Can I change the dates or the guest name on a hotel booking after it has been confirmed, or does my customer have to cancel and rebook?

Sometimes yes, but not always, and it depends on the supplier behind that particular booking rather than on the portal itself. Some hotel suppliers accept a proper amendment request, where you send the change against the existing booking reference and the stay is updated. Many suppliers do not offer this at all, and for those the only dependable route is to cancel the original booking and make a new one.

Because of that, the cancellation policy on the original booking usually decides what is actually possible. If the room is still inside its free cancellation window, cancelling and rebooking is normally the cleanest option, although your customer will pay whatever the rate is on the day you rebook, which may be higher or lower than before. If the booking is already non refundable or past the deadline, a date change often means losing the original amount, so it is worth checking the policy before you promise anything.

Guest name changes tend to be easier than date changes. Most suppliers will accept a correction to the spelling of the lead guest name, since that is treated as fixing an error rather than changing the booking. Replacing one traveller with a completely different person is usually treated as a new booking instead, and some suppliers refuse it outright.

The practical thing to do is to look at a confirmed booking in your admin panel and see which actions the supplier allows against it, then ask us which of your connected hotel suppliers support amendments so your staff know in advance when a change is possible and when it means cancel and rebook.