become available.

We will continue to craft a policy that I believe will satisfy all of us! Please stay tuned, and thanks for your patience!

Jonathan

 

[bumbershoot]

So I had intended to simply make the change after I checked in. Now I'll be sure to print the confirmation and bring it along with me.

I would contact them NOW to get that take care of.

Although I absolutely understand the reasoning for a change in policy, it seems just a little itty-bit extreme.

Agreed.

IMHO I tend to agree with HOJO's and TiggerCat's comments on this. The only people it affects are those who are using the Ent rate, and especially those who abusing their system when it comes to booking multiple dates, then cancelling the ones that they don't need at the last minute. I may be different than everyone else, but when looking at a vacation, I first figure out the dates that I want to go, make sure that they won't be changed. Then I figure out transportation, either driving down or flying, then I secure my hotel reservation, making sure I book all in advance with enough time to get the room that I want and the dates. I know alot of people tend to wait till the last minute to book the hotel, but it's a matter of choice.

The ET rates have, in the past, been out WAY before many people would book airfare. They have been gone by the time I, for one, usually book airfare.

So you end up booking the hotel, THEN getting airfare (at least I generally do), knowing that you can modify things with the hotel later.

I use nonrefundable rates for absolute, utter, complete LAST MINUTE trips. That's it. As in, leaving in a day or so. I know I'm going.

I don't use nonrefundable rates months in advance.

And while yes, it only affects those using the Ent rate, those people are not all "squatters". They are normal humans with bodies that sometimes get sick, they are normal humans with jobs that get weird, they are humans with families who get sick, have schedule changes, etc etc etc.

To punish the majority to stop the actions of the minority, based on what they think the minority is doing (squatting) is just weird, IMO.

Remarkably, last year 43% of all HojoAnaheim reservations generated ended up as cancellations!


...if you have an emergency or special circumstance please call or e-mail us - I'm sure that once we review your situation we will arrive at a mutually agreeable solution.

43% of ALL reservations? How does that compare to other hotels? Is it more, or less? Why not review the cancellation policy for all reservations, not just this, if you're getting cancellations for the hotel at that rate, if it's high in the industry.

Also, realize that "in this economy" (I have to put it in quotes ever since reading Wil Wheaton's blog where he talks about that phrase), people might WANT to take vacations, PLAN those vacations, and then have those plans come crashing down around them.

While we here at the Dis (proponents of the hotel to a fairly extreme degree) now have the knowledge that people could have called and talked to you...how many people booking this rate come from elsewhere? How not will they know? Will they see that notice and just say "forget it"?

Will 43% cancellations suddenly turn into a worse number of "just never booked"?

I wish you luck, because even the changes you just made still seem pretty extreme to me...

...but one measure you could take would be to simply not release the ET/AP rates so early! If you were to hold them until 90 days in advance, the "squatters" wouldn't be able to grab so many dates.

True!

 

[jory29]

I just found this thread and read it in it's entirety. There were many opinions, and lots of solid, constructive comments and solutions offered to Hojo's and it didn't surprise me in the least that they so quickly want to revisit their Retro Rates cancellation policy. This is one of the reasons why we love Hojo's so much! Thank you, Hojo's!

I can see that all of the cancellations and changes to Retro Rate reservations is a LOT of extra work and expense on Hojo's part. This is not something a hotel should have to put up with on a regular basis. I readily admit to holding two Retro Rate reservations at a time for two totally different dates (as I struggle to try to coincide my flights with gaining enough air mile points, etc. and to be able to book flights for the correct dates for blackout periods and limited seats available for the flights.) That being said, I have always been able to cancel an extra reservation several months in advance, because I know someone else needs the room. I have always been conscientious of my responsibility to not hold onto the room if I won't be needing it, and I know many others here share the same sentiments.

With the solid base of clients you have garnered for Hojo's, I'm sure you will find a very successful cancellation/change policy that you can put into place for the Retro Rate. Hopefully the HOJO corporate website can also support it. I understand that this (people holding reservations and canceling them) has been a problem, and do support your decision to prevent people from abusing the retro rate by preventing guests from stock-piling reservations.

