Originally Posted by
Oxon Flyer
Juist as an afterthought, a specific example. Today, the GB pound is at all-time low against the USD. Anyone planning on visiting London next year should be seriously considering making their reservations right now.
Imagine making a reservation with Marriott this evening to go and have tea with the King next August, when it's clearly stated that "Prepay rates will be charged the full cost of the reservation within 24 hours of making the reservation." But it wasn't charged as promised, and the guest ends up hundreds/thousands out of pocket because exchange rates have normalised in the meantime. If this went to legal dispute, who is liable ?
USA based answer. There would not be any legal liability. In contract law, there is a concept of consequential damages,
i.e. losses which are occasioned by non-adherence to a contract, but are so speculative and uncertain as to be not part of the bargained for exchange. For example, FedEx not delivering a package one day late. FedEx is only liable for the refunding the delivery fee. The fact that the package contained your life saving medicine normally will not cause additional liability to be imposed on FedEx as that is too far removed from the likely and reasonably foreseeable consequences of a late delivery. Similarly, insuring against adverse currency fluctuations are not part reasonably bargained requirements of a hotel reservation.
I guess how I look at this is --
In the Rate Details it states:
Are there instances where it
benefits us the customers if they do NOT charge within 24 hours? In other words are there instances where we the customers are happier if they do NOT follow their own written "rule"?
Yes, there are.
With that said,
what I do not prefer is uncertainty.
If they say they'll charge immediately, and they do charge immediately, I know for sure what I'll get.
If they say they'll charge immediately, but some properties do, some charge anytime before arrival, some won't charge until checkout... It's difficult to plan accordingly.
e.g. If there's a Chase/Amex offer expiring, it's better to be charged sooner; If a travel credit (CSR, or former Bonvoy Brilliant) is about to renew, it's better to be charged later.
If they
consistently charge within 24 hours on prepaid rate (again, as they explicitly claim)--
- If being charged immediately works for me, I'll choose the prepaid rate knowing I'll be charged immediately for sure
- If being charged immediately works against me, I'll choose a rate other than prepaid knowing I'll NOT be charged immediately for sure
The "knowing for sure" part is essential as I like making
informed decisions.
I can appreciate the desire for certainty in life. However, I would posit that in normal hotel operations, there is zero
intrinsic benefit to the guest to have the credit card charged prior to check in. Accordingly, the language about immediately charging is not a promise to the guest, but rather an admonition to the guest, an admonition solely for the benefit of the hotel,
i.e. the hotel is giving itself the right to charge the credit card prior to check-in. By analogy, suppose the hotel says the pool
will be closed during the month of October for renovation. However, renovations are completed early and the pool reopens on October 20. You cannot credibly claim that the hotel is wrong for opening the pool early. Now, perhaps something specific (and only known) to you would have preferred the pool remain closed for the entire month of October, but a complaint is likely to fall on deaf ears. Similarly, a hotel allowing a guest to keep his money for a longer period of time presents,
again in normal travel, no detriment to the guest.
And you can run down the list of things which the hotel asserts for its own benefit, but if changed, is not normally cause for complaint, e.g.
- Increasing hours of operation for restaurants, lounges, shuttles, the aforementioned pool assuming no excess noise;
- Reducing ancillary charges, e.g. parking, restaurant, resort fees; and
- Providing extra points or other amenities
I would put charging my card at check-in instead of when I make the reservation, in the same category as the above.