I have just made an online reservation for a hotel for the valentines and I was surprised to see that they accepted it without asking for any payment from my side. I called to confirm and they said that it's ok and that I will pay in the check in or check out. Is this a normal procedure?
It really depends on your hotel and the site. Most would need a card to secure the reservation at least and then you pay at check out. Did they take a card number or at least give you a reservation number? If it is a private site, perhaps they are more trusting, but I would still rather pay to guarantee a room, because they could say as you haven't paid or paid a deposit then if no room is available there is no contract and the price of the room isn't guaranteed either.
I have made a lot of online reservations for hotels in my time and have always needed a credit card to secure the reservation. I suppose it would be okay if they gave you a confirmation number but if not, I would want some kind of assurance the room would be there for me, when I arrived.
Yes, it is something that I have done before. However, I always much prefer to pay things in advance, as it means that the booking is more secure and there is a record of it. I had an issue a couple of years ago with people who allowed me to book a trip in a hotel but then when I arrived they said they had no record of the booking and they were full, and this meant that I had to go elsewhere, which wasn't great. In the end I did get a small amount of compensation, but to be honest with you it had a huge effect on my holiday so even getting the money back didn't particularly make up for it all that much.
Yep, that's exactly how I felt. I did receive an e-mail with the confirmation of the reserve and I called there to re-confirm, so everything is ok, but let's imagine someone was trolling with their site and booked all the rooms...
Hotels always overbook because they know people will cancel. I would ask them about their cancellation policy if you are concerned. I have seen enough behind the scenes shows to know if everyone does turn up, priority is given to those who paid a deposit and those who have a loyalty card or who have been before. Otherwise they direct you to another hotel. A confirmation doesn't guarantee you a room, only a reservation.
That is true, but I am not expecting them to cancel my room. If for example they are full, I am expecting a call from they and I can pay a signal. They haven't asked for one, so I am good with it.
Hmm, interesting. I've always had to offer up a credit card to hold. And if I didn't supply it online/over the phone, at the very least I had to supply it when I checked in. Then I signed again for the payment when I checked out. They didn't just let me stay in the hotel room without any sort of security at all.
I book hotel and B&B rooms a lot here in the UK and I have NEVER had an experience where they did not charge me BEFORE I turned up. Glad to see you booked somewhere, I'm still struggling to find a room for us for that weekend in a price that won't bankrupt me!
Certain hotels, especially smaller ones, won't ask for payment information. Either that or you're using a pretty terrible website to book your hotel rooms. I wouldn't worry too much about it. There are times when I haven't had to furnish any payment information before I actually checked into the hotel, and that's always a preferable way to do things.
Yes, that's surprising. The common practice in England is for you to give your card details to reserve the room. In the event that you cancel or don't turn up for whatever reason, they retain a percentage of the fee for "administrative" purposes.
As long as you are fine, but for special occasions I would have thought they would want some security . For out of season bookings I can understand. If you have been there before and know it's okay then fine, but if I were you I would reconfirm the booking 48 hours ahead. I'm only thinking of the worst case scenario, you're in PT right? All it takes is someone to see you haven't paid and they offer the room to someone who will pay double.
Me too, that is why I opened this thread, to see how common this would be. Eventually they always have vacant rooms and that is why they don't worry, after all it's not a big city or a fancy hotel...
Take her to a fancy hotel for Valentines Day, she is worth it! If it's not fancy I hope you make it up with gifts and luxury food and meals? I hope the hotel also adds some extras like flowers and wine in the room, ask them or get them delivered if it's not part of the deal IMHO as a woman.
It's not uncommon but you tend to get the best deals if you are fully committed upfront. Once you factor flexibility into any service, then you are likely to pay a little bit more.
Haha, a fancy hotel would be something nice... The hotel seems good, but the location was the most important because we are spending the carnival there too, so it's basically 2 in 1. Here's the link to the hotel:Log In
Haha, a fancy hotel would be something nice... The hotel seems good, but the location was the most important because we are spending the carnival there too, so it's basically 2 in 1. Here's the link to the hotel:Log In