I would like to add something, if I may... I would love to see a longer term no-fee change or cancellation, say, if you changed or canceled a ressie within 3 mos of the reserved date, that there would be no charge. I would think if someone can provide 3 mos. notice, that a no-fee change could work, but then an idea such as what Disney-Super-Mom stated, should also be implemented. "A cancellation/change *fee* (like a $15 or $20 fee for example) for all AP/ET Retro Rate cancellations/changes made" - and I would say if they are from 30 days or sooner away from the date of the stay that this could be reasonable.

I disagree with this part where she stated: "and then implement a non-cancellation/change policy for reservations 30 days out or less." My concern too, as someone mentioned, is that things can come up, (illness, family emergencies) so I would not like to see a policy of 'no cancellation or change 30 days out or less.' I would still prefer a one night's room charge billed to the room, if a person can not cancel in 48 hours. I know that a case by case basis will also be considered, and that's thoughtful, too.

There are lots of things to look at and think about, but I know you guys will come up with a reasonable plan. I plan on staying loyal to Hojo's, it's a great home away from home!

Edited to add: Re: 43% cancellations last year... I believe this to be a high number, and obviously Hojo's should be allowed to try to minimize this. I do however believe that the 43% of cancellations are not lost clientele; for example, I have booked 2 different dates before, and then canceled one of those reservations months in advance, whilst keeping the other. All the while my intent was to stay for one week during one stay, with the one booking. So even though I am part of that 43% of ressies canceled, in no way did they ever lose my business by my canceling a ressie.

Further edited to add: For those of us who have to make flight plans, it can be difficult if not impossible to book a trip 90 days or less in - I always book flights using air miles (points) 7-9 mos. in advance, and have to, or the flights will be blacked out, and we have always appreciated the chance to obtain the Retro Rate reservation.

 

[lozzypop]

Thanks for keeping on top of this Lorealle!

Her most recent post is exactly the reason why HoJo's is my first choice almost every time we visit Anaheim. The hotel staff listen to their regular customers and make every effort to accommodate them.

Remember that the hotel is still a business and their decisions, while customer based, also have to make the best business sense possible. My dentist/doctor will charge me for missed appointments, even if it is not my fault I can't make it. If you buy concert tickets you won't get your money back if you suddenly can't go. Yes, life happens, but that is what travel insurance is for.

I am glad that the HoJo is doing their best to make sure that the Entertainment rates are available for as many people as possible by imposing some restrictions on cancellations (although even I thought that full charge/no refund policy was a bit over the top).

I for one, remain a loyal and staunch HoJo supporter!

 

[squidlet]

The problem is that nothing is ever guaranteed. You could make a reservation having every intention of making the trip and something comes up and you are forced to cancel.

While I agree, that cancelling a reservation at the last minute that you knew well in advance that you had no intention of using is rather lame, that is not the only reason why people cancel last minute.

Take my Feb 2008 trip -- there was a major rain storm in my area, but luckily, I was able to make the 3 hour drive to the airport. However, the very next day the highway near my house was closed for several hours due to a mudslide. If I was traveling one day later I would have missed my flight and have been forced to cancel my vacation.

Things like that make it really hard to commit to a non-refundable reservation. Sure I could just make a refundable reservation and pay a higher price, but that is basically penalizing people who don't live in a perfect world.

It's also encouraging people to shop for a better rate elsewere. I really like HOJOs and I'm a happy repeat customer. But, if the ET rate isn't refundable, I'm shopping for a better rate elsewhere. If the price is close, I'll still stay at HOJOs, but if not, I'll have to go with the better price.

 

[Queenbillabong]

So what do you do for airfare? Some of the deeply discounted air fares are non-refundable. The same goes for the deeply discounted hotel rooms.

When I book our flights, I have the option to purchase trip insurance with airfare, so that for an extra $20 or so per person, if we need to change our flights, we can do so with no further expense (unless the price of the flight increases).

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

Please keep in mind that the wording on the Hojo.com brand website is more restrictive than we'd prefer. We will work with hojo.com to modify their policy wording.

1. Retro Discount room reservations are charged at checkout.
2. RD reservations cancelled prior to the arrival date will be charged 1 night's charge.
3. If you add or subtract nights from a reservation (changes) we will not charge a fee.
4. Mixed rate reservations will revert to the standard 48 hour cancellation policy
5. Additional RD days may be added as they become available.

We will continue to craft a policy that I believe will satisfy all of us! Please stay tuned, and thanks for your patience!

Jonathan

Thank you for these clarifications.

