Originally Posted by
inlanikai
I recently stayed at the Spring Hill Suites in Carle Place, NY. It was a simple 8-night reservation without using any points and NOT a prepaid res. I guaranteed it against my CC and used the same one when I check-in. Nothing about the res was changed between the time I made the res through check-in and the stay. My duration was confirmed to be 8 nights at check-in by the desk agent.
After the 7th night (the morning of the 8th day) I get an email with my bill showing the check-out date to be that morning, one day short of my res, and my credit card being charged for 7 nights. I asked the front desk agent why I got a bill showing my check out that morning and was told that it was "normal" for most Marriotts to bill the credit card after 7 nights and that my reservation was for the 8th night as well and that I would get an additional bill for the 8th night, which I did.
Just wonder if in fact this is "normal" or is this just the property trying to manage cash flow? Thanks.
It’s just the property being overcautious with the credit card pre-authorizations. Usually a cc pre-auth (the cc “hold”) expires if the transaction is not completed within 7 days. For the hospitality industry the deadline is after 15 days, although there might be exceptions depending on the card brand, the issuer or the payments processor. Once expired, that pre-authorization is all but useless, especially if the available funds are withdrawn from the cc account or the card is then cancelled.
To prevent cc fraud some hotels require settlement of charges or roll-over of cc pre-authorizations on a weekly or fortnightly basis.