[TominScotland]

Just struggling through a challenging experience with Accor, courtesy of the Novotel Century Hong Kong. 6 nights accommodation at this property was booked via the hotel site and paid for me via our company purchase card.

Two days before my check-in date when I was in Hanoi, I received an e-mail to notify me that I would required to present the card on check-in…. Not possible as this is a virtual card, we do not have a physical card. OK, complete the attached form and include the CVV. No physical card, no CVV. Impasse.

I get to the hotel and have to pay on my own card with a promise of a refund to our corporate card. I was not pleased, lots of huffing and puffing with me pointing how much we had saved the hotel by not using Booking.com. To no avail but blagged a Club Room out of it….

Got back and the refund duly appeared. fine… Except that today Novotel have charged our company card a second time for the accommodation…..

I have got back to them to express my irritation but I also take this as a warning to, perhaps, think twice about booking direct with an Accor hotel in the future….

[mkcol74]

I understand your frustration. I can only see that happening again when there’s a virtual card used to make a reservation, but thanks to sharing your experience I’d choose an alternate payment method.

[FaroFlyer]

I am with TiS, if you pre-pay for a room that is what you have done, pre-paid. At check-in you present a card for any extras. In HK you will have photo ID so what is the problem?

Several years ago I experienced a problem at HKIA with the Marriott hotel when my Marriott Rewards Visa was declined, and frozen. I used another card and, on returning to the UK, I phoned Marriott Rewards Visa helpline to complain, and get the card active again. A gentle Scottish voice told me that hotels are the worst places for fraudulent credit card use, so they frequently block them. I did ask why Visa would have a Marriott Rewards affinity card if they don’t trust hotels, but received no answer.

[TominScotland]

I was told it was a fraud/laundering concern….

[Swissdiver]

This looks funny to me, a regular (Platinum) guest of Accor hotels, using mostly a debit card I was never asked to produce…

[stevescoots]

I often see on bookings the original card must be produced and almost never get asked, sometimes when I have been asked but not had it with me then passport is enough. I suspect the Accor hotel desk was having a little Britain moment.

[Selbyjay]

From a TMC angle, hotels in Asia are notoriously difficult when it comes to payment. The US used to be as bad but things have improved there and acceptance of virtual cards is catching up with Europe.

Every single day a hotel charges our guests’ credit card rather than the one we’ve provided, despite calls, emails, faxes etc confirming the payment instructions.

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