TER General Board

The only problem with that is...
Bostonguy57 48 Reviews 305 reads
posted

With priceline you can't pay cash.  I use them all the time and I love the service and the pricing but I don't have an issue with paying by CC.

I assume most hotels require identification when paying for a room, and one's address is on the license.  

Has anyone ever recieved marketing material or any kind of mail from a hotel they reserved for a secret date?

I'm afraid I will get something like "Thanks for choosing Marriott Boston, use this coupon next time for a free breakfast" or worse they send a hard copy of a receipt that was paid in cash...And of course your SO gets to the mailbox first!

Anyone ever experience anything like this?

Actually I kinda like the Marriott in Boston...

Lol,they look at your license for about 2 seconds.  No one is memorizing your address in that time.  Of course, when you make the reservation they are going to ask you for your full name and address as well as a CC to hold the reservation so showing your ID is the least of your worries.

If it's a concern you can ask the lady to get the room and you can reimburse her.

I didn't get anything when I got the room through Priceline except a lot of email spam from Priceline.

With priceline you can't pay cash.  I use them all the time and I love the service and the pricing but I don't have an issue with paying by CC.

If you're worried about someone looking at the CC bills, buying a reloadable debit/gift card and using cash to reload it works...

I'm not married anymore so I don't worry about it but for guys trying to lead a double life the Greendot card and Priceline can be your two best friends!

GuiltyMarriedMan354 reads

Years ago I made sure that I got the mailbox key from the wife. The credit card bill was coming with the hotel that I used.

I got a credit card and a PO Box and had the information sent to the PO box.

Some hotels will try to copy your drivers license, demand that they don't make a copy.

Make sure the shred your bill (not a home) when it comes to you PO box.

Some hotel (Hilton) chains will share your data with American express. That American express mail will show up at your regular address congratulating  you on your points. I had to call up American express a few times to take off my address.

Neona65210 reads

I have done alot of travelling this summer and spent several nights in various hotels, I have yet to recieve anything in the mail from any of the hotels except the two that I signed up to get rewards points with.

As for cc or cash - you can reserve with a card and then pay cash when you arrive and the cc is not charged, therefore no charges on your bill.

Priceline does have some hotels that you do not have to prepay.  But I have found the best deals by either going thru a hotel's website or by just calling the hotel I was interested in.  I got two rooms for $40 at a La Quinta a couple of weeks ago because they were not busy and I am a gold member.  I got a five star hotel in Iowa for $50 on a Tuesday night because I told them I was going to call other hotels before I decided - they had only three rooms rented that night.

anyway I have yet to get anything in the mail from any hotels besides the two I wanted to recieve information from.

the card keys also have all your info on them, so when you get home, destroy, or shred them, dont leave them in the room

Two, It's no one's business what I do or with whom.

Three, I can't remember them asking me for an I.D. since the room is already paid for and they just want a card number for extra charges.

BTW, I don't stay anywhere that's shady, before some of you wise-asses pop off on that.

I check in, get my room keys(cards) and I'm sent on my way.

When I check out I pay the bill.

They have my credit card number, and it's enough for them.

Hard to deny charges to my room on the same card that flew me there, had dinners, bought shit, AND pulled money from.

But like I said, I don't have anyone to answer to BUT the credit card people.

I used to travel on business to Reno, Nevada regularly.  I generally stayed at one of the large hotel/casinos.  I still receive junk mail from them annoucing their "special offers" ($49 per night weekdays, $89 per night weekends, just use the offer code below!) even though I haven't been there in a couple of years.

As I said, it was business travel, so the room was always pre-paid by the company I work for.  They still wanted a driver's license and credit card at check in.  A driver's license was mandatory.  If I didn't want to give them a credit card, they wanted a cash deposit, which was either $50 or $100 (depending on the hotel) PER NIGHT!

One last thing.  I live in Las Vegas, where (as you can imagine) the hotel business is big.  I know people who work in the hotel business.  At most hotels (and certainly any reputable ones) i.d. (either driver's license or passport) is mandatory at check in.  Then, every night, a "data dump," with the names and other information from the i.d.'s of those who have checked in, is sent by computer to the local police department.  There the info is compared to data bases of people with outstanding warrants.  If there is a match, a representative of the local constabulary will be knocking on the room door the next morning.

Offering deals to stay there again.  As for the NYC hotels I've stayed at, only one has made similar offers, but I am a preferred member.  Since I am single, to date I haven't needed to be concerned.  Yes, stating at these hotels had the game in mind, but weren't necessarily my prime motive, and I have no backside to cover.  

The only mail I get is from the hotel "points club" and that goes to a PO Box.

Biggest pain in the ass chain I've experienced is Hilton. This includes all the brands they own. Once they get your phone number (use hobby phone) their "vacation club" calls and calls and calls....

including a list of phone numbers made from the room which my (now ex) promptly called freaking out the poor provider.

It was the Boston Millennium if anyone is wondering.

If you stay there, give them your work, not home, address.

shudaknownbetter161 reads

I have an old CC account (my name only) I use intermittantly just to keep it alive.  So there are a lot of months when no bill arrives, nor is it expected in my records.  I pay the bill & then shred the statement.  Nothing shows up on my normal day to day CC account.  
If I reserve on line, I book with a secure e-mail & often get offers from hotels I've been to...  and some I've not.  I did check them out once for a vacation but they just won't quit!
That said, I normally book with ladies who have an incall.
skb

ReformedCrackHo123 reads

Make sure that you dump your SO first.

Join the hotel reward program and when you fill out your profile just select no marketing notification or receipt and you will be safe.

I got a Paypal debit card that pulls from a paypal account.  Pretty easy to get if you have an account with them.  Then I just draft money into that, which looks like a standard paypal transaction.  Then, if I need cash I withdraw at atm using the card/pin.  If I want to pay for a hotel, I just pay using the paypal card so it won't show on any statements.  Be sure to never let your SO have the paypal login of course.

As for the mailed advertisements.  That is difficult and I can only suggest giving them a different address, whether it be a PO Box, office, or somewhere else.  The chance are quite good they will either sell your information or use it for marketing.

To avoid email marketing I suggest using a service like spamgourmet which allows you to create "disposable" email addresses on th fly.  

Example:
HiltonRep: Sir what is your email address?
Me: hilton.3.

Posted By: @dfgh.net (they have a number of domain names to use)

This means that I will receive a maximum of 3 (the middle number) emails that get forwarded to my real email account, which I may want because there may be something important.  The word "hilton" is just a unique identifier you make up on the spot, it can be anything as long as you haven't used it before.  After the 3 get forwarded then future ones are blocked.  I can also go into my account and allow more emails through or just block it altogether.

On this note, I recently booked a uhaul online and I used an email like uhaul.9.
Posted By: @dfgh.net and when they confirmed it at the pickup location the lady was quite confused as to why my email address contained the word uhaul.

CAtoday113 reads

They may ask, but they also usually ask you to write the info on the registration form - just write a different address than what's on your license - if asked about the discrepancies, tell them you recently moved and have not updated you license.  Usually, they don't stop to compare.

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