Non-refundable hostel booking but cancelled flights? Please help!

amychurch

We are a group of 9 who booked a long weekend away at Meininger City West hostel in Amsterdam for the 16th-20th of July 2020. We booked the non-refundable booking on the 2nd of March 2020, before the coronavirus was declared a 'known event' on the 13th of March 2020. Our flights have been cancelled as well as the festival that were supposed to attend. Both the airline and the festival are giving us refunds. We are aware that we are not entitled to a refund from Meininger, due to the non-refundable policy that we chose. Meininger states on their website that, due to the coronavirus, they are allowing their guests to change their booking dates to a later date, but only if the arrival date is before or on the 15th of July 2020. We are arriving on the 16th but, after going back and forth with Meininger, they are refusing to allow us to change our dates, even though we are only one day after the cut-off. What difference is one day? What is the difference between if were to arrive on the 15th or the 16th? There is no difference. We have been extremely polite and reasonable considering the situation but there has been no professionalism or compromise on their behalf. Considering that the world is currently experiencing a deadly pandemic and our flights have been cancelled, we are wondering if there are any laws or rights that we can claim in order to, at least, allow us to change our dates to a later date, if not even claim a refund, given the extreme circumstances that have been presented. Please help us!! Thank you!

mattyprice4004

A cut off is there for a reason, if it was a day ahead you'd have people arriving on the 17th arguing the same as you are.

Unfortunately they needed to pick a date, and as you are aware you're not entitled to a refund.
Just bad luck I'm afraid - you have no rights, and they don't have to do anything. 

bagand96

Depending on your travel insurance level of cover, there is an outside chance that might cover you for your loss.

diggingdude

Why did you book non refundable in march? It was obvious what was coming in march