Hotel - credit card

Dave & Rose

Hello all,

This may seem really basic but I still need a little bit of advice! I've tried booking a few reservations at hotels for india and many have requested upfront credit card payment/deposit. This is a bit of a surprise after travelling elsewhere in south east asia and am a bit reluctant to give out my details after warnings about scams. Am I being overly cautious?

Thanks, Rose

shere

Apart from the large hotel groups such as Radisson, Taj, Oberoi etc I would not bother giving credit card details. I have found that many of the small hotels are more than happy to reserve a room over the phone without no charge.

You could try going through an agent. I have had rooms reserved for me by Namaste India without paying a penny. I pay on the day to the hotel or driver if I have hired a car from Namaste.

Some hotels like to pretend they are very busy but turn up on the day and you can get a room without any problem. I have done this many times.

costaguana

I've found many hotels in India ask you for payment via credit card before you arrive, and then totally cave when you tell them "No"! Often hotels try to get you to pay upfront to avoid losing out on guaranteed revenue if you change your mind, but with few exceptions, this is not a set in stone policy. I'd tell the hotel you would prefer to pay upon arrival and see what they say. Chances are they will agree, and if they don't, use your judgement to discern their true intentions. As mentioned above, sometimes you can get a better deal booking online with the larger chains, but for your average budget and mid-range hotel, prior payment is usually not necessary.