Your the reason my nonsmoking room smells like smoke thanks a-hole
I wish I could charge the freaking hotel back every time the goddamn maid knocks on the goddamn door when I have the goddamn DO NOT GODDAMN DISTURB sign hanging on the knob!!!
"Does 'Do Not Disturb' mean 'knock immediately' in Spanish?" -- Bill Hicks
I mean seriously, if check out time is 11am WTF are they knocking on doors at 9 am?
[/frequent hotel stayer rant]
That's why you use the Spanish side of the card, goober.
That's where I work. It was all secret to go nonsmoking, we got a memo and the hotels has so long to comply and at reservations we could no longer take smoking requests in the US. I was thrilled. Many people do not want to be in smoking rooms, which makes them darn near impossible to sale.
A side note the Fairfeild Inn by Marriott ( close to the airport ) here in San Antonio was nonsmoking before the US was nonsmoking. And they charge $200 dollars for smoking there in a nonsmoking room. If you don't like it stay at another brand. Or smoke in degsignated smoking areas like at work.... Also do you smoke in your house??? That's stinky
Thanks for the response. Your post pretty much made my decision for me.
Once again - how you prove that the guest have been smokeing in a room?
Thankfully that's not part of my job. I'm not at a hotel now. So I don't have to deal with that, I just have to quote it when on the phone making the reservations. Probably the housekeepers report it to their manager who checks it out and makes the call. And/or when another guests checks in and says it smells like smoke. I guess in theory you could try and "tip" the housekeeper very well not to tell.... But is that worth it???
well the problem is in takeing the money from a person who was smokeing, yup you can take the money from the card but it is illegal as you do not have a permission from him and he/she do not plead gulity.
The problem is not not with whether he or she was smokeing and our knowledge about it.
btw - quite an easy job only making reservations
That's what I was trying to explain in my previous post. You DO have the guests permission to charge his/her card.well the problem is in takeing the money from a person who was smokeing, yup you can take the money from the card but it is illegal as you do not have a permission from him and he/she do not plead gulity.
The problem is not not with whether he or she was smokeing and our knowledge about it.
btw - quite an easy job only making reservations
When you check into a hotel you enter a business relationship with the hotel, where you agree to pay for a service that they provide. As with any agreement there are conditions to be met by both sides. If it's a non smoking room and it clearly says that they don't want you to smoke in it then you either agree with this or go elsewhere.
When you smoke in a non smoking room you have caused damage to the room (it costs money to restore it to a smoke/smell free room) - just like if you broke a chair or smashed a lamp in the room, and you would be charged for such damage wouldn't you?
And in your previous post you said you charged the guest the first night stay on his card when the check in. It's not how it works elsewhere, they swipe you card upon check in but charge you nothing, it just puts a reserve on your card for a certain amount. When you check out that amount is then defined and charged (and if you damaged the room - the repairs will be part of that amount).
No Slomo. The agreement etc. yup that is all allright, and the hotel have the right to charge the guest who was smokeing. But how to prove him that?
he might be mad about the charge he would not plead guilty about it.
What damege?! I was not smokeing!
We only takeing prepayment from the unknown guests to be sure he has the money to pay for the night. Excample - the walk-in.
And this making a room (money) in the card. We had problems (as I've heard) with guest, they always were mad why we took the money. Cause you know, most people got the informations from banks on their cell phones. So we stopped that precedure.
many situations may happen, one of my collegues was quite lucky as guest was checking out paied and said that she just wants the laggage from the room and then goes on a breakfast.
Good that housekeeper checked the minibar. It was empty. How the guest explained the situation? "Well I thought it was all free" . My a$$. And the funny thing is that this receptionist would pay for the minibar which is about 1/4 of month earnings.
And if the guest would keave how you charge him for the Mini Bar?
Even if he was paying with card. Well no doubt about it - we would charge it from the card IF there was still money on it
But again we do not have a signature of the guest after accepting the charging from the card terminal.
In the US you can add the mini-bar charges after the person checks out. It just works that way. Even if things are not discovered until after you are gone, they can be added.
Slomo, I have stayed at hotels that even "hold" on your card not only the cost of the hotel room, but an additional amount in case of room service, phone calls, etc...
yup, they take the card for "incidental charges" like room service. they could pretty much put whatever they wanted on there, as long as it is listed on your bill when you check out. a smoker contesting a charge for smoking in a non-smoking room would be laughed out of any small claims court, and not even worth the legal fees.
Okay - everything is clear now. We do charge for the minibar without permission...
The problem is when the guest is paying with cash ...
And the Q is - when he made the smokeing damage you need to inform the guest right?
