Hotels' Discount Rates Can Cost You Plenty | wsj.com

More Offers Come With Nonrefundable Restrictions, so Travelers Who Cancel Get Walloped With Full Cost of Reservation

Cy Yavuzturk, chairman of the mechanical engineering department at the University of Hartford in Connecticut, booked a low rate at the Dupont Circle Hotel on Expedia.com for a Department of Energy meeting in Washington, D.C., last month. The three-day reservation totaled $868 and was charged to his credit card. When the DOE canceled the meeting, Mr. Yavuzturk was left paying $868 for nothing—a heavy cancellation penalty.