Originally Posted by
Happy
You must not stay in hotels especially International hotels very often.
Yeah, you are right, I only have 130 nights this last year, 90% in International hotels.
Originally Posted by
Happy
Yes, hotels can and would charge you long after you check out. That is when the hotel could not reconcile its books, sometimes Months after you already checked out.
Last year I was charged by an IHG property 5 months after I checked out, on an award night stay using a Chase annual free night cert. It took a month to sort this out - hotel is in Italy, does not know how to process the billing on the reservation because it is not the customary usage of Points. So they have no idea how to bill Priority Club the IHG's loyalty program.
I go to my reservation in the "Rate Details" and it states:
"Room: KING BEACH VILLA
DATE PRICE PER NIGHT TOTAL (USD)
Room Subtotal: 300,000 points
Total for stay: 300,000 points
Rules & Restrictions
Taxes
Additional tax, surcharges, and service fees may apply. Any incidental charges are the responsibility of the guest. (Full details in Terms & Conditions.)
8.00 % per room per night
10.00 % per room per night
$8.00 USD per person per night"
I have agreed to pay 300,000 points, $8 per person per night, and incidentals. I have not agreed to pay a cash rate for the room, rack rate or not, and as such they can not charge my credit card for such. Hilton is a US company, I booked it via their US portal, they are subject to US laws, and no US law allows them to charge my card for something I didn't authorize.
Originally Posted by
Happy
If you read hotel forum and pay enough attention, such charges are nothing unusual - you do leave your CC info at the hotels, dont you? So just like the rental car industry, it is entirely possible AND Legal, to charge the customer long after the service is render. In fact, it may even in the hotel's conditions of providing service in the small prints on the check-in paper you sign... Though I bet no one would ever read such.
Yes, I do leave my credit card, specifically authorized for incidentals, not fictitious room charges.
Ok, I'll bite. Please show me the forum posts where people have been charged for their rooms when on an award reservation (and wasn't a mistake where they couldn't reverse the charges), and not some "I used a 3rd party voucher that wasn't reconcilable", I am talking about award reservations using points from the hotels own loyalty program booked through their website.