Hotel refusing to refund booking cost - Can I use travel insurance to raise a claim?

comeandgo

Right, then it's due to your illness.  That's one for your insurance.

[Deleted User]

I think I get it now.   You haven't booked a package holiday.  Your outbound flight has been cancelled and you have asked the hotel for a refund on a non-refundable agreement?

OK, in first place you were never entitled to a refund unless the hotel was cancelled for you.   Some hotels are being compassionate by offering to allow a rebook.    However, you have booked this with Expedia so your contract is with them and if, applicable any rebooks would have to go through them.   Have you checked your account section on their website to see if there are any instructions up to your date of travel.   Most are cutting it fine, I have to say so be patient. 

As you booked flights separately and one is cancelled by them, you should get a refund directly from Easyjet for both legs if you booked them at same time.

Insurance?   Not sure, you would need to check what you paid for.   Some will pay out if you can't physically get to your accommodation but depends on the terms.     Worth checking though

Chargeback/S75  doubtful if hotel still open or if you cancel it.   On the basis that supplier has supplied the goods.

myrealusernameunavailable

phillw said:

myrealusernameunavailable said:

Additionally our outbound flights (EasyJet) from UK to Switzerland is now also cancelled by the airline. 

You have an obligation to your travel insurance company to mitigate your losses.
Is anyone else running flights?
If so then you should talk to your insurance company about claiming for the increase in flight cost.
If not, then I'd say it was reasonable to put in a claim with your insurance company for the hotel as you are being prevented from going.
If you had an annual policy when you booked and you let it lapse, then I don't think you'll be able to make a claim in either case. But you should speak to the insurance company.
You can still try to book alternate flights though.

Thank you - this is useful. I will speak to the insurance provider. Yes, I had worldwide travel insurance at the time of booking, and it is still valid so not lapsed. 

bagand96

myrealusernameunavailable said:

Ok - thank you. I was earlier this year diagnosed with medical conditions (comorbidities) which puts me in the at risk category for covid-19. Hence my phrasing that the holiday "is now not going to go ahead" - mainly down to my unwillingness to take risk. 

Unfortunately that will fall under disclination to travel.  Therefore if you booked a non-refundable hotel rate, and the hotel is open, they don't owe you anything.  It isn't the hotel or Expedia's issue that your flights are cancelled.  As others have said chargeback is a no-go as the supplier has not failed to provide the product.

You can get a full refund from easyJet for your flights.

It will be worth talking to your travel insurance and see what cover you have - you may be able to claim for the hotel given the flights are cancelled.  If you have a medical condition that prohibits travel you may also be covered, but the insurance company would want some proof from a doctor that you can't travel - that can be a bit of a grey area with C-19 where there's a difference between people not wanting to take the risk, and actual medical advice not to travel.

unforeseen

comeandgo said:

Right, then it's due to your illness.  That's one for your insurance.

But the illness isn't the reason. It is the OP's disinclination to travel because they think its not safe because they are in the vulnerable/extremely vulnerable group. Not sure which but normally if people are in the extremely vulnerable group they mention shielding. The fact that OP states 'at risk' points to the lower group.
Add to the fact that for both groups all advice for these groups is withdrawn from 1 August and they are treated the same as everybody else. 
Being in either group does not prevent you travelling as it is advice only and insurance will probably look at it as disinclination. 

myrealusernameunavailable

Tedber said:

I think I get it now.   You haven't booked a package holiday.  Your outbound flight has been cancelled and you have asked the hotel for a refund on a non-refundable agreement?

OK, in first place you were never entitled to a refund unless the hotel was cancelled for you.   Some hotels are being compassionate by offering to allow a rebook.    However, you have booked this with Expedia so your contract is with them and if, applicable any rebooks would have to go through them.   Have you checked your account section on their website to see if there are any instructions up to your date of travel.   Most are cutting it fine, I have to say so be patient. 

As you booked flights separately and one is cancelled by them, you should get a refund directly from Easyjet for both legs if you booked them at same time.

Insurance?   Not sure, you would need to check what you paid for.   Some will pay out if you can't physically get to your accommodation but depends on the terms.     Worth checking though

Chargeback/S75  doubtful if hotel still open or if you cancel it.   On the basis that supplier has supplied the goods.

Pretty much. Yes. Thanks. 
Nothing in my Expedia account yet, but I will continue to check.  The EasyJet situation is the lesser of the two worries - they have informed me of the cancellations on the outbound journey and since i booked both legs together, the I have been advised (on this forum) that it will be a full refund. 

myrealusernameunavailable

unforeseen said:

comeandgo said:

Right, then it's due to your illness.  That's one for your insurance.

But the illness isn't the reason. It is the OP's disinclination to travel because they think its not safe because they are in the vulnerable/extremely vulnerable group. Not sure which but normally if people are in the extremely vulnerable group they mention shielding. The fact that OP states 'at risk' points to the lower group.
Add to the fact that for both groups all advice for these groups is withdrawn from 1 August and they are treated the same as everybody else. 
Being in either group does not prevent you travelling as it is advice only and insurance will probably look at it as disinclination. 

Thanks. I understand the point you are making. The dates for hotel stay are/were 23rd July - 27th of July. So prior to 1st of August.   

unforeseen

myrealusernameunavailable said:

unforeseen said:

comeandgo said:

Right, then it's due to your illness.  That's one for your insurance.

But the illness isn't the reason. It is the OP's disinclination to travel because they think its not safe because they are in the vulnerable/extremely vulnerable group. Not sure which but normally if people are in the extremely vulnerable group they mention shielding. The fact that OP states 'at risk' points to the lower group.
Add to the fact that for both groups all advice for these groups is withdrawn from 1 August and they are treated the same as everybody else. 
Being in either group does not prevent you travelling as it is advice only and insurance will probably look at it as disinclination. 

Thanks. I understand the point you are making. The dates for hotel stay are/were 23rd July - 27th of July. So prior to 1st of August.   

Still makes no difference. It was only ever advice.
From https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19#what-do-we-mean-by-extremely-vulnerable

The guidance for the clinically extremely vulnerable group remains advisory. More detailed advice will be updated in this guidance as the changes in advice come into effect on 6 July and 1 August.
Unless we see a significant rise in cases we expect the shielding programme to be paused on 31 July

The vast majority of people in the at risk group carried on working so no change there. Quite a few in the shielded category did as well. As a shielded person I ended up WFH, not by choice though. My normal job can't be done from home so I was moved to a different job. 
My employer put a total ban on shielded people entering any of their premises. 

myrealusernameunavailable

A quick update for folks on this thread. 
After a conversation with my travel insurance provider, and on the basis that the easyjet flights were cancelled due to Covid-19, they have confirmed that they will accept the claim for the cost of the non-refundable hotel reservation against the policy that I have. I will however have to pay the excess (£100). 
Thank you for all for your help.