Incidental Charge Authorization
 

So I was looking to book a room and the below popped up for the first time (or first time I've noticed) for my hotel choice. The only Hyatt in the area where this notice appears when trying to book.

So even if I use a credit card, and there are no incidental charges, I am still charged and have to wait for a charge back? Seems odd for a CC charge and it's the first time I've seen it on the reservations page. (Has this been ongoing with me not noticing it?)

Cheers

Cheers thegrailer!

Thanks for sharing your concern. This location has chosen to notify guests in this manner, it is the same process however. The hotel will authorize the card at check in and access the final bill at check out. Depending on the bank, the authorization hold can take 5 to 7 business days to reflect on your account. I believe this is shared particularly for guests using debit cards.

Please let me know if i can further address your concern.

Safe travels,

Julie B--Hyatt Guest Relations

Julie B

Thanks for the reply. Again, maybe I've just never seen this but a pre-authorized charge on a credit card - really? Seems odd. I've seen and read the notices for debit cards, but this notice specifically references credit cards. Could it simply be poorly worded? Maybe its missing something akin to this from the beginning of the 2nd sentence "For guests using a debit card ..." Then again, the hotel seems to be saying you must have a credit card: "Valid credit card required at check-in" rather than a debit card in which case the authorization makes even less sense. No real biggie here, it's just something new, new at this hotel, and something I've not seen. That being said, what is the hotel going to do when I check out and pay with a Hyatt gift card? (it is the best rate so I am staying).

Cheers and thanks again for the reply.

Hello thegrailer,

Thank you for your response. It would be fine to use your Hyatt Gift card upon checkout.

Enjoy your stay!

Julie B--Hyatt Guest Relations

I don't think I've stayed at a hotel in the last ten years that doesn't authorize for incidentals. Maybe Motel 6 type places don't but normal hotels, especially resorts and Vegas hotels, authorize for incidentals. $15 is cheap.

I see it all the time. I had a stay last night in the Dulles area and my room was $89 with taxes. A $139 temporary authorization was made and it will drop in a few days. I paid with a Hyatt e-card. When I charge gas at Costco I automatically get a $150 temporary hold. I remember the first time I saw a hold, maybe 3-4 years ago, I went down to the hotel counter to ask about it and they had to explain to me the whole preauthorization procedure.

OP may have confused the "authorization" with actually being charged $15/day and then receiving a refund.

For the OP, all this does is reduce your available credit by the authorization amount. Thus, if your card has $25K left on your CL and you check in for 2 nights, your credit limit will drop to $24,970. But, you won't actually be charged for anything.

I dont recall ever having rec'd a message like the one you have quoted when making my reservation.

Its not a matter of receiving refund, it just takes a couple of days after check out to disappear from the "pending" segment of your credit card. As others have stated - there is nothing new/unusual about the hotel holding a bit for your room.

Lets say you are there for 5 nights @ 200/night - when you check in, the hotel will run your credit card for 1075.00 (1000 for room + 5 nights @ 15 for incidentals). This amount will appear in the "pending" section of your credit card - and reduce your overall credit by 1075.00. When you check out, the hotel will run the final charge for 1000.00 (assuming you didn't have any incidentals) and the 75.00 will fall off the bill.

IME, it would be very unusual for it to take 5 to 7 days for the 75.00 to disappear.

$15 is a really low incidental authorization rate, pretty much everywhere I stay is $50-100/night (there are some places in Vegas which are $200+). Actually I think there probably should be more disclosure of what the rates will because I bet a lot of people who prepaid a NYC hotel room for a week would be surprised to find out that typical incidental charge for a 7 day stay in NYC is $700 (not sure about the Hyatt NYC props but I know all the Hilton NYC props are $100/day and I think that is what I had for both Andaz visits). Not everybody has massive available credit all the time.

That was my thought as well - Im guessing it was for a Hyatt Place where there are fewer options for incidental room charges

I must just be out of the loop with the authorizations, I am typically only concerned with the final charge. Wow - I guess I need to pay more attention. :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

Virtually every other comment was on track. It was near Dulles. The amount is de minimis. First time seeing it while making a reservation. It was a Hyatt Place. New sign at the check in counter stating the same (substantially similar actually). The sign is new too.

Cheers

Ive definitely seen signs like this at HP - but they usually reference debit cards.

I've seen similar signs at the front desk for Marriott family properties.

Do different Hyatt locations charge different incidental fees? because i just checked into one in the downtown boston area and wasn't inform of the fees either until i got there. I called twice ahead of time and they didn't tell me until i shown up with my 10 year old about it. The fees they charging me a day don't match up to what i hear you guys say or what i see online. I see 15 but this place is charging me 50 a day (150) total they took out on top of the 410 the stay is. Should i go and talk to the supervisor then?

You haven't been charged anything -- it's an authorization. It means that if you use anything that has a fee, they will charge the card. If not, they release the authorization.

If you are paying with a credit card, it will show up as a "pending" charge but it will never post -- it will just drop off if you have no charges.

This reduces your available credit until the authorization drops off. If you are very close to your credit limit this can pose a problem. If not just ignore it.

And of course different hotels authorize different amounts. Also you are replying to 5 year old posts -- things change over time.