Rodeway Inn I-Drive's Credit Card Policy

[MIChessGuy]

I'll be staying at the Rodeway Inn I-Drive this month, having snagged a pretty good rate at travelzoo.com, and I was wondering whether this property puts a "hold" or "block" on the guest's credit card. In the past I have been surprised to find that my hotel blocked $300 or even as much as $500 on my credit card for the duration of my stay. I'll be calling them, of course, but sometimes what they say and what they do don't match up.

 

[pmiranda]

Well, I've never stayed there, but most hotels due put a hold on your card. I've never stayed anywhere they haven't done this.

 

[Beccabunny]

Is the hold normally put on your card when you check in, or when you reserve?

 

[MIChessGuy]

I suppose the hold would be imposed upon check-in, since the hotel doesn't run any risk of the room being trashed or big pay-per-view bills being run up until the guest is actually there. I saw an interesting variation on this today, in which a resort in Davenport would let you pay a nonrefundable $39 fee in exchange for the hotel not putting a hold on your credit card! That struck me as simultaneously obnoxious and amusing, for some reason. I'd guess it is partly a reaction to people (like myself) becoming more sensitive to the annoyance these holds create in the current economic climate. That's one thing the Disney resorts have going for them: they do not place an involuntary "hold" or "block" on a guest's credit/debit card, ever. Also I believe Motel 6 does not do that; maybe the logic in that case is that if you trash the room, it'll be hard to tell the difference anyway.