Yes, I've seen that a few times as well. And I don't mind since they are usually reasonable sums in proportions with the price of the room. It was however a problem the first time I traveled to the US because then it was not yet common practice in Europe and caught me a little off guard. Now everybody does it that way with the exception of some of the east European countries where even credit cards are a fairly recent thing (I got my first CC in 1986 and only because I started working for a tourist agency and my job description required me to travel abroad - in those days you had to know somebody important to get one)
Poland,
As you allow the hotel to take a blank swipe of your card at check-in you also allow them to charge you any extras that you might have "forgotten" upon leaving - no signature needed. Whether there's money on the card or not is the problem of the credit card company - if the transaction has been authorized (at check in) the hotel will get paid - the rest is between the client and his bank/CC company.
In the case of cash payment they will expect a deposit roughly the amount of the cost of your stay, and as people from the hotel industry will confirm, the maids and others will be keeping an eye on you (the minibar will be checked when your standing at the reception desk checking-out...).
I've stayed at some pretty nice hotels in my life, and they all keep track of how much you're spending and whether you can afford it - the good ones just do it so discreetly you don't even notice it
It will show up on the invoice, if it's established after the guest left, they'll just mail the invoice to him.
How will get the money if the money are mot there?
Either if there will occure the error in the card or whatever.
As for signature - we do need them while making the bill or the invoice and if we can we always asks for it (unless there is a pin code neccessary).
As for the extras he "forgotten" we can charge the client.
[The problem is when the guest will not accept this charging - who must prove whom?]
The deposit is more or less a prepayment. And we have to make a bill for that as well in the time when we are takeing the money.In the case of cash payment they will expect a deposit roughly the amount of the cost of your stay, and as people from the hotel industry will confirm, the maids and others will be keeping an eye on you (the minibar will be checked when your standing at the reception desk checking-out...).
I've stayed at some pretty nice hotels in my life, and they all keep track of how much you're spending and whether you can afford it - the good ones just do it so discreetly you don't even notice it
And it is not always like that great as many people are waiting and you are checking the MiniBar, that takes too much time.
Btw - don't you have any buisiness in Poland?
I invite you to our Hotel
Because if they authorize the card for a certain amount when you check in or prior to your stay, they are guaranteed up to that amount of money from the credit card company. So even if the money isn't technical there, the CC company pays them. And then you have a negative balance on your CC and have to handle it with them.How will get the money if the money are mot there?
Authorize the card. In all the hotels you've been they were doing it?
--- And if that means they (the hotels) just need the CC number with validity date?
And even if you do not have a under zero limitation?
Yes, every hotel I've ever been to puts an authorization/hold on your card when you check-in. All they need is that authorization and they can charge it.
But they are doing that "hold" in sum for a lodging right?
Good that we are not doing it and I think it is not necessary in most hotels.
Are the Hotels where you've been were takeing the do ants for your stay?
And how much stars those hotels had?
Slayer as one smoker to another...just don't smoke in a non-smoking room. If it's a non smoking room it's a non smoking room. Best to smoke outside anyway.
IF you must...go to the stairway right by your room, no one ever uses those and it's impossible for them to prove you were smoking.
When I stay in hotels I get non-smoking rooms and just go outside to smoke...smoked out rooms smell nasty. I don't smoke inside anywhere, once you get that habit down it's easy.
It's just the way it is...it's a habit that can be harmful to other people, no two ways around it, so you just have to respect that no matter how annoying their at ude, or you end up being the bigger asshole.
All hotels in west europe are also doing it now (last 10-15 years). You do realize it's done electronically and only takes like 10 seconds to do.
Most hotel will ask you to fill out a form with your name address... and also will ask you to show them a photo ID. Some still just ask you to fill the form without showing the ID, I think it's gotten more serious recently.
You don't leave the ID at the receptions desk (something that was common practice in Yugoslavia)
As for the number of stars: I haven't noticed any major difference in the procedure regardless if it was a Motels or a 5 stars hotel.
No, the authorization is for an amount over the sum of lodging.
They input your name address and driver's license number in the computer and sometimes take a photocopy of your license.
Any hotel I've ever been in, it's been the same. Regular hotels, or five star hotels.
I do.
But as I've said before there were too many pissed off guests just because they got the note on the cell phone that we "took" the money (which are just 'frozen').
Btw- we have more buisiness clients that is the reason.,And as for new guests - the prepayment or card number with validity date.
On paper?Most hotel will ask you to fill out a form with your name address... and also will ask you to show them a photo ID. Some still just ask you to fill the form without showing the ID, I think it's gotten more serious recently.
We are puting all the information from the ID or passport to the computer system. And then you've got easier as somebody visits your hotel many times. You already have got the informations about the guest
[quote]You don't leave the ID at the receptions desk (something that was common practice in Yugoslavia)
As I've heard still hotels doing such things.
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