Starwood Preferred Guest - Prepaid Internet Rates

The Prepaid - Rate was not burdened the credit card.
Does somebody have experiences with Prepaid-Rates (Internet9?

Not quite sure about your question, but as far as the PrePaid Internet Rate, I've used it at a number of hotels (both Starwoods & other chains). They generally charge your credit card immediately upon booking--or within a week. Just make sure upon check in that you are not charged again, thus I would recommend keeping a printout of your reservation when arriving at the hotel. Also, as a Platinum, even with the generally very low prepaid rate, I've received all the amenities/upgrades/premimum rooms or suites that were expected.

In my last experience using a prepaid rate my card was not charged in advance, but I made the reservation only 6 days in advance. So I don't know if that's why. In any case, I was a little perplexed upon checkin at being told they never charged me, and I let them charge me at the desk. To date only one set of charges has showed up.

Of course with people reporting double-billing this kind of behavior is very confusing both to us and the hotels..

When booking a hotel reservation using a NON-Starwood website (expedia, travelocity, quickbook, hotelres, etc.), whether pre-paid or not, do we get credit for the stay?

I presume that all Starwood website bookings are eligible for credit stays.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by pitflyer:
[B]In my last experience using a prepaid rate my card was not charged in advance, but I made the reservation only 6 days in advance.</font>

My experience is pretty similar. I booked a prepaid internet reservation five days in advance last week, and I was not charged ahead of time.

I booked one about 2 months in advance(May 4), back in early March. I have not yet been charged, and hope they will forget when I stay.

Great rate $105 or 109 at the Weston Grand in DC.

I have a stay coming up this week in PHX and I did the prepaid rate about a month ago. The dramatic twist to this is that I put it on a debit card, and the bank I was using has since gone bankrupT(internet bank). I know this debited my account back then, I just hope they have record of it, becuase I'm not about to pay twice.

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Just visting from the Continental's land of "ENHANCEMENT"

I've stayed on prepaid rates and was charged at check-in. They'll get your $$$ one way or another!

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by jetsethotel:
When booking a hotel reservation using a NON-Starwood website (expedia, travelocity, quickbook, hotelres, etc.), whether pre-paid or not, do we get credit for the stay?

I presume that all Starwood website bookings are eligible for credit stays.</font>

Pre-paid, probably not. Paid at the hotel, probably so. There's just not a panacea I can offer in every situation, but this rule seems to fit most of the time.

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Specialist, E-Communications Department
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

guest.forum@starwoodhotels.com

Translation: sometimes a property screws up and gives you credit on a pre-paid when they shouldn't http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif, but you're always entitled to points on a non prepaid rate. What an interesting place this would be if Lurker was unshackled by the constraints of good taste, diplomacy and professionalism http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif !

made a prepaid reservation for two rooms at a W hotel back in November. One room was charged in advance, one wasn't.

Made a prepaid reservation a few hours in advance last week and it was not charged.

I booked a pre-paid internet only rate for the Westin Long Beach. Upon check out my folio showed the room rate but it was not included in the total, only the incedentals. I asked at the desk to have the room and tax included for expense purposes. I was told I'd have to talk to accounting. Well after a long drawn out discussion with two different agents I was finally able to get the requested info. Needless to say I'm not happy having to jump through all these hoops to get a bill that reflects all charges on a prepaid stay. It wasn't worth the $20 in savings.

I don't have this problem with Hilton.

I am having an issue with one of these now. (I'm not sure if it is a REAL issue yet, still trying to track that down). I had an early June stay, "prepaid", credit showed on the folio, which suddenly appeared on a September online statement for my credit card. I wanted to pay cash altogether (and would have at the hotel but for the "prepayment"), and now I'm trying to see if I "prepaid" with another credit card other than the one in my profile, because I don't always use that for hotel stays. 3 months after a "prepaid" stay to first be billed isn't quite right.

On 5/23/02 I booked a prepaid internet only rate room on the SPG web site for one night (7/26/02)at the Sheraton Rittenhouse Square Hotel in Philadelphia. My credit card was charged on 7/8/02 for $101.46. On 7/23/02 morning I cancelled on the SPG web site because the cancellation policy said "If You Cancell Between Today And 6 Pm hotel Time On Tuesday, July 23, 2002 The Forfeiture Amount Will Be $25.00. If You Cancel After 6 Pm Hotel Time On Tuesday, July 23, 2002 The Forfeiture Amount Will Be The Cost of 1 Night Stay. Rates May Not Include Tax And Gratuities" When I did not see any credit on my credit card, I called the SPG office and they contacted the hotel. The hotel called and left me a voice message that I cancelled too late and therefore forfeited the whole $101.46. I called back to SPG office and asked them to check the cancellation date and time on their web site. They checked and told me they would contact the hotel again. Few days later when I called the SPG office, they told me that the hotel said they would refund me the whole charge of $101.46. When I received my AX bill and there was no credit, I called AX and gave them the information and AX reversed the charge and sent me a letter in the mail with an adjusted balance. Now I stay away from prepaid internet only reservations.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by MyDearMiles:
. Now I stay away from prepaid internet only reservations. </font>

I'll probably do the same. It's more hassle than it's worth. The rate differences between prepaid and the regular posted rates are not significant enough for me to book the pre-paid rates. At the same time if one of the other chains has a better rate I'll book with them instead of paying a higher rate at a Starwood property.