One trend driving hotels to tighten cancellation policies is that cancellation rates have been rising. “Part of the issue is that business travelers are canceling more than they did previously,” Dr. Hanson said.

Policies allowing a reservation to be canceled as late as 6 p.m. on the arrival date have been standard in many business hotels for more than a decade. But gradually, some hotels have been requiring more notice — and in some cases raising the cancellation penalty. While the penalty for canceling past the deadline is a single night’s rate at most city and suburban hotels, “at some resorts it might be three nights. And at some destinations it’s the entire stay,” he said.

Like many business travelers, I often change travel plans. I was recently charged one night’s stay — $271.56 — at the Rosen Centre Hotel in Orlando, Fla., when I canceled on the day I was supposed to arrive to attend the National Business Aviation Association convention.

The hotel’s policy was that cancellations for that event required advance notice of 72 hours. Given that rooms were difficult to find near the convention center, I assumed the Rosen could readily resell my room, but at least the policy was clear when I booked the stay.

Cancellation policies often change, just as room rates usually do, depending on anticipated demand. When I checked on Sunday, a room at the Rosen for Dec. 2 and Dec. 3 was $237.50 a night, with a one-day cancellation policy. But again, that policy was clearly explained.

Unlike the airline industry, the hotel business is diverse and competitive. There are about 53,000 hotels with a total of almost five million rooms in the United States, according to the American Hotel and Lodging Association, which estimates that business travelers account for 41 percent of hotel stays.

Hotel occupancy is “at an all-time high, at least since 1988,” said Robert Mandelbaum, director of research information at PKF Hospitality Research. After a slump during the economic crisis, by the end of 2015 the demand for rooms will have increased by more than 25 percent since 2009, while the supply will have increased by only 5.6 percent, according to a recent forecast by PKF Hospitality Research.

“The pendulum has swung to the hotel side,” Mr. Mandelbaum said. “They now have much more ability to dictate prices and policies.”