Best Western Rewards - What am I missing?

I booked thru BW for just one night at Hotel Pension Arenberg in Vienna, Austria, paid for one night with credit card, and get the BW reservation code. Everything hunky dory. No contact made directly by me with the hotel.

Then I receive from the hotel an email demanding within 24 hours my credit card details to guarantee the reservation; otherwise they will cancel my reservation. So clearly hotel has received from BWI details of my reservation and presumably credit card details and payment.

What am I missing here?

I sent the hotel's request to BWI customer service to ask them to intervene, but nothing replied yet from BWI.

Sounds weird. Are you sure the email is from the hotel? Do the links in it look right?

Is this a prepaid stay? How far out is this stay?

Sounds weird. Are you sure the email is from the hotel? Do the links in it look right?

Is this a prepaid stay? How far out is this stay?

CMEZ, good points. The email does look like it came from the hotel, links look all right, but I've sent an email to the general address of hotel confirming that sender of first email is a staff member of hotel.

It is a prepaid one night stay, out in August 2012. Which was my original question, if the one night has been prepaid, why the need for CC details to guarantee the reservation?

So I've not sent all the CC details, like the security code, billing address, etc.

I'm more upset with BW for not yet replying to my original question to them why a booking directly thru BW would generate a demand from the hotel for CC details to guarantee the booking.

I'm more upset with BW for not yet replying to my original question to them why a booking directly thru BW would generate a demand from the hotel for CC details to guarantee the booking.
Our experience here in the US is that calling BW on the phone often gets much better results than emailing them. I realize that calling from Hong Kong may be tricky; do you perhaps have Skype?

The big advantage to calling (or online chat, if they had it, but AFAIK BW doesn't) is the interactive conversation, where misunderstandings can be quickly cleared up, and you know whether there's someone who at least heard your question, which you can't even tell with an unaswered email!

In fact, sometimes on the call with you (but it depends on everybody's timezones in case like this!) they may even be able to get a three-way conversation going wth you, BW central, and the hotel itself! Or they can call the hotel on the other line while they put you on hold and try to straighten it out that way.

Our experience here in the US is that calling BW on the phone often gets much better results than emailing them. I realize that calling from Hong Kong may be tricky; do you perhaps have Skype?

The big advantage to calling (or online chat, if they had it, but AFAIK BW doesn't) is the interactive conversation, where misunderstandings can be quickly cleared up, and you know whether there's someone who at least heard your question, which you can't even tell with an unaswered email!

In fact, sometimes on the call with you (but it depends on everybody's timezones in case like this!) they may even be able to get a three-way conversation going wth you, BW central, and the hotel itself! Or they can call the hotel on the other line while they put you on hold and try to straighten it out that way.

The problems with calling:

1. The BW provided toll free number for Hong Kong is invalid.

2. When calling the US toll free number, it's not toll free from int'l locations, and then we get hung up with recorded messages, "all our agents are serving other customers, so please wait…" with no indication of how long the wait is, and while waiting, we are paying long distance call charges.

And I have found that generally customer service staff in the US have low tolerance and/or low ability to work thru seemingly complicated or involved issues from written communication. They much rather have a chit chat with you on the phone so that you can lead them thru the issue. But then the CS have inadequate staff, so customers are left hanging on the phone waiting while "all our agents are serving other customers…"

I think it has something to do with where you reside, I was once told that Asia and certain countries in the middle east have to send in cc info as there seems to be a lot of fraud in these regions.

CMEZ, good points. The email does look like it came from the hotel, links look all right, but I've sent an email to the general address of hotel confirming that sender of first email is a staff member of hotel.

It is a prepaid one night stay, out in August 2012. Which was my original question, if the one night has been prepaid, why the need for CC details to guarantee the reservation?

So I've not sent all the CC details, like the security code, billing address, etc.

I'm more upset with BW for not yet replying to my original question to them why a booking directly thru BW would generate a demand from the hotel for CC details to guarantee the booking.
At least you have plenty of time to sort it out.

I agree with your puzzlement over why a prepaid reservation where BW has the CC details, since they are the ones who took payment and they should credit the hotel should require the credit card information before you are there. I could see where they would want it on arrival in case of incidental charges.

And yes, BW should respond quicker. Have you tweeted this? Some folks have received faster responses that way.

I think it has something to do with where you reside, I was once told that Asia and certain countries in the middle east have to send in cc info as there seems to be a lot of fraud in these regions.
You're talking about where tangoll resides?

Shouldn't the corporate BW be asking for this additional information as they are the ones the transaction was with? Why is the hotel involved at this point?

Agreed, as a prepaid rate, the local property should only be concerned with a credit card at checkin for incidentals. If the email looks lelgit, I would politely email the property the confirmation number and request that they obtain any further information from BW reservations.

Problem finally solved. As it turned out, the hotel and not BW was the entity trying to charge my card with card details sent to the hotel by BW for the prepayment, and due to the hotel's poor English and poor understanding of the conditions of the reservation/booking, the hotel could not get authorization from my credit card company for "something" (to this day, I still don't know if the hotel has charged my card or not yet, or only wanted a card guarantee). Also, the hotel staff couldn't figure out which is my surname and which is given name. On the details of a new card I gave them, I said, if my name were "Johan Strauss" the Austrian composer, then my name tangoll/family, then family = Strauss, and tangoll = Johan.

BW CS were of little help in resolving the misunderstandings in this matter, because their CS staff did not read the various email messages carefully, and merely tried to find the path of least resistance for making the problem go away. They keep asking me to call them, but when I emailed them with the problems of me calling and suggesting they call me at anytime of their time choosing, they just ignored that suggestion.

I've written a letter direct to BWI President detailing my frustration with dealing with BW CS staff. Let's see if I get any reply.

Thanks to all who posted here.