Is it standard to have to pay in full upon arrival ?

Is it standard to have to pay in full upon arrival and to have to pay for the entire stay if one cancels?

I recently told by a B and B that payment in full was standard at check in. I never heard of that before .. usually they put a hold on the amount but no charges are made until you check out. The also had a draconian cancellation fee - if you cancel within 24 hours, they charge the full amount which would have been $1,300. Not that I plan on canceling but in the case of bad weather or my spouse%26#39;s mother having complications related to her recent dizzy spell, it could happen. You would think they would be more flexible in a bad economy. I can see paying or a night or two if I cancel at the last minute but no the whole amount. Are these standard practices?

PS I am looking for recommendation for places to stay in/near St Augustine.

Is it standard to have to pay in full upon arrival ?

This is quite a difficult question. I agree that most hotels or B%26amp;Bs charge on departure and I appreciate your situation but think about it from the owner%26#39;s point of view.

I%26#39;m not in the hotel business but I am self employed and cancellations can play havoc with your schedule and mean that other people who would have booked your services look elsewhere.

It%26#39;s not such a huge deal for %26#39;big business%26#39; or for a hotel chain but for an independent B%26amp;B $1300 could be the tip over point between survival or failure in this economic climate.

Many people think nothing of giving a few hours notice of cancellation, so you lose that business and also the business that you have to turn away because you thought you were fully booked.

I%26#39;m sorry, but in the case of holidays/vacations, that%26#39;s why you buy insurance. If you have an emergency, it will cover your costs but obviously if the weather forecast doesn%26#39;t suit you it doesn%26#39;t count.

Is it standard to have to pay in full upon arrival ?

Thanks for the reply. I just don%26#39;t trust this setup. There have been some complaints about the beds being uncomfortable for this place and being charged in full upon arrival seems to be giving up too much leverage. Even if the economy was good, I would be uncomfortable but with it being so bad, this inflexibility on the owners seems unreasonable. After all, when placed take your card, they put a hold on the funds. The funds are there for them, so if someone skips town the B and B would have access to the money. On the other hand if I there is a problem, I have little recourse except through my credit card company and when you sign in, I suspect you must sign away your rights to dispute the charges.

As far as charging for a the entire week, I have seen other places that pro-rate such a penalty and they make it clear that if they rebook, they don%26#39;t stick the consumer. Under the system these folks have, they can be collecting twice for the room. Again, it is very one-sided.

I realized another reason this bothered me - you see this sort of interaction in movies and TV shows when people rent rooms by the hour.

The only two times that I have had to pay in full when I checked in it was all too soon before iI knew why! Once was in Deadwood, S.D. and the other in Islamorada, Fl. Thankfully we were only to be there a few days and we left after the first miserable night and lost our $$$.I will never again pay in full when I check in...look for other acommodations.

How about accommodations??? Sorry....

katesavage2001, I would suggest shopping around a little. There are many fine B%26amp;B%26#39;s in St. Augustine, some might have a more lenient canellation policy.

So far, I am thinking of staying at a regular hotelL

Vilano Beach Hampton Inn %26amp; Suites St. Augustine or

La Quinta Inn %26amp; Suites St. Augustine

As far as B and Bs/Inns:

Our House of St. Augustine B%26amp;B or

St. George Inn

Hi Katesavage thanks for choosing St.Augustine and surrounding beaches area. If u are staying on the beach Hampton Inn and Suites would be a perfect hotel to stay in . In downtown St George Inn would be a perfect choice.

Staying on the beach will make you enjoy best of both worlds like we beach locals do :))) Enjoy visiting the town and its beaches.

Mehmet

My vote .... Hampton .... in Vilano

Aye, I run a small inn and we charge in full at check in mainly because we don%26#39;t have a lot of nickel and dime charges to add to your bill. We don%26#39;t have phones in the room, so you won%26#39;t run up phone bills, we have mini fridges but they%26#39;re not stocked, our internet is free, etc etc. We have a 7 day cancellation, 14 days for holidays whereby if you cancel less than the required notice, we attempt to book the room, but if we can%26#39;t you%26#39;d be responsible for the entire amount. Many small places with good reputations tend to get booked far in advance, so the chances are that we%26#39;ll have turned away bookings to hold a room for you. I hope that sheds some light on cancellation and payment policies.

You mentioned ';You would think they would be more flexible in a bad economy';, actually in a bad economy we need what revenue we can get. Mortgages or rent on downtown commercially zones historic properties is a lot!!