Regardless of how you intend to settle your account, it is Starwood's corporate policy that all guests present an id at check-in. Some hotels do this and others don't, so YMMV.
Forgive me if this is tedious for those in the know, but I'm curious about whether any of our TravSaf/Sec lawyers care to weigh in here.
Suppose the OP's incident involved a hotelier with a corporate policy like the one stated above. Does this not constitute a possible tort conflict? That is to say, it appears that the retailer's check-in policy conflicts with its merchant agreements with VISA, MC et al. to not impose such purchase restrictions as mentioned upthread w/r/t ID.
My (legal) reasoning goes like this. Upon acceptance of a customer's CC to hold a room reservation, the merchant has entered into a direct contract with one party (the buyer) that comes with entailments to abide other contractual agreements (with the CC acceptance companies).
Take into consideration four test cases when formulating your opinions from the bench
:
- Case 1: A customer holds a room reservation with a CC, shows on time and pays by CC at the end of the stay.
- Case 2: A customer holds a room reservation with a CC, shows on time but pays with points, cash, personal check or by some means other than a CC.
- Case 3: A customer has purchased a stay via Priceline or Hotwire with a CC, and is asked for -- and hands over -- a CC at check-in for incidentals.
- Case 4: A customer has purchased a stay via Priceline or Hotwire with a CC, and is asked for a CC at check-in for incidentals, but declines to provide the merchant with one.
What's the decision and how was it made?