Hotel being closed- can I now have a refund?

jamsplat

2 of us planned to travel to the Canaries at Easter and had booked a pre-paid (non-refundable) hotel room in a large chain hotel late last year. Today the hotel chain has decided that prepaid bookings can be changed, but it transpires our hotel will actually be closed (new directive from the Spanish Government) at the time of our booked stay. Are we legally entitled to a refund, or do we have to take the offer to change the dates of the stay? 

Thank you in advance.

Westin

For a hotel only booking with a non-refundable rate, it would only be a gesture of goodwill from the hotel to allow flexibility to move dates or hold credits. If the hotel is actually closed then I think it does place a different situation on the matter. The situation is however unprecedented.  Hotels will likely not have funds to refund everyone and they will wish to hold reserves and look after their business and staff.  Travel insurance might be another route to take - or support the hotel and take the opportunity to move to a later stay date.

jamsplat

Thanks Westin. The only thing stopping us changing our dates is that we both have health conditions and will not travel without insurance cover for those- so we need to know when insurers will start insuring again, and so it goes on...

We do have insurance for this trip, and will log a claim on that if the hotel cannot refund us.