 

[ConnieB]

Hey I'm all for this policy if it means there will be rooms available because no one is squatting on them, lol. I wrote asking about booking a large group of rooms in SEPTEMBER....9 months from now....and was turned down because they don't have availability. I realize it's a popular hotel, but heavens, 9 months out they aren't able to book multiple rooms?

Oh well....I've got a few feelers out to other nice hotels for our group, just waiting to hear back about rates and such before our group makes the reservations. So far, HOJO is the only one saying "no room". So...maybe after February 1 they'll have 43% more rooms? Probably too late for us as I hope to have that portion of it locked in next week.

I do agree that it's not that unusual when booking a substantial discount room that hotels have no change policies.....so I don't think what they're doing is that odd. Of course, no one likes change so all the complainers are those who have had it one way for years and now are upset at it being changed. Disney does that to us ALL THE TIME....and people complain and swear they're not going back as often or whatever....and they get over it and keep going. So HOJO, you may have some upset customers right now, but by summer they'll either have forgotten or moved on but others will happily come in right behind them unaware of any other previous policy and be thrilled that there is room at the inn. Weather the bad stuff now and hopefully you won't have 43% cancellations soon. And then maybe next year we can book our group with you....unless this year's hotel is really great....you snooze you looze.

 

[smiley_face2]

Please keep in mind that the wording on the Hojo.com brand website is more restrictive than we'd prefer. We will work with hojo.com to modify their policy wording.

1. Retro Discount room reservations are charged at checkout.
2. RD reservations cancelled prior to the arrival date will be charged 1 night's charge.
3. If you add or subtract nights from a reservation (changes) we will not charge a fee.
4. Mixed rate reservations will revert to the standard 48 hour cancellation policy
5. additional RD days may be added as they become available.

We will continue to craft a policy that I believe will satisfy all of us! Please stay tuned, and thanks for your patience!

Jonathan

I find these new rules to be quite fair, and I'm very glad for the clarificatipm because as it is quoted in the beginning posts, it sounds quite stringent and unyielding. I would still book a stay based on the possibility of losing one nights cost. We only ever cancel for serious reasons, so if we book a stay we have every intention of staying there then, thus we have the funds in place by then to pay for the entire trip, and if we decide to cancel and are charged one nights stay, well that would probably be the cost of trip cancellation insurance if it were available. I still find it amazing that you don't pay a penny for the room until after you check out! We've got 4 rooms booked for our whole family for November and the only way that will be cancelling is because of a serious illness or some other disaster in our family. When booking it I said to hubby, I'm going to add an extra day on to the beginning, because I'm not sure if we are flying or driving at this point, and if we fly we will arrive the first day of travel, as apposed to driving and arriving in 2 days. We are quite willing to risk the cost of one nights stay, in order to be sure we have a room to stay in that first night if we fly! I really hope this helps with the problem of people making multiple reservations with no intention of using them, but just holding the rooms in case. I can't believe how you guys follow up on things like this, with personal replies. Places like the Disneyland Hotel, set out their policies, and if you don't like them, just try to get a response about it, much less get it changed!!

 

[tkitty]

I will be staying 2 nights next week at the ET rate. This will be my second trip staying with HOJO as we injoyed it so much last trip. I would, of course, stay again using the ET, but I drive, not fly, and don't make reservations very far out for DL (Not like I do for WDW) So I'll just be extra-sure before booking, and may look harder at other options next time.
I really had wanted a kid's suite when I booked this time, but found that they are super hard to get, so I'm guessing this is one of those that people snap up even if they aren't sure of their plans. A new policy may at least give more people a shot at a wider selection of ET rate rooms.
I think the 'our' HOJO will be as fair as they can in revamping these policies.

 

[shanni]

Please keep in mind that the wording on the Hojo.com brand website is more restrictive than we'd prefer. We will work with hojo.com to modify their policy wording.

1. Retro Discount room reservations are charged at checkout.
2. RD reservations cancelled prior to the arrival date will be charged 1 night's charge.
3. If you add or subtract nights from a reservation (changes) we will not charge a fee.
4. Mixed rate reservations will revert to the standard 48 hour cancellation policy
5. Additional RD days may be added as they become available.

We will continue to craft a policy that I believe will satisfy all of us! Please stay tuned, and thanks for your patience!

