TRAVELBABE

I have a reservation through BRG which I found in dollars on a competing website but which was converted into euros b/c the property is in Rome. The dollar is doing better against the euro than it was at the time, but my reservation is still 2 months away. Even though the reservation is cancellable up until 24 hours before check-in, I'm thinking I would like to pay my reservation in full to guarantee the current dollar/euro exchange rate. Has anyone ever tried this before?

Bondiboy

Maybe the hotel will accept a deposit! Phone the hotel and ask.

But what to do if your plans change?

craz

I have 6 prepaid non-refundable stays upcoming. not 1 of them has been charged as of yet.

I have had the following happen when booking a prepaid & non-refundable;

1- its charged then and there by teh Hotel

2- the Hotel charges it sometime before I get there but not teh day I made it

3- the Hotel charges it when I check-in

4- the Hotel charges it when I check out

The difference is since its not in US$ sometimes I jumped on the prepay to lock in what was a favorable US$ at the time that might not be as good when the stay actually takes place (can be better also). Sort of like a stock, you see a low price and buy it , can be it will go lower still or you got it just above the low.

Eother way no matter how its handled in the end for when its charged , its still a non-refundable res, so even if the Hotel wont charge my CC till I check-out no way to get out of the res, unless calling the Hotel and they allow it

could be if I call the Hotel they will proceed and charge the stay but then thats gonna be a long Intl call to handle it

TRAVELBABE

That's very strange that they wouldn't charge you right away for a pre-paid rate. I think I will call SPG and report back what they say. But I agree one should be able to lock in a favorable rate at the time of booking, especially for a non-refundable one.

TRAVELBABE

Just called SPG. They said I can't prepay, and I will have to pay in accordance with whatever the exchange rate is when I check out of the hotel. Since the rate I found was in dollars & was matched by BRG & then converted to euros, I will take this up with them when I return if it turns out to be higher because of the exchange rate.

craz

I take it if it goes in your favor that you will ask the Hotel to charge you the difference

I dont think you will get anywhere with SPG if it costs you more US$. There are *s all over the place basically We have to go by whatever type of Currency the Hotel charges so although you might have done a BRG by finding a cheaper US$ rate, what counts is the Currency the Hotel uses, in your case Euros. SO BRG converted the US$ rate you found into Euros and proceeded from there

No where did BRG tell you that the charge will be in US$ they must either convert Euros to US$ to do the comparison or vice versa. But is for Comparison Only, the actual Currency will be what the Hotel shows on SPG.com. You arent locking in a US$ price as the Hotel is in Euros

I wouldnt waste more then 30 secs (if that) trying to get SPG to refund you anything due to Forex differences.

DCBob

Obviously, you don't use prepaid rates on SPG.com a lot. It seems to be the exception, not the rule, that you get charged upon booking the reservation. More often, I get charged a day or two before the arrival date or upon checkout. I just checked in at the Westin Bonaventure in LA for a reservation made two weeks ago and still have not been charged. I expect to be charged on checkout.

mahasamatman

If you're really a master of international currency arbitrage, you would have more money than Bill Gates by now.

If you still want to lock it in, go exchange your dollars right now for Euros, and pay in cash when you check out. That way you're guaranteed today's exchange rate.

NDDomer86

My suggestion would be to contact the hotel directly and request that they apply a deposit to your account. I did this for each hotel I'm staying at on a current five day stint in New York, as I am not carrying the card I wanted to be charged with me. All the individual hotels requested was that I send in a credit card authorization form, signed and dated, with the information for the card I wanted charged.

TRAVELBABE

I've never booked a prepaid rate, and I'm wondering why the hotel wouldn't charge you right away. It's like an airline waiting until your day of departure to charge you, even though the fare you book is non-refundable. Aren't they even the slightest bit concerned that one could cancel the credit card the prepaid rate was guaranteed with and get out of it if plans changed or a better rate was found elsewhere?

sfozrhfco

You should expect to be charged any time between the time that you make the prepaid reservation and the time of check in. Especially if you are running close to your cc limit, do not expect that the charge won't come through until you check in or you will be in trouble. Some hotels do charge it right away, other hotels wait. I'm sure if you have a prepaid rate that hasn't been charged yet and you ask the hotel to process it, they will happily take your money now.

mahasamatman

Somebody would have to be pretty desperate to cancel a credit card just for that.

TRAVELBABE

Desperate.

TravelFreak131

I've been able to do this before. When I was staying at the Gritti Palace, I called the Luxury Collection and had them fax me a Credit Card Authorization form. I noted I wanted to the amount charged in full immediately, and 2 days later, it had posted on my credit card.

have you tried contacting the hotel to see if they would charge your amount prior to arrival?

craz

they have absolutely nothing to worry about. You make the res use a CC then no-show, they will still charge the CC you used and even thou you cancelled the CC You will most definitely still get a bill, dont pay it its reported any your Credit is now worthless. Dispute it and the hotel will send in confirmation you booked a non-refundable stay and your CC will enforce it = You Lose

I dont suggest doing this unless you wish to ruin your Credit