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On a trip by car, last November, I was surprised that a motel we stopped at about 9:00 PM refused to take cash as a payment.
The older guy said we needed a credit card or an extra $200 damage deposit in case the room got trashed. ( the wife and I are 63)
What I don't understand is, --if--there was damages, shouldn't he have to proceed in court to collect and not the other way around--( him deducting the damages from my credit card and ---I--having to contest it )
I knew one has to make a damage deposit when leasing an apartment.
I didn't know the same applies for renting a motel for one night !
Not really. The hotel I work at will autmatically charge a $200 smoking fee if there is any evidence that someone has smoked in the room. We have also charged guests when they left their room a mess (like disgustingly messy). We always take pictures and people have refuted it, but it never escalated to court.
However, for guests that are on a cash basis, we do not collect a damage fee. Most likely this motel had experienced a guest in the past who caused some damage to the room, thus forcing a rule where all guests must supply an extra deposit.
I don't see how they can charge it when if you don't sign all you have top do is dispute the charge. Then they have to take you to court or nothing.Never heard of this before.
It could be that it is a way for the owner of the motel to prevent theft by employees. The older guy at the desk could have been an employee rather than the owner.
Location: Sometimes Maryland, sometimes NoVA. Depends on the day of the week
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When you are running a motel, you are by definition, dealing with a transient population. How on earth could he sue you when he doesn't know who you are or anything? Yeah, might ask for an ID, but your ID might be fake, the address could be wrong, you could be moving, etc. I've never tried to pay cash for a hotel, but they always ask for a credit card for damages or incidentals - even when I have a free night with points or have prepaid with priceline.
Yep....it's almost impossible to rent a motel/hotel room without a credit card or a bank debit card. Only a locally owned cheaper motel will take cash in our area.
Use to be if you were paying by cash you had to pay at check in. If you did not put down a deposit you were blocked from calling long distance, pay per view. and room service.
On a trip by car, last November, I was surprised that a motel we stopped at about 9:00 PM refused to take cash as a payment.
The older guy said we needed a credit card or an extra $200 damage deposit in case the room got trashed. ( the wife and I are 63)
What I don't understand is, --if--there was damages, shouldn't he have to proceed in court to collect and not the other way around--( him deducting the damages from my credit card and ---I--having to contest it )
I knew one has to make a damage deposit when leasing an apartment.
I didn't know the same applies for renting a motel for one night !
Sign in using a credit card telling them you will be paying in cash when you check out.
i'm surprised that this comes as a surprise to some ..... it's been many years since i've stayed at a place that does it any other way
you don't settle your account until checkout, however the owners do want to protect themselves and it's part of your agreement when you decide to stay a night there
i've stayed at cheaper motels on a cash basis where you've had to let them hold a deposit - they sent housekeeping to the room to make sure everything was OK with it before giving us the money back
not a big deal - i've never had them actually charge me for anything from a deposit
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