Jonathan

I can live with this!! Thank you so much for clarifying! This seems much more fair and protects the interests of HoJo while still providing some flexibility for the guests.

(Now if you could just add my June dates! )

 

[CanaDuh]

This non-refundable policy was not invented by HoJo, and loyal customers should appreciate that this policy is to serve ALL guests. I love HoJo, and would be pretty upset if I couldn't book a room because of false bookings.

These rooms are being offered to all at only HALF PRICE, and a non-refund policy is highly justified. Half price at a dive is good, half price at HoJo is GREAT!

There are plenty of hotels that do non-refundable rates that don't even come close to half price.

If you want flexibility and lenience, you have to pay. You get the same hotel, same service, and HoJo gets the best payback for the service they provide.

Non-refunds on half price rooms at the best hotel within walking distance of DL? I don't see a problem.

 

[JadeDarkstar]

I think perhapse to save some ppl from being angry but also being able to save your bussness. I would think 3 months out is a good time. I know I never used the 48hours one. I know by july if im able to do things. If there were new rules put in an stuff more ppl are less liely to cancel but some times things just come up.
last year on top of everything weve been going thought my dad had two car acdents. lost his hourse an had a heart attack in a span of 3 months. He was going to come last year that was supose to be a fun thing for us all.

this year im saying come hell or high water im going...

But if something happened to make my world come crashing down i would have to for the sake of my family say im sorry son we have to wait another year.

I dont want that I dont. Hell im afraid my dads gona die soon(this is my steap dad) those who know me my real dad died when i was 14 7 years after he got cancer)

an Id like if my steap dad would come with us.. so we have those memories with my son.

any ways hojos has always been so understanding an so nice i just hope because these new chnages you dont lose alot of ppl an hopefuly dont lose the nice service.

a fan of friendly ppl an understanding ppl. Hojos has been the first hotle we think about when we say lets go to disney. I hope it will still be.

 

[chrissiecutie]

I'm not of the mind that I'll never stay there again by any means. Hojos is still a clean, family-friendly hotel with interior corridors, pleasant grounds, a fun water play area, and free parking. However, the ET/AP rate and the flexibility to update dates and rates whenever, whether we needed to use it much or not, was also a great draw for us, and a "perk" that I was willing to make other trade-offs for. If I'm no longer able to combine the "perks" of great rates and flexibility, I am more than willing to review what other perks are out there, i. e. shorter walks, dedicated shuttles, free breakfasts, and so on when deciding if Hojo is still the best value for our family. Hojos hasn't lost my business, just my loyalty.

well said!

Hojo's hasn't lost my business either but if they don't figure out how to have flexibility in their new policy...they've certainly losty loyalty.

As it stands I plan our vacations around the HoJo ET rate and never even look at other hotels. Now I will.

 

[disney-super-mom]

Please keep in mind that the wording on the Hojo.com brand website is more restrictive than we'd prefer. We will work with hojo.com to modify their policy wording.

1. Retro Discount room reservations are charged at checkout.
2. RD reservations cancelled prior to the arrival date will be charged 1 night's charge.
3. If you add or subtract nights from a reservation (changes) we will not charge a fee.
4. Mixed rate reservations will revert to the standard 48 hour cancellation policy
5. Additional RD days may be added as they become available.

We will continue to craft a policy that I believe will satisfy all of us! Please stay tuned, and thanks for your patience!

Jonathan

Ohhhhhhh, okay. Whew! Now this makes more sense.

The policy wording definitely needs to be modified. Thanks Jonathan!

 

[jory29]

Thanks, Jonathan and Lorealle, for all of your input! You guys are terrific!

The one night's stay, in a family suite, @ $99 is a much bigger dent to the budget than a $59 stay, if one has to cancel. I wonder if a specific monetary value penalty fee would be better to apply, rather than first night's stay.... I have been thinking about this a lot, and am hoping for a policy such as this:

3 mos. or more before date of arrival, change or cancel with no penalty

89-31 days before date of arrival, $20 or so penalty

30-3 days before date of arrival, $30 or so penalty

48 hours before date, one night's stay

This to me, would probably deter those who are actually abusing the system, since some of them were literally hoarding dates 'just in case', that they didn't really plan to use, and wasting Hojo's time, energy, efforts, and money, too, in wages. (We could call them Reservation Hoarders*, rather than squatters, as some here mentioned that they by were offended by that term.) This would be a fair step in the right direction, I think, for Hojo's to implement this policy, and it would cause less dissatisfaction for all of their valued guests, rather than the initial policy that was going to be put into place.

