Is a 12-Year-Old Hotel Accommodation Voucher Still Valid? Citizen Yang Ming-Zong from Changhua recently found an accommodation voucher he purchased at a travel expo 12 years ago. He thought it might have expired after all these years but was pleasantly surprised when the hotel confirmed it was still valid. The hotel’s integrity was still praised while accommodation vouchers typically don’t have expiration dates according to regulations.
Yang Ming-Zong said that he purchased accommodation vouchers for Kenting Maldives Hot Spring Hotel and another business hotel at a travel expo in 2011 to use them for future trips.
However, as time passed, he forgot about the vouchers. Recently, when he decided to plan a trip, he opened a drawer and discovered these two accommodation vouchers. He thought, “It’s been 12 years, I wonder if the hotels are still in operation and if the vouchers are still usable.”
Yang Ming-Zong, the citizen, mentioned that after he called these two hotels to inquire, they confirmed that the vouchers were still valid. This pleasantly surprised him.
However, Maldives Hotspring Hotel in Kenting informed him that the original vouchers included meals for two people but clarified that they no longer provide meals. Instead, they would provide a meal supplement of 350 NTD. The other business hotel also confirmed that the vouchers could be used but mentioned that there would be an additional fee of 300 NTD after the two-year expiration date and an extra 300 NTD charge on holidays.
Mr. Yang recently used his accommodation vouchers. He found both hotels had undergone renovations. Especially at the Maldives Hotel in Kenting, the current weekday room rate is only 1,000 NTD, and he and his wife were delighted with their stay. He commended the hoteliers for their integrity in honoring the accommodation voucher contract, which he found commendable.
Changhua County Government’s Consumer Protection Officer, Mr. Zhang Qiyu, pointed out that according to the standardized contract provisions for hotel gift vouchers, accommodation vouchers should not expire. Even if they expire, they can still be used. When consumers purchase accommodation vouchers, a contract is already established, and the operators are not allowed to set any restrictions on price differences in the contract.
However, suppose the accommodation voucher is part of a promotional offer. In that case, it can have a limited validity period, and once it has expired, it can be used as cash equivalent to the original purchase value.
However, practicing lawyer Hong Zhixian reminded that the validity period for accommodation vouchers should follow the regulations of the Civil Code. As all rights have a statute of limitations, the right to claim expires after 15 years. The intention behind this is that “the law does not protect those who let their rights fall asleep,” so individuals should actively protect their rights and interests.