> All bookings in popular places or on popular dates are NON REFUNDABLE. As in "click and you will never see any of this money again" non-refundable. Very non-refundable. If I have to cancel, I lose all my money.
The Atlantic recently wrote on how hotel policies have changed, with many no longer allowing free cancellations.
Why Hotel-Room Cancellations Disappeared
https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/2025/11/hotel-room-ca...
TL;DR: Hotel aggregators (e.g. Booking.com, Expedia) adopted a "cancel-rebook" strategy, where the aggregators would monitor hotel prices & rebook if the price dropped.