*Stay tuned for the next Hoarders episode - Woman hoards Hojo's Retro Rate Ressies and just can't stop herself.

 

[Mcky36]

Please keep in mind that the wording on the Hojo.com brand website is more restrictive than we'd prefer. We will work with hojo.com to modify their policy wording.

1. Retro Discount room reservations are charged at checkout.
2. RD reservations cancelled prior to the arrival date will be charged 1 night's charge.
3. If you add or subtract nights from a reservation (changes) we will not charge a fee.
4. Mixed rate reservations will revert to the standard 48 hour cancellation policy
5. Additional RD days may be added as they become available.

We will continue to craft a policy that I believe will satisfy all of us! Please stay tuned, and thanks for your patience!

Jonathan

Thank you for clarifying! This is much more reasonable. I can live with this Thank you for taking the time to listen to our concerns. It is very much appreciated!

 

[chrissiecutie]

Thanks, Jonathan and Lorealle, for all of your input! You guys are terrific!

The one night's stay, in a family suite, @ $99 is a much bigger dent to the budget than a $59 stay, if one has to cancel. I wonder if a specific monetary value penalty fee would be better to apply, rather than first night's stay.... I have been thinking about this a lot, and am hoping for a policy such as this:

3 mos. or more before date of arrival, change or cancel with no penalty

89-31 days before date of arrival, $20 or so penalty

30-3 days before date of arrival, $30 or so penalty

48 hours before date, one night's stay

This to me, would probably deter those who are actually abusing the system, since some of them were literally hoarding dates 'just in case', that they didn't really plan to use, and wasting Hojo's time, energy, efforts, and money, too, in wages. (We could call them Reservation Hoarders*, rather than squatters, as some here mentioned that they by were offended by that term.) This would be a fair step in the right direction, I think, for Hojo's to implement this policy, and it would cause less dissatisfaction for all of their valued guests, rather than the initial policy that was going to be put into place.

*Stay tuned for the next Hoarders episode - Woman hoards Hojo's Retro Rate Ressies and just can't stop herself.

Very well thought out!

I come from a hotel background and I'm a former Director of Guest Services...so guest satisfaction was my job!

With that said, I can tell you that personally, a tiered fee structure can be very confusing for both staff and guests. Especially when you figure in that this fee structure would be applied to ET/AP ressies only. Quite honestly, there's just too much room for error and it makes the hotel's job (of keeping it's guest happy and coming back) that much more difficult!

A flat fee is SO much easier and would help the hotel keep it's operation costs lower. Meaning, less time reservation agents spend on the phone making changes and cancelling ressies.

I also have a very difficult time believing that the Hojo's had a 43% cancellation rate. If that's accurate, the hotel should be almost half empty and I really doubt that...I think that was another poster said was more accurate. That HoJo's guests who use the ET/AP discounts KNOW they fill up quickly, so we will make 2 or more reservations with the knowledge that we will only be keeping 1 of those. And let's face it, what we cancel epecially at the discounted "retro rates", will be quickly grabbed up. So while they may have had 43% cancellation, what was there percentage of new reservations and for that matter, what was there overall occupancy rate?? I would be very surprised to learn that they didn't average AT LEAST an 80% occupancy rate. This is the rate they should be basing decisions off of and NOT the cancellation rate since it's truely not accurate.

What I would implement (and frankly, I HAVE done this before) would be the following:

1. NO fees to change, modify, add to etc an existing "retro rate" reservation. Meaning, once you make the reservation, you can make changes AT ANY TIME without a fee. Note, this is for making changes only.

2. A fee equal to one nights stay should you cancel, at any time.

This way the HoJo's doesn't loose any business if you want to make changes...it's no skin off there back, you're still staying, right! This wouldn't affect there cancellation rate so there shouldn't be ANY FEE to make changes.

Should you cancel...yes, they are out that revenue and out of the cost it takes to process your reservation. Which BTW, is small. In the long run, it may affect their occupancy rate but most likely what one person cancels, another will quickly snap up!

This is a happy medium and frankly, it's super easy to understand.

