JW Marriott Mumbai (Juhu Beach) engaging in Dynamic Currency Conversion scam
 

Really disappointed to find out this high-end hotel is engaging in such a petty scam. It was an unfortunate end to what was really a delightful experience at one of the best hotels in the Mumbai suburbs.

On check-out, I was given full statement for four nights that was quoted in Rupees, and then made to sign a small receipt which had the Rupees written in large, bold type, and a dollar amount (which admittedly I did not notice) written in small type just above it.

A totally dishonest act. Stayed in 4 hotels throughout India and ate dinner ate so many restaurants without encountering anything like this. The difference of $50 is not a big deal, it’s more of the principle that matters, especially coming from a highly regarded JW Marriott brand that already makes a killing off over overly priced everything.

Thanks for posting this! I did find out that they did the same thing for my stay at the JW Marriott Delhi Aerocity!! I explicitly remembering requesting to be charged in INR but now I called my credit card company and found out I was charged in USD! This also makes filling out my expense reports a pain as I have to submit them in local currency! I did confirm that for my stay at the JW Marriott Mumbai Juhu they charged me in INR and not USD.

I had a similar situation recently with a property in Mexico. They charged me at a conversion rate that they knew was not going to get converted into USD at the same conversion rate. I asked about it before check out, and they assured me that it would convert at the specified rate.

I complained about it when I saw the charge on my CC, and they blamed it on their own Marriott credit card. :rolleyes:

The options as I see them are to not stay at JW Marriott properties that charge in non-USD denominations, or accept the fact that they are going to skim an extra $50-$60 off an already expensive stay by playing with currency fluctuations and saying "it's out of our control".

I'd imagine that most people staying at a 5-Diamond property aren't even going to notice that amount of money. Still doesn't make it ethical. And you can be sure that they'd find a way to collect if the currency fluctuation wasn't in their favor.

Not just in Mumbai
 

They started doing this at the JW in Chandigarh as well. It wasn't happening through the end of January, but has for my 2 stays in February and March.

Yeah, I've been burned by this scam enough (Shanghai, London, New Zealand) that I now make sure at both check in and check out that the local currency is being used. No more express check out internationally.