Originally Posted by
Thunderroad
Not that this will make the OP feel any better, but last year I had an experience where I mistakenly used an expired CC to book a prepaid room at a Comfort Inn--a budget hotel that supposedly is not as "professional" as the Sheraton Tribeca. I showed up, they explained the situation and simply asked me for a different card. No problem.
Anyway, glad you're getting some SPG back-up and satisfaction out of this unsatisfactory chain of events. Again, I hope you post this situation at the main FT thread for this hotel and at Tripadvisor.
When this happened to me last year in Rome, I was contacted by the hotel's reservation office the following day when I made the reservation, which is about a month in advance. It was also a pre-paid rate. This is how it should be handled normally. 3 hours notice is not reasonable, people may not check their e-mail within 3 hours.