"Cynic" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 16 Jan 2010 17:02:51 +0000, Mark Goodge
wrote:

Most hotels, these days, will not allow you to book a room with cash.
They insist on card payments.

From the guest's point of view, the down side of this is that charges
could be added to the card without the cardholder's knowledge or
consent and he only finds out about them when he gets the bill.

That's precisely why they do it.

I have a gut feeling that it is also to do with making it more
difficult to stay in a hotel anonymously.

why would hotels want to do that (apart from the revenue protection aspect)?

tim

On Mon, 18 Jan 2010 17:30:06 -0000, "tim...."
wrote:

From the guest's point of view, the down side of this is that charges
could be added to the card without the cardholder's knowledge or
consent and he only finds out about them when he gets the bill.

That's precisely why they do it.

I have a gut feeling that it is also to do with making it more
difficult to stay in a hotel anonymously.

why would hotels want to do that (apart from the revenue protection aspect)?

My suspicion is that it originates from a government recommendation,
or some other form of pressure from our Big Brother in Downing Street.

Probably overly paranoid. I *did* say it was merely a gut feeling
rather than anything evidence-based. It just feels like the sort of
thing that a government would *want* to do.

--
Cynic

On 18 Jan, 17:39, Cynic wrote:
On Mon, 18 Jan 2010 17:30:06 -0000, "tim...."

wrote:
From the guest's point of view, the down side of this is that charges
could be added to the card without the cardholder's knowledge or
consent and he only finds out about them when he gets the bill.
That's precisely why they do it.
I have a gut feeling that it is also to do with making it more
difficult to stay in a hotel anonymously.
why would hotels want to do that (apart from the revenue protection aspect)?

My suspicion is that it originates from a government recommendation,
or some other form of pressure from our Big Brother in Downing Street.

Probably overly paranoid. *I *did* say it was merely a gut feeling
rather than anything evidence-based. *It just feels like the sort of
thing that a government would *want* to do.

--
Cynic

Hotels used to have the right to hold on to a guest's luggage until he
has paid his bill. They probably still have that right. Now it's much
easier to be able to charge his debit/credit card though. The last
time I stayed in an hotel they charged me again for my stay about a
week later. I eventually got refunded, by cheque! They said it was an
error, but if you think about it if they did that with every guest
there's bound to be a certain percentage who don't bother to claim the
overcharge.

On Mon, 18 Jan 2010 17:39:04 +0000, Cynic
wrote:

On Mon, 18 Jan 2010 17:30:06 -0000, "tim...."
wrote:

From the guest's point of view, the down side of this is that charges
could be added to the card without the cardholder's knowledge or
consent and he only finds out about them when he gets the bill.

That's precisely why they do it.

I have a gut feeling that it is also to do with making it more
difficult to stay in a hotel anonymously.

why would hotels want to do that (apart from the revenue protection aspect)?

My suspicion is that it originates from a government recommendation,
or some other form of pressure from our Big Brother in Downing Street.

Probably overly paranoid. I *did* say it was merely a gut feeling
rather than anything evidence-based. It just feels like the sort of
thing that a government would *want* to do.


Stay in pubs and B&B.