Good for you if you are benefiting, but I think this is something people should think about carefully. If, for whatever reason, the hotel does not get an approval, they will just move on to another card. If your bank's system is down for a minute, you won't be told they moved on to your second card. You will not know this until you go to do your expense reports. If you get reimbursed from your company or pay out of pocket, this won't be a big deal. But if you work for a company that requires all expenses be done through a corporate card, you run the risk of having to do the several hours of leg work. I'll take the extra 30 seconds at check-in.

The third number belongs to some stranger. It's not now nor never was my number. (Although I've checked all my credit card statements for two months back up to yesterday twice, even the cards I don't use and the cards on which I'm a co-signer or authorized user.) It probably belonged to some poor sap who also was staying the hotel that night. Whoever did the early check-in was very, very careless. For all I know, it's your card. Yet another reason I don't want them doing the credit card before I get there. Who knows whose room they're going to charge to my card? Obviously, once they get those card numbers out, there's not much care taken sometimes to ensure the right card is charged to the right room.

At a minimum, when an alternate card had to be used, it should be brought to the customer's attention. When a card was declined it should be brought to the customer's attention. When a customer hands the card to the front desk, but the desk agent is not using that card, it should be brought to the customer's attention. Prior to this, it did not occur to me to say to the clerk that I wanted the room charged to the cc I gave him and he is holding while I'm getting my room key. It seems pretty obvious, doesn't it?

Since this particular hotel is not good about bringing things to the customer's attention, I thought it important enough to post here as a warning. Check which card is on your invoice, and check your cc statements carefully to be sure a hotel like this one didn't charge my, or someone else's, room to you.