Hotel Tax - Colombia
Dec 31, 2018, 8:09 am
#2
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: 42mi from AMS
Programs: UA 1K 1MM, Marriott LT Au, Hilton C, IHG PtA
Posts: 576
If you're 1) a foreigner with 2) a correct type of entry stamp in your passport and 3) are within the stay limits (90 days ?) then at check-in the hotel should foto-copy the stamp-page from your passport and _not_ charge you the tax. That has been my experience in the past.
Now some _will_ use some a very disadvantageous (unpublished) conversion rate from USD into COP per night, and then offer to charge you in USD using another disadvantageous rate...
Now some _will_ use some a very disadvantageous (unpublished) conversion rate from USD into COP per night, and then offer to charge you in USD using another disadvantageous rate...
Dec 31, 2018, 4:33 pm
#3
Suspended
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2018
Posts: 590
If you're 1) a foreigner with 2) a correct type of entry stamp in your passport and 3) are within the stay limits (90 days ?) then at check-in the hotel should foto-copy the stamp-page from your passport and _not_ charge you the tax. That has been my experience in the past.
Now some _will_ use some a very disadvantageous (unpublished) conversion rate from USD into COP per night, and then offer to charge you in USD using another disadvantageous rate...
Now some _will_ use some a very disadvantageous (unpublished) conversion rate from USD into COP per night, and then offer to charge you in USD using another disadvantageous rate...
Jan 4, 2019, 1:28 pm
#4
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: MDE
Programs: AA-PLT, HH-GLD, PP
Posts: 1,511
In the case of tourists, that is also your visa. That is the stamp that you need to show the hotel.
Note: if anybody in the room is not a tourist, whether they are a foreign resident on a residential visa or a Colombian citizen, then the tax must be paid. Therefore, if you have multiple people in the room, all need to show their tourist entry stamp.
Jun 11, 2019, 11:12 am
#5
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Denmark
Programs: TK Elite
Posts: 11,771
How do you manage this for prepaid hotel rooms? It appears that almost without exception the 19% tax (or VAT or whatever it is) is added when making reservations online and I expect it to be hard to get it back once you have paid, in particular if the hotel bookings are made with an OTA like Expedia, Booking.xxx etc. The only solution is to reserve a room to be paid to the hotel upon arrival and then fight it out at check-in?
Jun 14, 2019, 8:14 am
#6
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: 42mi from AMS
Programs: UA 1K 1MM, Marriott LT Au, Hilton C, IHG PtA
Posts: 576
How do you manage this for prepaid hotel rooms? It appears that almost without exception the 19% tax (or VAT or whatever it is) is added when making reservations online and I expect it to be hard to get it back once you have paid, in particular if the hotel bookings are made with an OTA like Expedia, Booking.xxx etc. The only solution is to reserve a room to be paid to the hotel upon arrival and then fight it out at check-in?
I have booked through chain websites, where the VAT was or wasn't witheld. Some hotels considered the non-VAT-withheld payment for the room, others converted what was with-VAT paid and used that to offset costs, I usually had some extra charges from room-service etc.
I have _not_ booked these through OTA's, and those might _not_ be very transparant towards the hotels, thus making it much more difficult...
Aug 3, 2019, 3:52 am
#7
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Denmark
Programs: TK Elite
Posts: 11,771
I just returned from CO.
Data points. I avoided OTA and booked directly with the hotels. They either didn't charge my credit card in advance (although it was prepaid and non-refundable reservation) or only charged the rate without VAT (even though the reservation clearly included VAT) subject to showing passport with an entry stamp from the CO immigration which allows you to be exempt from Colombian VAT. I didn't pay any VAT for the hotel expenses ^
Data points. I avoided OTA and booked directly with the hotels. They either didn't charge my credit card in advance (although it was prepaid and non-refundable reservation) or only charged the rate without VAT (even though the reservation clearly included VAT) subject to showing passport with an entry stamp from the CO immigration which allows you to be exempt from Colombian VAT. I didn't pay any VAT for the hotel expenses ^
