Major hotel chains waive fees as Wuhan coronavirus outbreak hits Lunar New Year travel plans of millions
- At least seven hotel chains have said they will offer free changes or cancellations to bookings up to February 8, and with some offering the service worldwide
- Travel and tourism sector is likely to be hardest hit, and restrictions on travel would disrupt economic activity in the short term, according to the EIU
Major hotel chains are waiving cancellation fees or offering refunds in China and beyond, as millions of people rethink their Lunar New Year travel plans following the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak.
At least seven top hotel chains have said they will offer free changes or cancellations to bookings up to February 8, and with some offering the service worldwide. These include 5-star hotel group The Peninsula Hotels, Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, French hospitality group Accor, Hilton, Marriott International, InterContinental Hotels & Resorts and Rosewood Hotels and Resorts.
Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, which sits under Hong Kong-headquartered parent group Jardine Matheson, said its hotels around the world all “manage enquiries on a case-by-case basis”.
As of Friday afternoon, the National Health Commission, the Chinese task force investigating the virus, confirmed 875 cases of infection across the country and 26 deaths.
Eight mainland cities have been subject to total lockdown in an attempt to limit the spread of the infection further. Cases have been diagnosed in Hong Kong, Macau and the United States, while 14 people have been tested in the United Kingdom.
On Thursday, the United States Centres for Disease Control and Prevention raised its travel alert for Wuhan city due to the coronavirus outbreak from level 2 to level 3, meaning people should avoid non-essential travel.