Originally Posted by
raikje
chongcao makes some good points as to why it is nice to have that available as an option, even as the default option. Certainly, some places that authorise £50 or £100 extra on a business traveller arriving for a 1 night stay at 11pm need to gain a bit of common sense. But there is something about "you must pay in full on arrival, no exceptions" that isn't exactly very welcoming.
There are few things I'd pay for sight unseen, and a hotel room for a night is one of them.
I've only ever encountered this at Premier Inns, which is fine - you know what you're getting there since they're a hotel-room-only setup. But it does seem strange to deliberately nobble your incidentals like this, limited though they are at a HIX