New York hotel promises refund if it rains during your holiday

Nobody wants their holiday ruined by a sudden downpour – and one hotel in New York City might just have the answer for soothing the rainy-day blues.

The Renwick Hotel, in Midtown Manhattan, has partnered with climate risk technology company Sensible Weather to offer a “weather guarantee” for its guests.

If it rains during your stay, the hotel will refund the cost of the room for that day. It’s similar to taking out insurance for rainy weather, as guests pay for the protection in advance. The service is already available at other hotels, such as the Yonder Escalante in Utah and a number of properties in the AutoCamp group.

Nick Cavanaugh, the founder and CEO of Sensible Weather, told Travel + Leisure that the service is all about “mitigating a bad day”.

“[The ‘weather guarantee’] changes [a guest’s] attitude around what they were going to do that day. Maybe they continue on and do it with the knowledge that it’s free, or maybe they change their plans and go do something else. Either way, we want to change that moment of pain.”

For those planning a trip to the Big Apple, data shows the city’s average yearly rainfall is 1,119mm and March is the wettest month.

If travellers have chosen the “weather guarantee” when booking the hotel, the process for getting their money back is straightforward.

If it’s projected to rain for two hours or more between 9am and 7pm, their daily hotel rate is reimbursed. Guests will receive a text message notifying them of the bad weather and of their refund; this is usually before the rain occurs as it’s based on day-of forecasts.

Money is returned automatically without any paperwork or need to claim, and can be sent by PayPal, Venmo or returned back to a card.

According to Mr Cavanaugh, the predictions are based on data from Nasa, the National Weather Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Forecasts showing poor weather can’t be used to cancel stays ahead of time, however. The initiative is offered year-round at The Renwick.

“We are very excited to partner with Sensible Weather to offer Renwick hotel guests and New York City travellers a truly unique service that will help protect their investment and put their minds at ease,” said Brian Sparacino, president and CEO of Rebel Hotel Company, which operates The Renwick.