Plans Change. Booking Conditions Matter. Know What Happens Next.

Scope of This Policy

This Cancellation & Refund Policy applies as general guidance to accommodation reservations made through HotelConnect24-related booking workflows where this policy is incorporated or referenced.

It should be read together with:

• your booking confirmation;
• the selected rate conditions;
• the cancellation policy displayed before booking;
• Property-specific booking conditions;
• Guest Booking Terms; and
• mandatory rights provided by applicable law.

Your Rate Conditions Come First

Accommodation providers can offer several rates for the same room, with different cancellation and payment rules.

Before booking, review whether your selected rate is:

• fully flexible;
• refundable until a stated deadline;
• partially refundable;
• subject to a cancellation charge;
• non-refundable;
• prepaid;
• deposit-based; or
• payable at the Property.

The cheaper rate is not necessarily the most flexible rate.

Cancellation by the Guest

If you decide not to use a confirmed reservation, you should cancel using the booking-management route specified for that reservation where possible.

The financial outcome depends on:

• the rate conditions;
• the cancellation deadline;
• the date and time of your request;
• whether payment has already been collected;
• the Property's applicable conditions;
• the booking source; and
• mandatory applicable law.

A cancellation is not necessarily complete simply because you sent a message asking for cancellation.

You should retain the cancellation confirmation or other record showing that the booking was cancelled.

Flexible and Refundable Rates

A flexible or refundable rate normally allows cancellation under the conditions stated at the time of booking.

For example, the booking may allow cancellation without a cancellation charge until a specified date and time.

After that deadline, a charge can apply even though the rate was originally described as refundable or flexible.

Non-Refundable and Restricted Rates

A reservation clearly sold as non-refundable or subject to a full cancellation charge can restrict your right to recover amounts paid if you voluntarily cancel.

This type of rate can be offered at a lower price in exchange for reduced flexibility.

Personal circumstances such as:

• a change of plans;
• work commitments;
• missing transport;
• a preference for another hotel; or
• another personal reason

do not automatically override a valid non-refundable condition.

However, mandatory consumer rights and other rights that applicable law does not permit a business to exclude remain unaffected.

Cancellation Deadlines and Time Zones

Where a booking contains a cancellation deadline, you should review the exact date, time and relevant Property or booking time zone where this information is provided.

A request submitted after the deadline can be treated as a late cancellation even if the difference is relatively short.

HotelConnect24 should display booking terms sufficiently clearly for a Guest to understand the relevant cancellation condition before confirming the reservation.

Your cancellation confirmation or recorded cancellation time can be important where timing is disputed.

Changing Instead of Cancelling a Booking

A Property may allow you to change:

• stay dates;
• room type;
• Guest details;
• occupancy;
• meal arrangements; or
• another reservation element.

A change is not automatically available merely because cancellation would result in a charge.

A change can also cause:

• a new rate;
• a price increase or decrease;
• different cancellation conditions;
• loss of a promotion; or
• a new payment requirement.

A requested change becomes effective only after it has been confirmed through the relevant booking route.

No-Shows

If you do not arrive for the reservation and have not cancelled according to the applicable conditions, the Property can treat the booking as a no-show.

The financial consequences depend on the rate and booking terms and can include:

• a charge for the first night;
• a charge for multiple nights;
• a charge for the full reservation; or
• loss of prepaid or deposit amounts,

where the booking conditions lawfully provide for that outcome.

If you know that you will arrive late, contact the Property where appropriate so that your reservation is not mistakenly treated as abandoned.

Early Departure or Unused Nights

Leaving a Property earlier than the confirmed departure date does not automatically create a right to a refund for unused nights.

Refund eligibility can depend on:

• the selected rate;
• Property policy;
• why the stay ends early;
• whether the Property materially failed to provide the contracted service; and
• applicable consumer law.

If you are leaving because of a material problem with the accommodation, raise the problem with the Property promptly and keep relevant records.

Cancellation by the Property

Different rules apply where the accommodation provider, rather than the Guest, cannot honour the confirmed booking.

Where applicable consumer law provides a right to repayment because the booked accommodation will not be supplied, the Guest retains that right.

Contact the Property and, for an applicable HotelConnect24 booking, Booking Support.

Overbooking

An overbooking occurs when confirmed accommodation cannot be provided because available inventory is insufficient.

HotelConnect24 technology is designed to support connected rates and availability but cannot guarantee elimination of every overbooking scenario.

Where a confirmed booking cannot be honoured, the accommodation provider remains responsible for its obligations under the reservation and applicable consumer law.

The Guest should keep:

• the original booking confirmation;
• messages from the Property;
• evidence of cancellation;
• receipts for replacement accommodation where relevant; and
• other documentation relating to additional costs.

Alternative Accommodation

Where a Property cannot honour a reservation, it may offer alternative accommodation.

Whether an alternative satisfies the Property's legal obligations depends on the circumstances and applicable law.

Relevant considerations can include:

• standard and quality;
• location;
• room type;
• facilities;
• accessibility needs;
• occupancy;
• additional transport costs; and
• price.

If the offered accommodation is materially inferior, additional consumer remedies can apply under applicable law.

When a Refund May Be Due

Refund eligibility depends on the reason for cancellation and the booking conditions.

Who Processes the Refund?

The organisation responsible for processing a refund can depend on who collected the original payment.

HotelConnect24 should not be assumed to hold or control Guest funds for every reservation merely because HotelConnect24 technology was used in the booking process.

Refund Processing Times

HotelConnect24 does not promise one universal refund-processing period for all bookings.

Timing can depend on:

• who collected the payment;
• when the refund is approved;
• the payment processor;
• card network;
• bank;
• payment method;
• currency; and
• weekends or banking processing schedules.

