[miguelmota]

Not all policies are fair and there should be exceptions during times of crisis. Hotels do questionable advertising practices all the time to lure in customers and then hit them with arbitrary fees during checkout which seems like bad faith to me.

[parallel]

This is the "two wrongs" argument. They do bad things so we should be able to do bad things back.

[jjeaff]

Pointing out the type of argument doesn't negate that argument. While I don't think it's ok to simply commit fraud because I think the company is committing general fraud in most areas... If someone runs up and steals my phone but drops their own, I'll be keeping their phone until they make things right.

The same goes especially for multi-billion dollar corporations.

You cheat me out of something, I will first attempt to right that wrong through the proper channels. If I am unsuccessful, I will right that wrong through unofficial channels. Within reason, of course.

[pergadad]

Hotels do so but whether this specific hotel is guilty is another question.

[noncoml]

How is it fair for the hotel to pay for the consumer's gamble in booking a non-refundable room?

They just got unlucky and they should suck it up.

If the hotel has to refund everyone, it will either have to go under, or if it is too big to fail, be bailed out with my money.

I don't see why I should pay for someone's else gamble.

[pmiller2]

Nobody prices in a once in a century, global pandemic when looking for a hotel room: not the customer and not the hotel. If the room was booked more than 3 months ago, the agreement was based on false information and should be able to be renegotiated in light of the current state of the world.

[jobigoud]

OT but I wish we would stop refering to this as a once-in-a-century event. It appeared from a combo of coincidences that can reproduce very easily in the years and decades to come.

[noncoml]

That's not how the adult world works. Sorry.

[ncallaway]

You say it's not, but it actually is. Many hospitality industries are allowing coronavirus related exceptions to their cancellation and refund policies.

That's right, in this real actual adult world.

[ValentineC]

> Many hospitality industries are allowing coronavirus related exceptions to their cancellation and refund policies.

Mostly out of goodwill and fear of lawsuits, I think.

Smaller boutique hotels are probably less likely to allow coronavirus-related exceptions, because they're deprived of business as it is.

[miguelmota]

That might benefit them in the short term but could hurt them in the long term if more cases break out because of contaminated customers and have to close the entire building down.

[ncallaway]

Acting out of fear of lawsuits is also how the adult world works.

[freepor]

It is, force majeure is a legal concept in many jurisdictions and was not invented by toddlers.