Overbooking: Sometimes hotels may overbook their rooms and not have enough space for all the guests who have made reservations. This can result in some reservations being canceled. Payment issues: If there is an issue with the payment method used to make the reservation, the hotel may cancel the reservation.

Expedia may cancel a hotel reservation for several reasons, the most common being overbooking at the property. In many cases, a hotel's local system fails to "talk" to Expedia's central database in real-time, leading the hotel to sell a room that Expedia had already promised to you. Other reasons include fraud prevention filters; if your credit card details or account activity trigger a security alert, Expedia will automatically void the booking to protect themselves. Occasionally, an "obvious price error" is the culprit; if a $500 room was listed for $5, Expedia reserves the right to cancel the booking rather than honoring the mistake. In 2026, many cancellations are also due to the property closing unexpectedly (due to maintenance or weather) or the traveler violating the "Rules and Restrictions" of the specific rate (such as booking a resident-only rate without living in that area). If your reservation is cancelled, Expedia is generally required to offer you a refund or help you find "comparable alternative" accommodation, though they are not always legally bound to cover the price difference of a more expensive hotel.