If a refund has been confirmed but does not appear after a reasonable processing period, contact the party that processed the payment and your payment provider where appropriate.

Deposits and Advance Payments

A booking may require a deposit or advance payment.

Whether that amount is refundable depends on:

• the conditions displayed before booking;
• the cancellation policy;
• the timing of cancellation;
• the reason the reservation ends; and
• mandatory applicable law.

A deposit should not automatically be assumed to be either fully refundable or automatically forfeited in every situation.

Your booking confirmation should identify the conditions applicable to the payment.

Card Pre-Authorisations and Security Holds

A card pre-authorisation is not necessarily the same as a completed charge.

A Property or payment provider can temporarily reserve an amount to verify the payment method or secure a booking.

If a hold is released, the time required for the available balance to update can depend on the card issuer or bank.

HotelConnect24 does not control a bank's internal processing time merely because the reservation used HotelConnect24 technology.

Currency Conversion and Refund Differences

If a reservation and refund involve currency conversion, the amount ultimately appearing on a bank or card statement can differ from the original converted amount.

Differences can result from:

• exchange-rate movements;
• card-issuer conversion rules;
• payment-provider conversion rates;
• bank charges; or
• the currency in which the original transaction was settled.

HotelConnect24 does not guarantee that an amount converted by an independent payment or banking provider will reproduce the exact exchange-rate value shown when the original booking was made.

Exceptional Events and Travel Disruption

Travel can be disrupted by events outside the Guest's, Property's or HotelConnect24's reasonable control.

Examples can include:

• extreme weather;
• natural disasters;
• government restrictions;
• public-health measures;
• war or civil disturbance;
• major transport disruption; or
• other exceptional events.

Such an event does not automatically produce the same cancellation or refund result for every reservation.

The outcome depends on the booking contract, whether the accommodation can still be provided, mandatory law and any applicable travel-insurance coverage.

Incorrect, Duplicate or Mistaken Bookings

Guests should review booking details before confirmation and inspect the confirmation promptly afterwards.

If you accidentally create a duplicate reservation or enter incorrect dates, contact the relevant booking provider or Property as soon as possible.

HotelConnect24 cannot guarantee that a mistake can be corrected without a charge where the selected rate is already binding.

Where a genuine technical error in a HotelConnect24-controlled workflow causes an incorrect reservation, HotelConnect24 will investigate the relevant technical record and assist according to its actual role in the booking.

Bookings Made Through an External Provider

If you booked through an independent travel website, agency or other booking intermediary, that provider's cancellation and refund process can apply.

HotelConnect24 may provide connectivity to the Property without controlling the Guest-facing booking relationship.

An external booking provider may control:

• cancellation processing;
• booking modification;
• payment collection;
• refund transmission;
• Guest support; and
• booking-specific terms.

Where this applies, follow the instructions in the confirmation issued by the external provider.

Package Holidays and Linked Travel Arrangements

If your accommodation forms part of a legally defined package holiday or linked travel arrangement, additional statutory rights and responsibilities can apply.

The package organiser or other responsible travel business can have obligations beyond those applying to a standalone hotel booking.

These general HotelConnect24 cancellation rules do not replace mandatory package-travel rights.

Review the documentation issued by the package organiser for the applicable cancellation and refund process.

No General 14-Day Cooling-Off Period for Date-Specific Accommodation

Guests should not assume that the ordinary 14-day online cooling-off period applies to a hotel reservation.

Under European consumer rules, accommodation other than for residential purposes is generally excluded from the normal withdrawal right when the contract provides for a specific date or period of performance.

Accordingly, cancellation rights for a hotel stay usually depend on the rate conditions and other applicable contractual or statutory rights.

Payment Disputes and Chargebacks

If you believe a payment or refund has been handled incorrectly, first contact the Property, booking provider or other party responsible for the relevant transaction.

Keep relevant evidence such as:

• booking confirmation;
• cancellation confirmation;
• refund confirmation;
• receipts;
• messages; and
• payment records.

Your bank or card provider may offer a transaction-dispute or chargeback process in certain circumstances, subject to its own rules and applicable law.

A chargeback is not a substitute for a valid cancellation right and should not be used dishonestly to reverse a legitimate booking charge.

Mandatory Consumer Rights

Nothing in this policy excludes or reduces rights that applicable consumer law makes mandatory.

Relevant rights can arise where:

• the Property cancels the reservation;
• the accommodation is not supplied;
• the accommodation materially differs from its description;
• mandatory pricing information was not properly disclosed;
• contract terms are unfair or unenforceable; or
• another consumer-protection rule applies.

Where a specific contractual cancellation condition conflicts with a mandatory right that cannot lawfully be excluded, the mandatory legal right prevails.

Fraudulent Refund or Cancellation Activity

HotelConnect24 services must not be used to manipulate booking or refund systems fraudulently.

Prohibited conduct includes:

• falsely claiming that a booking was cancelled;
• altering evidence of cancellation;
• knowingly seeking duplicate refunds;
• misrepresenting a payment dispute;
• using another person's booking without authorisation; or
• using a chargeback process dishonestly to avoid a valid accommodation charge.

Suspected abuse may be investigated and can result in restrictions or referral to the relevant payment provider or authority where appropriate.

Complaints About a Cancellation or Refund

If you believe a cancellation or refund has been handled incorrectly, start with the party responsible for the relevant part of the transaction.

For a HotelConnect24-supported reservation, use Booking Support.

Nothing in this policy prevents a consumer from using complaint, regulatory or court procedures available under applicable law.

Cancellation and Refund Support

Use the route appropriate to your reservation.

When contacting support about a reservation, have your booking reference available where possible.