With South Florida beaches closed during Fourth of July weekend, some people may be looking to change their plans.
The Bentley Hotel South Beach is open during the upcoming weekend and they are working to accommodate guests despite the changes.
“Currently some changes but as a hotel we are planning to stay open and provide the best guest services that we can offer,” Manager Daniela Caro said.
She says they are encouraging people guest to keep their reservations and notifying them about their social distancing guidelines.
“We are giving masks for free for all of our guests and they can change them anytime they want to,” Caro said.
If you are thinking about canceling your upcoming reservations, Mark Jenkins with AAA says you will want to look at the fine print of your reservation.
“If there is a free cancelation policy, often it will say it right there when you go to purchase, otherwise, it might be kind of hidden in there, so it is really important to do some digging,” Jenkins said.
He says many major hotel chains are offering free cancelations if you do so within a 24-hour window of your reservation, however, policies can vary if you booked using a third-party booking company.
“It can vary if you are booking through the hotel or the third-party vendor, because if you are booking through the third-party vendor, then often times it is that vendor you have to work with to cancel that policy or cancel that reservation,“ Jenkins says.
When it comes to short-term rentals, each company has their own policy.
According to Airbnb’s cancellation policy, “Reservations for stays and Airbnb Experiences made on or before March 14, 2020, with a check-in date between March 14, 2020 and July 31, 2020, are covered by the policy and may be canceled before check-in. Guests who cancel will have cancelation and refund options, and hosts can cancel without charge or impact to their Superhost status. Airbnb will either refund, or issue travel credit that includes, all service fees for covered cancelations. In order to cancel under the policy, you will be required to attest to the facts of and/or provide supporting documentation for your extenuating circumstance. The host’s cancelation policy will apply as usual to reservations made after March 14, 2020.”
