Four out of the last 5 hotel stays I was overcharged for something. None were very big and all were corrected when I complained, but it seems as if it is more than an accident, especially since two in a row were at the same hotel.

Once it was for an internet connection that was supposed to be comped. Another time for a meal I ate in the restaurant and was charged room service rates. Another time it was an inappropriate fee for an award stay, and the last was a valet parking charge when I self-parked.

I am wondering if the recession has cut into business so much that hotels are trying everything they can to get a little extra out of every stay and hoping people won't notice - or is this just coincidence and incompetence.

I would write a very calm but detailed trip adviser review for each one. Highlight the good, but give complete details of the incidents of being overcharged. Hotels read the reviews and if they see a sane person who obviously isn't flying off the deep end when writing a review, it will put them on notice, unless they just don't care. You might also want to fire off some polite nasty-grams to the corporate HQs if they are chain hotels.

I've had increased hotel stays this year across several brands and haven't noted any increase in billing errors.

I've seen this since well before the current economic downturn. Sadly, IME, the higher-end the place, the more frequent the billing irregularities. My personal favorite was a charge from the Ritz in Philly some years back that hit my corporate card several days after a stay for (IIRC) $2.38. I called the hotel and asked what that was - they said, "minibar." I asked them what item they had for so little in the minibar? The removed the charge immediately. This was after arguing at checkout (and winning) overcharges made to my room before I arrived at the hotel.

Strangely I have seen less overcharges charges in the past year or two.

MisterNice

Watch out for erroneous mini bar charges. That seems to be the current money maker for hotels now that they've lost so much telephone revenue. It seem if you just look at anything in the fridge you'll be charged!