Flight cancelled but hotel still open!!! Urgent help required - due to travel 13 June

Penny68

Hi
My elderly parents were due to fly to Portugal this Saturday (13th). They booked flights and hotel separately. Easyjet have finally cancelled all flights and the refund has been requested. However, the hotel in Portugal is still open. Expedia will only offer a voucher for that hotel valid for a year if we cancel. My parents really don't expect to go abroad at all now, they are not in good health and doubt that the virus will permit them to go any time soon. So they would like a refund not a voucher. I spoke to Expedia today and they said they would contact the hotel and ask if we can have a refund. I am not hopeful. Normally we have been told to wait until the tour operator cancels the booking but it is not likely for this particular booking. What do we do? Can we cancel and then claim through the credit card. The holiday was booked November last year. Please help, my parents are due to lose £1500.
Many thanks

Mrsn

If the voucher has been offered (which they haven’t had to do in any case) I don’t see how you will be able to claim on the card as the service is which they have paid for is to be available. 

Sadly this is one of the downsides to booking things separately. 

Penny68

Will travel insurance cover it then? We are still being advised not to travel.

Life__Goes__On

I wouldn't trust Expedia.
e-mail the hotel directly to see if that can do anything for you.

macman

Check the terms of your travel insurance. The only other option is to look at alternative means of travel.
There is no quarantine required on arrival in Portugal, but they will need to self-isolate for 14 days upon their return to the UK at present.

bevvy

I had a non refundable booking in krakow (hotel is open) with ebookers (same company as Expedia) contacted them when my flights first got cancelled and was advised to contact them again 8 days before booking, this was end last week, according to website it would be voucher for same hotel for 12 months but via chat they contacted hotel and I’m getting a full refund, says could take up to 30 days but I’ve got email confirming.  It must really depend on each individual hotel but I wasn’t expecting it to be so easy, my next plan was insurance if I couldn’t get a refund, good luck