Advance Purchase Process - Concierge Please Help
 

I am trying to work out what happens when you book an advance purchase, non-refundable rate via Marriott.Com. In particular when is the payment processed. The reason I need to know is that I want to make sure the payments for the following bookings are processed this month -

JW Bangkok, January 2012
Patong Courtyard, January 2012

On the same day that I made those 2 bookings I booked the Pattaya Marriott and I have had that transaction go through in full.

The reason for the urgency is that as a UK MR member I will no longer be able to earn points on my Halifax Visa after the end of this month.

I have had some process same day as booking and some process at checkout. I've never had them process in between. Hope that helps.

I thought the point of advance purchase was that they were charged immediately vs at the stay; otherwise, what's the purpose of advance purchase?

Worst case call the properties (Skype is your friend) & ask them to process them soon.

Cheers.

Our one and only advance purchase stay was processed only a few days ahead of checkin.

when the card is charged is left up to LSOP (local SOP)....the best way to gtd the charge will go through this month is to call the front desk and ask them to process it immediately

I used ADP on a SHS in the US and I never got charged until I check out. I know it because I tried to use GC to pay for the stay and AFAIK GC is also good for ADP rate.

Don't count on it though because I booked an ADP rate at CY Hamburg, and on the reservation it states clearly that they won't charge me until 24 hrs later. Then I got an LNF rate approved for that rate - I was still charged full. They fixed it (I wrote an complaint via Marriott.com) with apology and points as comp. - that's why I'm loyal to Marriott because when there is a problem they will try to fix it - not just a standard corporate apology but you do hear someone from the property which is very nice.

My letter from The Halifax says I will earn points until my Oct Billing Date. Are you saying you will not earn points after the end of August.

My experience in advance payment bookings has been that it depends on the hotel but usually within a few days the charge has been processed.

Finally - why on earth stay at the Courtyard in Patong on Phuket Island when the JW Marriott Resort and Spa is infinitely better - Patong as a resort is horrendous. Also there are some great deals on offer from the JW Marriott in Khaolak.

The bit about the "end of this month" was an error on my part, I thought it was September already :o.

As for why I am staying in Patong rather than Mai Khao is that as much as I like the JW as a property, I dislike its remote location. Having stayed at Patong over 30 times in 20 years I guess I do not find it as horrendous as you.

Also, I have e-mailed my contacts at the JW and CY and asked them to make sure the payments are processed. Prachoom, the Resident Manager at the JW, responded within minutes^ and the payment done within hours. My contact at the CY is out of office until today, but I am sure she will take care of things for me.

As far as Patong is concerned I guess we can agree to differ but reports such as the following do not attract me to the place:

PHUKET: A German man is in intensive care fighting for his life after he was beaten by a mob of Phuket tuk-tuk drivers for refusing to pay a fare of 200 baht (approx US$6.70).

Kathu Police Duty Officer Teerasuk Boonsang told the Phuket Gazette that he was called to the scene, near the junction of Soi Bangla and Rat-U-Thit 200 Pi Road in Patong, at 11pm on Thursday.

The victim, Kurt Trotnow, 53, and his wife took a tuk-tuk from Aroonsom Plaza to the Tai Pan nightclub, Capt Teerasuk said.

The journey is about 800 meters along the southbound Rat-U-Thit 200 Pi Road.

“When they arrived, the driver charged them 200 baht, but Mr Trotnow insisted on paying only 100 baht,” said Capt Teerasuk.

The maximum fare to be charged by tuk-tuks within Patong is 200 baht, as set by the Patong Taxi Federation in February.

What happened to agree to differ? ;) You prefer the other location; the OP after 30 stays in 20 years prefers Patong. To each their own.

In doing a google search I didn't find reports (plural) of people being beaten on a regular basis.

To the OP - glad the advance purchase worked out & you'll get your points :)

Cheers.

The high prices of tuk tuks and taxis apply all over Phuket and not just in Patong. The fact that the German ended up in hospital is sad, but as a percentage of the number of tourists carried by tuk-tuks that is a very isolated incident. And I am no fan of the tuk tuk drivers approach to pricing, however I do go by the golden rule and agree the price before the journey. I have never had a driver go against what we had agreed.

I am more than happy to agree to differ.;)

I can't ever recall having an advance purchase rate charged at booking with Marriott. It appears many hotels wait to process payment pursuant to their own SOP. There was even a thread a few months ago in the SPG forum stared by a Platinum member who was walked after booking a prepay rate for a hotel in Manhattan months in advance. The hotel waited until the day before his arrival to charge his card which declined. The hotel used this as justification for canceling his room. When he arrived at the hotel he had no room and al,ost every hotel in Manhattan was sold out. He ended up embarking on some incredible ordeal and paying hundreds a night extra to find alternate accommodations.

I stayed at a European CY and had the advanced purchase charged 24 hours after the booking, as you can cancel the reservation within 24 hours.

Anytime I've booked an advance purchase (granted, rare for me to do so), I always get charged in advance.

Actually one time that saved me (dif major chain) because I had paid in advance for a stay in London to get a cheap rate. Used my c.c. at LAX to purchase a ticket for an upcoming trip. Get on plane, fly to London, land, check in - c.c. declined. WTH? Call the c.c. co back in the US. They said the fraud dept called to verify the charge (they called my home #, which obviously I wasn't at) & when they couldn't get me, they CANCELED the card! No hold; they canceled it, so they couldn't lift the hold. This was a Thursday arrival for a Fri mtg, & I was flying back Sun a.m. so they couldn't get me a replacement card, nor could/would they authorize the incidental hold on the card. I used a dif card for that - and when I returned canceled forever the c.c. that had done the cancel vs temp hold on the card. Nimrods.

Cheers.

Cheers.

I am reading the Phuket Gazette and the situation as far as Tuk Tuks in Patong goes it seems to be very bad. A number very bad incidents. So bad that several foreign countries are considering issuing travel advice to their nationals NOT to use them in Phuket.
the German in IC had agreed a price upfront but was charged double when he paid the agreed fee. He was then attacked and kicked into a coma by a gang of Tuk Tuk drivers.

So I would urge caution as far as Tuk Tuks in Patong are concerned.