1. Overview
Plans change, and we want cancellations to be predictable. Each stay rate plan on Pravaasa carries a cancellation tier chosen by the Host: Flexible, Moderate or Strict. The tier decides whether you get a refund if you cancel, and how much, depending on how far ahead of check-in you cancel.
This policy describes how the tiers work in the Platform today. It uses simple, fixed rules so that you can work out your refund before you decide. The tier that applies to your booking is the one attached to the rate plan you booked. Please check it before you pay and, if you cannot see it clearly, ask the Host or the support team before paying.
This policy applies to stays booked and paid for through the Platform. Treks, trips and events booked on an organiser's own website follow the organiser's terms (see Section 10). Refund mechanics, such as how refunds are paid and how long they take, are in the Refund Policy.
2. The Three Cancellation Tiers
Each tier has two values: a notice window (how many hours before check-in you must cancel) and a refund percentage (how much of the booking total you get back if you cancel in time).
2.1 Flexible: 24 hours notice, 100% refund
If you cancel at least 24 hours before check-in, you receive a 100% refund of the amount you paid for the booking.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before check-in, the refund is 0%.
2.2 Moderate: 120 hours (5 days) notice, 50% refund
If you cancel at least 120 hours (5 days) before check-in, you receive a 50% refund of the amount you paid for the booking.
If you cancel less than 120 hours before check-in, the refund is 0%.
2.3 Strict: no refund on guest cancellation
The Strict tier has a 168-hour (7-day) notice window and a refund percentage of 0%. This means that if you cancel a Strict booking, the refund is 0%, whether you cancel 30 days or 30 minutes before check-in.
Strict rate plans are often offered at a lower price. Please read the tier carefully before you choose one, and only book a Strict rate plan if you are sure of your dates.
2.4 Summary table in words
Flexible: cancel 24 hours or more before check-in, 100% refund; later, 0%.
Moderate: cancel 120 hours or more before check-in, 50% refund; later, 0%.
Strict: 0% refund at any time on a guest cancellation.
Each tier works with one cut-off only. There is no sliding scale or extra partial-refund step between the cut-off and check-in. If you cancel before the cut-off you receive the refund percentage for your tier, and if you cancel after it you receive nothing.
3. How the Notice Time Is Counted
The notice time is the number of hours between the moment your cancellation is processed on the Platform and the check-in date recorded on your booking. The Platform makes this calculation automatically when you cancel and applies the result. It is counted from the start of your check-in date and not from the Host's stated check-in time, so a Host's afternoon check-in time does not give you extra notice time.
Because the cut-off is exact, a cancellation made even a short time after the cut-off falls into the later band. If you are close to a cut-off, cancel as early as you can and do not leave it until the last minute.
A cancellation counts from when it is completed in the Platform, not from when you sent a message to the Host. Telling the Host by phone or chat that you want to cancel does not cancel the booking. Please cancel from your account, or ask the support team to do it for you.
4. Worked Examples
In each example, the refund is the refund percentage applied to the total you paid for the booking, including taxes. Refunds are returned to your original payment method as explained in the Refund Policy.
4.1 Flexible booking
You paid INR 10,000 for a stay beginning on 20 November on a Flexible rate plan.
You cancel on 15 November, which is five days before check-in. This is more than 24 hours before check-in, so you receive 100%, which is INR 10,000.
You instead cancel on the evening of 19 November, which is less than 24 hours before check-in. You receive 0%, which is INR 0.
4.2 Moderate booking
You paid INR 12,000 for a stay beginning on 20 November on a Moderate rate plan.
You cancel on 10 November, which is ten days before check-in. This is more than 120 hours before check-in, so you receive 50%, which is INR 6,000.
You instead cancel on 17 November, which is three days before check-in. This is less than 120 hours, so you receive 0%, which is INR 0.
4.3 Strict booking
You paid INR 8,000 for a stay beginning on 20 November on a Strict rate plan.
You cancel on 1 November, almost three weeks before check-in. The Strict tier has a 0% refund, so you receive INR 0. Please remember this before booking a Strict plan.
4.4 Host cancels
You paid INR 10,000 on a Moderate rate plan. Three days before check-in, the Host tells you the property is not available. Because the Host cancelled, you receive 100% of the booking amount, which is INR 10,000, no matter what the tier says. See Section 6.
5. How to Cancel a Booking
Sign in, open your trips page, choose the booking and select cancel. You will be asked to confirm. When the cancellation is processed, the booking is marked as cancelled, the dates are released back to the Host's calendar, and the page shows the refund amount that applies to your booking.
Only a confirmed booking whose check-in has not yet started can be cancelled yourself in this way. If your payment was never completed, there is nothing to cancel, because the booking was never confirmed. If the stay has started or ended, contact the support team through /support or support@pravaasastays.com.
