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OK Guys, I'm gonna chime in here, only because I've been a hotel Front Desk Manager for over 8 years. (Different brand, but similar to the brand you were dealing with.) So, I'd like to think that I know what I'm talking about... First of all, the clerk was wrong in NOT giving your friends the room. Unless she was completely sold out, with the exception of that room, she should have let your friends in, and agreed to settle everything with your credit card in the morning. Net result - you friends get a place to stay late at night, the hotel gets their money, life is good... Second, I know WHY the clerk did what they did, and while that policy seems silly on the outside, when you look at it closer, it will make more sense. It's done PRIMARILY for security purposes, for both the hotel AND the CC holder. When you make a reservation over the telephone, especially through a 1-800 central reservations number, and you read them your CC number, you could be giving ANYONE'S number at that point, and the reservationist has no way of knowing. As long as the number comes up as a valid CC number in their computer system, they accept it and go on. They have NO IDEA who you are on the other end of the phone line, so for all intents and purposes, you could be Allen in Nebraska, who has stolen YOUR credit card, and is charging a room onto your card. Now, when the guest shows up at the desk, they are asked to present their CC, or pay with cash. If the guest wants to use the CC that was used to hold the reservation, it must be presented, that way the hotel can get an imprint, whether it be electronic by swiping it, or physical, by getting a carbon copy image, proving that the actaul CC was presented at check in, so that when the charges are put through later, and you try to dispute it for what ever reason, they have that record on file. Hotels can use a "3rd Party Authorization", which is what that particular clerk asked you for, a copy of your CC, Driver's License, and signature. Banks and CC companies will allow hotels to use 3rd Party Auths, in lieu of the actual CC, when a someone is wanting to do what you were doing last night. Now, I realize that all of this makes no sense to you, and you think of it as poor customer service. While I agree that the hotel should had done a better job of offering an apology, hotels have to protect themselves AND you in cases like this. When you purchase tractor parts or anything through the internet, or via phone, there is a paper trail that goes along with it. The records of the order, shipment of the part, and the part itself. Ever notice how if you go out to dinner, and you want to use a CC, you can't just give them your number on a piece of paper? They actually require the card, because once you have eaten the meal and leave, there's no other record of you being there. This theory applies to hotels too. Once you leave, and if there was no valid CC transaction records, there would be no way of proving that you were there, you can dispute the charges, get refunded, and the hotel loses out on their money. Plus, having your credit card in their hand, along with your signature on the receipt, matching with the signature on the back of the card, means YOU are the person authorized to use the card. Security on YOUR BEHALF. Not everything that hotel did was done RIGHT, and they should have been a little more flexible under the circumstances. But what that desk clerk did was, under normal circumstances, correct by hotel standards.
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