Dear Len-KC,

For the benefit of those reading this review, below is a factual account of what occurred.

On the afternoon of October 9, you cancelled your reservation for arrival on October 9. To avoid the cancellation fee, the reservation needed to be canceled prior to 6:00 p.m. the day before arrival. This information would have been communicated to you when the reservation was made. I don’t know of any hotel in the United States that does not have a cancellation policy. They are an industry standard.

When you telephoned the hotel on October 9 to cancel the reservation, it was explained to you a cancellation fee would be charged due to the late cancellation. That same day, you spoke with our Front Office Manager who reiterated the cancellation fee would apply. At this point, you informed our Front Office Manager you were cancelling due to a medical issue and asked that the fee be waived. The Front Office Manager explained to you that if you would like to have your Doctor or Nurse provide a note stating you needed to cancel the reservation for a medical issue, we would be happy to review it and take it into consideration when determining if the fee would be waived. You then forwarded the hotel an e-mail from your Doctor’s office which said in keeping with their new standard procedure, all patients needed to be screened for COVID-19 two days prior to their Doctor’s appointment. It said your screening would be on October 26. Our Front Office Manager explained to you that an e-mail from your medical care provider confirming your October 28 appointment would not exempt you from the cancellation fee.

You telephone me on October 15. At that time, I explained to you that if you wanted the hotel to consider waiving the cancellation fee you would need to provide the hotel with a note from your Doctor’s office stating that due to a medical issue, you needed to cancel your reservation.

On October 20, you sent me an e-mail stating the hotel’s request was unconscionable and highly unreasonable. I responded back confirming the hotel would most certainly consider waiving the cancellation fee with a note from your Doctor’s office stating that due to a medical issue, you needed to cancel your reservation. There was not a response to my e-mail.

The hotel has acted in a similar fashion many times when guests request an exception to the cancellation policy for medical reasons. In my 11 years at the hotel, no guest, until now, has refused to provide a note from their medical care provider. I don’t recall any instance where the hotel did not waive the fee when the note was provided. It is the hotel’s position that the note simply confirming an appointment later this month does not warrant an exception. We regret that you disagree, and that you refused to provide the requested information. We now consider the matter closed.

Sincerely,

Don Breckenridge
General Manager

Dear vickimc13,

First of all, thank you for your loyalty to the hotel over the years! We are fortunate to have so many guests who have called the InterContinental Kansas City their home away from home for many years, which is something we value a great deal and will never take for granted.

Safety and cleanliness are always top priorities, and they are certainly more important than ever now. Many efforts and steps have been taken to ensure guests feel safe at the hotel while COVID-19 is still a concern, so we’re glad you felt very safe during your last experience.

We all look forward to your next visit. Whenever I may be of service during any future stays, please do not hesitate to contact me at dbreckenridge@kansascityic.com!

Sincerely,

Don Breckenridge
General Manager