macmet

Why is it Wyndham does not allow express checkouts? Other hotels I go to allow for express checkout but when I'm a Wyndham location I have to stand in line to tell them to put it through on the same creditcard info they already have....

And speaking of info they already have, why do I have to give them my personal information everytime I check-in? Is it not available with my profile?

Drives me crazy... Had to rant somewhere.

Wyndham Alison

Thank you for your feedback.

For member's privacy and security the hotels need to verify the member's information.

I will pass along your feedback for us to have express checkouts to the appropriate parties and thank you for taking the time to express your concerns.

milestraveler

This is one of the most substance-free answers I've seen from you, Wyndham Rewards 2. The OP asked why Wyndham differs from other chains, and it is a fair question re: both express checkouts and info needed on checkin. Every other chain I use regularly (Hilton, Marriott, Starwood, Hyatt) seem to have fairly common practice.

If the answer is merely "Wyndham doesn't have a brand standard and we leave it up to each hotel", that's a fair answer, but at least try harder to explain the difference v. the competition.

macmet

MT, thanks for the support!

nikitta28

I never check out I just leave, magically gets charged to my card and I call if I need the receipt to submit the folio to conur. I spend 40+ nights in Wyndham this year.

SamirD

I think I can bring some insight to this question being in the hotel industry most of my life. ^

One of the biggest reasons you want someone to physically check out is to have a proper information (signed credit card receipt, etc) in case the charge is disputed. The CC companies have gotten much, much tougher on the proof requirements and it's very, very, very easy to lose money even when someone has legitimately stayed.

Second, on the subject of personal information, well, the system is stupid. You'd think that after 20 years, this innovation would come to every property management system known to man. Oh, I think it has--except to the Wyndham one. But even if the information is there, it should be verified with the customer. And I have a serious pet-peeve on this that I have to vent. How many of you verbally tell the front desk clerk your personal information during check-in? How many of you do this when there are other guests in the lobby? Franchisors require that room numbers aren't announced, and yet you are expected to tell everyone within listening distance what your name, address, and phone number are? I'd hate to be an attractive young woman traveling alone these days at a place with creepy old sales guys. Not only is this practice terrible for privacy, but it's also very, very slow since it is one-at-a-time.

When I was managing a property back in the 1990s, we had registration cards. So when a rush of 10 people came to check in simultaneously, I handed out 10 cards. As people finished filling them out, I got an ID and CC and wrote the room number on the reg card. Then all I had to do was fill out enough in the system for the system to allow me to check in that room number. I could check in someone in under 2 minutes this way. Then, when things were slower, I went back and entered in all the guest information off the reg card. Why should a guest wait while their information is entered or retrieved? It's ridiculous imo. A walk-in check in takes almost 10 minutes today; this was unheard of even back in the 1980s when everything was just paper. End rant.

nacho

Now I understand why I had to initial and sign at every single sheet of paper when I check into a days inn/super 8.

I even had to sign when I was checking out at a Super 8.

SamirD

Yep, especially when paying by credit card. It's a must now.

Of course, the property management system for these brands is also the most awful I've ever seen in my over 30 years in the industry. I mean, it's barely one step up from doing everything manually. The old 1980 pascal-programmed text-based one was faaaaar better than this one, and it was phased out in the 1990s.

thunderdeacon

Today I checked out at the Days Inn Norman, OK and I just handed them the key card. They didn't ask me to sign anything at check out. I did tell the attendant that I didn't need a receipt or copy of my folio. I had to sign one piece of paper at check in.

SamirD

And if you disputed this charge with your credit card company, there's a 90% chance that the property would not be able to provide enough 'proof of stay' to keep from having to give your money back. Different property owners do it different ways, but there's only one way to cover all the bases with the credit card processors.

thunderdeacon

This is quite interesting to think about. I imagine a particular motel will skate along for a while like this particular location did with my paperwork until they really get burned by a guest... and then everything tightens up.

SamirD

Yep, that's usually how it happens. Like with a long-stay guest who just happens to dispute the charge and wins. Suddenly, the property lost out on over a grand of revenue. That's not an easy hit to take.

RoboTraveler

At check-out at a Days Inn in Tacoma, WA, you need to return the special key or get zapped $10.

SamirD

Ahh yes, the days of key deposits may return. Was this a RF ID card, or one with a chip looking thing in it?

The normal credit card looking ones are pretty cheap and don't require re-keying a lock--hence why key deposits went away completely.