I'd love for members to assess what may have happened at my recent stay at the San Francisco Airport Marriott. It was a strange circumstance in my experience, and I acknowledge I may have been wrong - always open to new information:

In September, I booked a business trip to the San Francisco Airport Marriott for two nights in October, reserved a month in advance. As the owner of a single-member LLC, I am extremely price-sensitive, and strive to stay at under $200/night.

The day I arrived, the hotel was full with a convention, a point I'd noticed simply because it was very crowded. Weary from cross-country travel, I didn't note at the time (only in retrospect) that I wasn't asked to confirm, sign, or initial a confirmation of my rate.

On the morning of my checkout day, I received an email with my folio info. The amount shocked me - I'd been billed $371 for the first night and $189 for the second. I scoured my email for my original confirmation, but it had unfortunately been trapped in my spam filter and automatically deleted after 30 days. A perusal of the Marriott Rewards website no longer had the rate information for my current stay - that info apparently disappeared once I'd checked in. Attempting to replicate my stay, I used the website to check multiple combinations of two-night stays in the near future - all returned a rate of $189/night.

Time to enquire at the front desk...mind you, this was 7 am on a Saturday morning at the busy airport hotel, not exactly the time they're staffed with their A team. The front desk clerk was pleasant but confused, and seemed very green. "Yes, we had a lot of people check in Thursday, that's why your rate would be so high!" "Okay, but do you have confirmation from me that I agreed to that rate?" "Well, do you have the email you were sent when you booked the room?" "It's been deleted." "Then we have to charge to the $371."

I contacted American Express and filed a dispute for the difference of $182 (should have also calculated the tax differential and added that.) The automated Amex process warned that if I'd consented to the hotel rates electronically or in person, I was unlikely to see the credit approved.

A month has passed, and I just received the following from Amex: "We're writing to let you know that we issued a $182.00 credit to your account because MARRIOTT 337C9 SAN F AP has not yet provided the necessary information. You can expect to see the credit on an upcoming statement."

To me, that suggests that the SFO Marriott changed my rate on check-in, and had no record to provide Amex of my ever agreeing to that rate.

Is that a reasonable assumption?