Originally Posted by
sdsearch
Is that true for every tax worldwide?
Some years ago I stayed on points at a Choice hotel at Oslo airport (I don't remember which one if there is more than one), and at checkout they demanded about $4 of some local tax which, upon my arguing that it shouldn't be due on a points stay, they said they are required to charge for all stays, no matter how paid or not paid otherwise. (Ie, it appeared to be flax tax, not proportional to the rate.) I was in a hurry to get to my plane so didn't argue further and just paid it, but it seemed unusual.
And it would have impractical for me to contact Choice Privileges while at the hotel checkout in Norway. (It would have been the middle of the night back in the USA, and I wouldn't have known how to contact Choice Privileges from Norway anyhow.)
Please note: Choice Hotels in Norway are in a sister program called Nordic Choice, which is redemption-only for those in Choice Privileges.)
And that's why I ask whether this is true for all Choice hotels worldwide, or just hotels in Choice Privileges, or just hotels in North America, or what. Thanks.
The Quality or Clarion? Are you sure the "tax" wasn't related to having used hotel transport to/from the airport? Was it like in a multiple of 65NOK?
I've stayed at most of the Nordic Choice hotels using US Choice points and I can't recall a single instance of my cards being charged taxes. Often on these bookings they don't even ask me at check-in to provide a charge card for my stay (to even cover incidentals).
In the Scandinavian countries, the advertised rates are always inclusive of all taxes. In bookings made outside of Scandinavia for Scandinavian hotels, taxes and fees may be co-mingled and end up not included in the advertised rate selected initially in a booking process. But I've never seen this hit with US Choice award bookings for Nordic Choice hotels, and I am pretty sure that I am one of the most prolific users of points in this way.