100% of accommodation fee forfeited

We had an exceptional experience in December 2020 such that we decided to book for a second visit in July 2021. Unfortunately, on the booked date, our car broke down. We informed Lake Eland that we would be late as we were trying to fix the car. The mechanic tried to fix the car for several hours with no success. We then requested for a postponement as the car issue was beyond our control. We were informed that all our money will forfeit. We were not cancelling and the situation was unforeseeable. 100% of accommodation fee forfeited just like that. Is this the right way to do business?