Suppliers Offer Guarantees for the 2011 Hurricane Season
Suppliers Offer Guarantees for the 2011 Hurricane Season
By Gay Nagle Myers (Travel Weekly)
As a service to our readers, TravelWeekly.com will be keeping track of the list of hurricane insurance guarantees here. Check back often for the most current information.
Travelers headed to the Caribbean are protected at a number of resorts should hurricanes interrupt, cancel, delay or ruin a tropical vacation. Resort policies vary, but most properties will offer some form of compensation.
For instance, Holiday Inn SunSpree Resort Montego Bay reinstated its Risk-Free SunSpree hurricane guarantee for the sixth year. Guests are protected if a storm closes Sangster Airport or disrupts resort operations for 24 hours.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Travel Interruption Policy covers guests who cannot travel due to closure of the resort or airport. They can opt for a full refund or a one-category room upgrade, valid for a year. Guests who depart early due to a storm will not be charged a cancellation fee and will receive a refund for any unused portion of the deposit.
SuperClubs’ Hurricane Guarantee at its nine resorts reimburses guests for the total value of disrupted nights if a hurricane strikes the resort during their stay. In addition, a future-stay voucher is issued for the same number of disrupted nights for use during the same month the following year, excluding airfare. For every day that the sun does not shine, SuperClubs’ year-round Sunshine Guarantee gives guests a credit voucher equal to that day’s room value, good for a year.
Sandals Resorts and Beaches Resorts’ No Worry Guarantee policy, an optional program priced at $99 per adult and $79 per child for purchase within seven days of the initial deposit, allows cancellations for any reason within 24 hours prior to travel. This includes inclement weather, illness or any other interruptions beyond the guest’s control. If guests are at the resort when a hurricane hits, refunds or compensation are decided on a case-by-case basis.
Disney resorts in Florida permits guests to cancel a room-only reservation without penalty five days or more in advance of arrival. Within five days, guests will lose their deposit. Guests on Disney packages who purchase vacation insurance would be protected.
