Guaranteed Reservations

Both Visa and MasterCard have well-established rules regarding the acceptance of reservations and their cancellations.  By following these rules your property will find that the percentage of occupied rooms will rise and the number of no show disputes will decrease.

Guaranteeing a Reservation

When someone telephones for a Visa/MasterCard guaranteed reservation, follow these steps:

1. First Ask For:

   • The Visa/MasterCard number

   • The Expiration date

   • The Cardholder name as it appears on the card

   • The Customer's full Bill To address and phone number

   It is very important that you receive all of the above information including you Central Reservation Service and any Third Party Reservation Services including Travel Agencies. If you are booking a group you must request the same information for everyone in the group using a MasterCard or Visa to guarantee a reservation, otherwise you will lose your chargeback rights.

2. Next, Tell them:

   • The room rate

   • Your street address, city and state

   • A Confirmation Code for the guaranteed reservation

   • Remind them to keep a record for the confirmation code for future reference

    

3. Finally, Explain that:

   • Guaranteed rooms are held until check out time on the day following their scheduled arrival

   • The deadline for canceling reservations is 6:00 PM (your time) on the scheduled arrival date

   • If they fail to cancel the reservation or claim the room, you may bill them for one night's stay
     (plus tax). If your deadline is earlier than 6:00 PM on the scheduled arrival date, tell your customers the date and time of your deadline

   For further protection, send a follow-up mailing of the cancellation policy and place a copy in your files.

If your customer requests a written confirmation, you must provide one with this information:

• The Visa / MasterCard account number

• The Expiration Date

• The Cardholder Name as it appears on the card

• The room rate, and any other appropriate details about the accommodation

• Your street address, city and state

• The Confirmation Code

• The cardholders' responsibility under the Visa / MasterCard Reservation Service

• The date and time the cancellation privileges expire

Canceling a Reservation

When a customer cancels a reservation:

• Provide the customer with a Cancellation Code

• Remind the customer to keep a record of it

Handling Overbookings

If guaranteed accommodations are unavailable when the guset arrives, you must arrange the following at your expense:

• Comparable accommodations for one night at an establishment of at least equal quality

• Transportation to that establishment

• Forwarding of all messages and calls to that establishment, if required

• A three-minute phone call, if requested

No Show Transaction

If a customer fails to cancel a reservation or claim the room, you can deposit a Visa / MasterCard sales draft for one night's lodging plus applicable tax.

No Show Complaints

If you are unable to resolve a disputed No Show charge with a cardholder, refer the customer to their Visa / MasterCard issuing bank. If you receive a retrieval request from your processing bank, be sure to provide legible complete documentation including reservation and cancellation information on the first request in advance of the deadline in order to successfully defend a No Show complaint. It is important that your printer always has a fresh ribbon so that legible copies can be made for the processor.

Credit Card Processing Services is please to provide this information to help you increase your bottom line.