bgriff

I think the hotel is well within their rights here -- the T&C on the booking page state:Furthermore there are taxes on the $110 so your $110 isn't enough money anyway.

Land-of-Miles

This is standard practice for C&P, hotels always convert to local currency in my experience.

stimpy

Would you expect US hotels to take Euros? Or any of a hundred other currencies? The best thing to do is use an ATM to get Euros and pay with that. Or use a credit card that doesn't have forex fees.

I was just as this hotel last week and had another good stay. The club is just as good as ever in all areas except the beer and wine quality is quite poor now.

Land-of-Miles

Hotels worldwide in many locations convert rates from US$ or Euros to local currencies at checkout. Generally speaking the conversion is done at a reasonably fair rate. Has the OP never travelled beyond the US before?

bgriff

Well, to be fair, I think DJMeatBall was complaining more that the hotel would use a bad rate in calculating the $110USD->Amount to be charged in Euros conversion, not so much that his credit card might have additional fees (though possibly that too). Which is a fair complaint but unfortunately it's just part of the package on C&P rates outside the US. And while I get your point about US hotels not taking Euros, it is also the case that you are highly unlikely to be quoted any US hotel stay price in Euros as part of a rate like this.

Perhaps if the rate which you are charged looks truly outrageous you can try complaining to Starwood corporate, though I wouldn't hold my breath on that.

As I noted in a previous post, this hotel does generously offer to charge you in your home currency and save you the credit card fees ... but charges you 3% for the privilege. Perhaps they would make you a similar deal here. Bottom line is you're probably going to pay up either way.

stimpy

I've traveled all over the world and I'm quite sure I've never seen a reasonably fair rate of conversion at hotels. Hence my suggestion to use an ATM.

bgriff

But the ATM doesn't solve the problem that the hotel gets to decide how many Euros are equal to 110 USD.

Land-of-Miles

Not sure what you meant, I meant in the conversion on the invoice from the original terms of booking to the local currency not in using cash notes.

stimpy

Same thing. They don't use the bank rate.

stimpy

Yeah, but it's just cleaner in that you can give them the exact amount, rather than effectively changing a higher amount in dollars and getting change back in Euros.

Land-of-Miles

Never seen massively egregious conversion rates myself. I tend to look at this closely and the differential is typically a fraction of a standard credit card loading.

DJMeatBall

Wow, I didn't mean to start a $@$#-storm of comments on this master thread. Of course I go beyond the U.S. a few times per year, it's just that this is the first time I've actually been able to properly score (for me, a seemingly rare) C+P rate on an International property and I had the (apparently mistaken) impression I could just give them USD cash or the exact amount of travellers cheques and be done with it, versus having to deal with whatever their conversion fees are. I'll suck it up and do the Euro thing when I check out.

FD1971

The C+P amount at the Sheraton Schiphol should be inclusive of the VAT, but exclude the Amsterdam City Tax for overnight stays, which is 5.5% now.

DJMeatBall

To be precise, my C+P receipt from Sheraton Schipol was 80.97 € (I guess their equivalent of 110 USD), plus VAT of 6% (4.86 €, i.e. not inclusive), and City Tax (4.59).

vballny23

I apologize if this was documented already. I have not seen it in this thread. I am Gold and booked a 1 night award stay in October. In an email following the standard confirmation email, I received the following offer:


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