The much-awaited Waldorf Astoria New York opened reservations this week for stays starting September 1, 2025 (read more here), although the hotel plans to open a few months earlier.
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You can access Hilton’s page for Waldorf Astoria here.
READ MORE: Hilton Honors Rate & Bonus Points Offers
A LoyaltyLobby flagged this issue and sent us the following message:
multiple people have reported similar cancellation policies on the Hilton facebook group. Maybe you can pressure them to fix it?
I need to change my booking by one day and I’m about to forfeit 150K points by doing so.
I called and they said only the hotel can approve the cancellation without penalty, which the hotel isn’t open yet.
I couldn’t quite believe that the rate would be this restrictive and decided to have a look.
Waldorf Astoria New York Reservation September 2025:
You really cannot cancel this reservation. Usually, if you cancel a noncancelable award reservation, you must pay the underlying cash rate.
Waldorf Astoria New York Reservation November 2025:
The reservation for November is cancelable.
We were in touch with a Hilton spokesperson who told us the following:
There is a pre-paid non-refundable policy for both paid and reward stays for a select number of dates in September due to extremely high demand in New York City. Beyond those specific dates, there is a 3-day cancellation policy in place.
Conclusion
If you plan to book an award reservation at this fully refurbished Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York City, you must pay attention to the cancellation deadline.
Award reservations are usually fully cancelable, but you need to pay attention to the cancellation deadlines, especially at the most sought-after properties and during high occupancy periods. This applies not only to Hilton but also to other hotel chains.
You might be in for a surprise: You must pay the cancellation penalty in cash rather than forfeit the points.
Have you encountered any other Hilton properties with cancellation policies as strict as the one above?