Cancelling is final. Once a booking is cancelled, it cannot be reinstated, even if you change your mind. If dates are still available you can make a new booking at the then-current price.
If you have trouble cancelling, for example the button does not work or your payment shows an error, contact the support team promptly with your booking reference. We will look into what happened and take it into account where the problem was on our side.
6. When a Host Cancels
Hosts are expected to honour confirmed bookings. If a Host cancels a confirmed booking, or cannot provide the stay as booked because the property is unavailable, unsafe or materially different from the listing, you are entitled to a full (100%) refund of the amount you paid for the stay, regardless of the cancellation tier of the rate plan.
Contact the support team as soon as you learn of the problem. We will review the case, confirm the refund, and, where we can, help you find a comparable verified stay for the same dates through our re-accommodation support. Refunds follow the timeline in the Refund Policy.
Hosts who cancel confirmed bookings without a genuine emergency may face consequences such as loss of calendar or listing privileges, withheld payouts for the affected booking, lower visibility, re-allocation fees as set out in the Host Agreement, and suspension or removal for repeated cases. Where a Host asks you to cancel yourself, to pay outside the Platform, or to "rebook directly" to avoid a cancellation, please do not do so and report it to the support team.
If you chose the optional Pravaasa Protect service, it may provide additional help with a host cancellation, such as rapid investigation and priority help finding a matching verified stay. It is not insurance. See the Disclaimer.
7. No-Shows, Late Arrival and Early Departure
If you do not arrive and have not cancelled before check-in, the booking is treated as a no-show. The refund is 0% because the cancellation window has passed.
If you arrive late, leave early or stay fewer nights than booked, you are not entitled to a refund for unused nights unless the Host agrees, and the stay is not shortened by the Platform automatically.
If a Host refuses to check you in for a reason that is not your fault, for example because the property is not available, is unsafe, or is not as described, treat this as a host-side problem and contact the support team immediately. Keep photos, messages and any other evidence.
8. Exceptional Circumstances (Force Majeure and Emergencies)
Some events are outside anyone's control, such as a natural disaster, flood or landslide that makes the property unreachable, a government order that bans travel or closes the area, or a serious emergency affecting a guest or host. The cancellation tiers do not automatically waive in such situations.
If something like this affects your trip, contact the support team as soon as you can with details and proof. We will review each case individually and speak to the Host. Depending on the facts, the outcome may be a full or partial refund, a date change, a credit arrangement agreed with the Host, or no change to the tier outcome. We cannot promise the result in advance, and any exceptional arrangement is recorded in writing.
Personal reasons such as a change in plans, illness, work commitments, a missed flight, visa problems or bad weather that does not stop travel are not treated as exceptional circumstances on their own. We recommend taking your own travel insurance for these risks.
9. Cancellations by Pravaasa and Fraud Cases
Pravaasa may cancel a booking if we have reasonable grounds to think it is fraudulent, if a payment cannot be verified or is reversed, if the Host's listing is removed for a serious breach (such as a fake listing), or if the law requires it. Where we cancel a booking because of a Host's breach or a Platform error, you receive a full refund.
If a booking is cancelled because a Guest has broken our Terms, for example by providing false identity details or by using a payment method without permission, no refund may be due and payouts may be withheld.
Any attempt to arrange a cancellation or refund outside the Platform, such as asking you to send money to a personal account for a "refund", is not part of this policy. Do not do it, and report it.
10. Treks, Trips and Events
For treks, trips, rides and events that you book through an organiser's own website, the organiser's cancellation and refund terms apply. Pravaasa is not a party to these bookings and does not hold the money. Please read the organiser's terms before paying, as policies on weather, minimum group size, fitness checks and transfers differ.
If an organiser cancels an event, contact the organiser first. If you cannot get a response or you suspect the listing is fake or misleading, report it to our support team so that we can review the listing.
11. InstantMatch Requests Before Payment
Creating an InstantMatch request does not involve payment, and you can let it expire or stop using it without a charge. The cancellation tiers apply only once you have a paid, confirmed booking.
12. If You Disagree With a Cancellation Outcome
If you believe the wrong refund was applied, for example because the wrong tier was shown or the Host did not provide the stay as described, contact the support team at support@pravaasastays.com or through /support within a reasonable time with your booking reference and supporting evidence. We will review it and reply.
You can also open a dispute on the booking through the Platform, including a cancellation dispute, as described in our Terms & Conditions. Nothing in this policy limits your rights under Indian consumer protection law.
13. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Cancellation Policy. A change applies to bookings made after the change takes effect. A booking that is already confirmed stays subject to the cancellation tier and terms that applied when you booked.
Questions About This Policy?
Our customer support and legal compliance team is available to assist you.