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Re: COVID-19 Related Cancellations (by Anna H.):

First of all, Redweek understood there was a world wide pandemic and business as usually was no longer applicable. Everything and everyone had to pivot to a new reality. The tourism industry was shuttering down. Let me repeat that. The tourism industry was shuttering down. There was no other choice than the one Redweek made. Resorts were not accepting new reservations, they were cancelling, as were airlines. National borders were shuttering down, and nations were calling their citizens home. This was not a one day or one week event. This was and is, an on going, life threating pandemic and today the world is not yet back to normal. Five months in (for North America), we are still in our limited bubble with restricted travel in place. So YES, Redweek made the only decision it could. Renters who had booked prior to the lockdown in mid March, were and are entitled to a full refund. Prepaying for a product or service before it is accquired is rare. Most businesses provide their service at time of payment or before hand. The tourism industry is a rare exception. A contract becomes "null and void" when one of the parties are unable to fulfill their obligation, as was the case of the resorts. The fact that certain resort chains "official avoided" announcing their immediate closure had more to do with servicing their "in resort" clients than it was to staying open to accept new visitors. The wave of cancellations were not unexpected and certainly not unreasonable. Withholding refunds reflects negatively on the owners and is in poor taste. Renters seeking refunds for vacation spots they could not travel to or gain access to, very reasonable. Lets not make this about money.