I also have a problem with the way HoJo's has gone about notifying it's most valued guests- US! I didn't see any notices on their website, nothing on their facebook page or even here on the boards. It took a fellow DISer who questioned if the policy had changed for them to respond. IMO, this was the wrong way to do this. Not very proactive if you ask me.

As a former hotel mgr, I would have posted this major change well BEFORE it goes into effect, on our hotel website, our media pages, all the boards, etc. And I know they know how to do this...why they didn't, is really beyond me?? It's always best for the hotel to spread the word first rather then have it come out in this manner...they could have avoided SO much confusion had they done it this way.

As I said earlier, I still like the HoJo's. And I'm more then willing to hang in there while they figure out this new policy. However, sadly...they no longer have my undying loyalty. Time will tell I suppose...

 

[Sherry E]

I have been thinking about this a lot, and am hoping for a policy such as this:

3 mos. or more before date of arrival, change or cancel with no penalty

89-31 days before date of arrival, $20 or so penalty

30-3 days before date of arrival, $30 or so penalty

48 hours before date, one night's stay

This to me, would probably deter those who are actually abusing the system, since some of them were literally hoarding dates 'just in case', that they didn't really plan to use, and wasting Hojo's time, energy, efforts, and money, too, in wages. (We could call them Reservation Hoarders*, rather than squatters, as some here mentioned that they by were offended by that term.) This would be a fair step in the right direction, I think, for Hojo's to implement this policy, and it would cause less dissatisfaction for all of their valued guests, rather than the initial policy that was going to be put into place.

*Stay tuned for the next Hoarders episode - Woman hoards Hojo's Retro Rate Ressies and just can't stop herself.

I can kind of look at this whole thing objectively - equally from both sides - since I have not yet stayed at HoJo's with the great rates and this won't affect me, personally (yet). I've only stayed onsite, and I keep up with all of those reservations/rate adjustments that Disney makes too (some of which I agree with, some of which I don't agree with at all, but I have to deal with them nonetheless if I want to stay onsite).

I have made reservations onsite that I've had to tweak - either cancelling, adding dates or removing dates due to money issues. I've switched from one Disney hotel to another. I've moved my dates from one weekend to another. I've lost $100 (which was a big deal to me) because I had to cancel a package and they wouldn't refund me (but that was the policy). Of course, most of the time I do not have to adjust my reservations or cancel anything, but I very well may want to add days to a reservation here and there, which benefits the hotel, of course.

In other words, I can totally empathize with everyone who needs to tweak reservations when "life happens." It happens to all of us.

However, 43% is a tremendous percentage of bookings to be cancelled, so clearly something has gone awry with the ET/Retro Rate bookings system somewhere along the line. I know that everyone feels they have good reasons to hold rooms and cancel or revise things if something comes up - and I'm sure they do, because things do come up - but on HoJo's end, 43% is still a huge number of cancellations, regardless of what the reasons are.

The way I look at it is, as others have said, the ET rate is a fantastic bargain - and it's been a 'gift' to those who have used it for so long and have had that flexibility in changing their reservations and cancelling. The way it stands now, the privilege of booking at that rate is still available to everyone. But it's just that there are more specific limitations now. That happens with lots of things in life, where you seem to get a great deal or bargain on something for so long (it's almost too good to be true!) - and then all of a sudden, one day there are limitations, the whole thign has changed and it's frustrating. The companies have to start taking a look at how cost effective certain things are and how much they are actually losing.

So, as I said earlier, I agree that the new HoJo's policy (as Lorealle initially laid it out, not counting any updated amendments to it) is a bit extreme and I think a tiered penalty system may be better, as it will still allow the guests some wiggle room if life happens.

But I think that $20 or $30 is also way, way too light of a penalty or deterrent to the hoarders. Remember, as we've been told, 43% of their bookings last year were cancelled. That's very substantial - if it's accurate. $30 wouldn't be much of a deterrent at all to me if I were planning to book a "just in case" room and hold it for months and months, planning to cancel inside of month if I change to another hotel later on.

In my opinion, there should be a happy medium. HoJo's has to do something that is big enough to actually deter people from room hoarding and then cancelling, but not disruptive enough to scare away their loyal client base. I think that asking for a deposit up front, at the time of booking, would be a better deterrent to those "let me get this room just in case..." people. A lot of people who already know that they might have to cancel the room later on will not want to pay anything up front.

Just my opinion.