Marriott has doubled the notice period required to cancel a booking in the Americas region to 48 hours.
Customers must now give two days’ notice of a cancelled booking or pay out a fee equivalent to a one-night stay.
Previously guests could cancel up to the day before check-in without penalty.
The new policy is applicable to all hotels in the Marriott portfolio, in the US, Canada, Caribbean and Latin America.
The new rules do not currently apply to the rest of the world.
This includes brands which were acquired from Starwood Hotels & Resorts, but does not include the independent Design Hotels or Marriott Vacation Worldwide properties.
Marriott issued a statement saying: "Guests will now be required to cancel their room reservation by midnight 48 hours prior to arrival in order to avoid a fee.
"Because cancellation policies vary by hotel and for certain events and rates, customers should always check the cancellation policy that applies at the time of booking," it added.
The company says the change will help to cut down on ‘a significant number of unsold rooms’ due to last-minute cancellations.
A spokeswoman added: "At this time, it only applies to hotels across the Americas."
