Cancel a reservation and check cancellation terms
The key rule
A cancellation status and a refund are separate actions. Do not assume that cancelling a reservation refunds a payment, or that a payment retained after cancellation is automatically a cancellation fee.
The applicable terms are the terms the guest accepted for that reservation—not a policy or rate plan changed later. Check the reservation’s booked rate plan, confirmation email/terms, booking date, arrival date, source, payment history, and any recorded amendment before responding.
Determine which case applies
| Case | Evidence to find | Staff action |
|---|---|---|
| Refundable | The booked rate/terms permit cancellation at this time, usually before a stated deadline. | Cancel the reservation, then process/refund only the amount the approved policy requires. |
| Non-refundable | The booked rate plan is clearly named/described non-refundable, or the accepted terms say no refund. | Cancel/release availability as authorised, retain the payment under the policy, and give the guest the written terms. Escalate exceptions. |
| Cancellation fee | The accepted terms state a fee amount/percentage or a time-based charge, and it applies to this cancellation. | Calculate/confirm the fee under the approved rule; record or collect it only through the property’s approved accounting/payment process. |
| Unclear or conflicting | Terms, rate plan, payment, source, or fee calculation cannot be verified. | Do not promise a refund or charge. Escalate to the owner/manager with the reservation code and evidence. |
Before cancelling
- Find the reservation by code and confirm the guest’s identity.
- Confirm the reservation source and make every change in Solidres, the property’s source of truth.
- Locate the booked rate plan and the cancellation policy included in the guest confirmation. Rate-plan titles/descriptions commonly communicate terms such as “Flexible” or “Non-refundable.”
- Compare the current cancellation request time to the accepted deadline and determine whether a fee is configured in the property’s written terms.
- Check all recorded payments, invoices, payment-gateway transactions, extras, taxes, and tourist taxes payable at the property.
Cancel safely
- Open Solidres → Reservations and select the reservation.
- Record the cancellation request, applicable term, calculated fee/refund decision, who approved any exception, and guest communication in the property’s approved notes/handover process.
- Change the reservation to the approved cancellation status. Read the confirmation carefully before saving.
- Process any retention, fee, refund, invoice/credit-note correction, or gateway action separately and only under the owner/accountant’s policy.
- Send the guest the approved cancellation confirmation, including the outcome and any amount retained/refunded.
Verify
- Refresh the Front Desk chart and confirm the room nights are available again only when the cancellation is final.
- Reopen the reservation and confirm its status, payment balance, note, invoice/credit record, and guest communication.
Do not delete a payment, overwrite an invoice, mark a booking paid/refunded without evidence, or manually alter a total to make a cancellation appear settled. Escalate disputed charges, chargebacks, tax adjustments, and goodwill exceptions.
Local procedure to verify
TODO — verify/write locally: Document the exact cancellation statuses, fee fields or fee-calculation process configured for this property, the cancellation deadline, authorised staff roles, and refund approval limits. Official Solidres 4.7 documentation describes rate-plan cancellation text and guest self-cancellation settings, but does not establish one universal automatic accommodation cancellation-fee workflow.
For rate-plan terms, see Rate Plan configuration. For guest self-service change/cancellation availability, see Setting up a property.