How do foreign hotels and "incidental" deposits work?

[guineapiggie101 0]

I am going to Hong Kong at the end of January to visit my uncle. Will be staying in a hotel for the week I am out there. Hotels are not cheap out there, esp since I want to stay somewhere in the touristy area and easily accessible by my uncle. My uncle gave me some suggestions and I have already picked the hotel (for those of you who know HK, I am planning to stay at the Langham). I am going to prepay the entire stay.

I know most US hotels require an "incidental" deposit when you check in. This is to cover any charges or damages made to your room. When I travel here in the US, I usually ask how much that might be, when I am checking in, so I have an idea.

For those of you who have traveled out of the country, how do "incidental holds" work in other countries? On the hotel website, it only says that "incidental" holds can be covered with cash or credit card.

I have traveled out of the country before, but I usually traveled with my husband and he would handle the hotel stuff.

When I went to Shanghai in Oct., my aunt (the groom's mom) handled all that (since she paid for the hotel for us).

Right now, I am planning to bring $$$ in USD and use part of that for the "incidental hold" and then change other parts to the local currency. I will bring credit cards, but am NOT planning to use them (only as emergency backups). I don't really want to deal with the credit card charges for currency conversion

[wildcard451 0]

Call your card company and have them see if they can waive the charges for currency conversion, or if you even get charged for overseas use. Incidentals should not be charged anyways if you don't use anything.

Credit card charges you can dispute.
Cash is gone when you hand it to them until they decide to give it back.

[kenthediver 0]

mostly a reserve is placed onto your plastic so that if you skip the hotel, they can recover your costs (as well as use your card details to identify you) in your absence. If you pay cash for the stay (normally taken up front) - you should be able to ask to either leave a cash deposit for incidentals, or you can stipulate that you will pay cash for your incidentals as and when you buy something (meals etc). Word of advice - you should probably look at taking at least 50% more than you anticipate in spending in cash, or you will probably have to use your cards. Also, check the exchange rates, and ask your uncle whether he will buy your dollars for local currency (or he might have a friend)- but DO NOT sell dollars to someone you don't know / have just met! You run a high risk of being arrested. Also, for HK, please ensure that your bags are clean - any trace of illegal substances (if you do dope or anything like this!) and you will be detained. The authorities are really strict on this.

[guineapiggie101 0]

I know the "incidentals" deposit is just an authorization on your credit card (that hits against your available credit), and not a charge. I just don't want too many authorizations on my card (since I heard that international hotel authorizations can take up to 7 days to drop off), in case I plan to use the card for shopping, or when I come back to the US.

I am hoping to bring a few thousand in cash (USD), along with a credit card) on my trip with me. Since I am going to spend a large chunk of my time with my uncle, I think he's gonna handle the currency exchange with me.

No worries about illegal substances. I don't drink, smoke or do drugs. But, thanks for the heads up.

[kenthediver 0]

Cool, one last thing, check with the hotel that they accept your card. I have seen some hotels (and restaurants) in Europe especially that will not take American Express. Visa and MasterCard is pretty universal - but AE....not as good. Also, your CC company will tell you how long the reserve will sit on your account. Enjoy your stay.

[Krip 2]

Hi Nice lady

Enjoy your stay in HK.

What everyone else said, and check your luggage before you go to the airport just in case someone made a mistake.

All those bags look the same

R.

[FlyingRhenquest 1]

I usually pay with plastic so I never notice this; they just put a hold on your credit card. If you usually sit pretty close to the limit, this is potentially a problem. I pay it off every month as much as possible, so I don't even notice it.

A little paranoia goes a long way when travelling internationally. I suggest looking into a money belt or similar device and keep the bulk of your money and passport there when it's not in use. I'd carry the wallet with about $100 of cash and kept the bulk of my travel funds in my money belt. Never had a problem overseas. Had a jacket stolen from a hotel in St. Augustine once.

Obviously don't ever flash your cash stash.

Which brings me to point 2, heh. Don't leave anything you mind losing in your hotel room. Or in the luggage you check on the plane.

I don't expect that you'll have any trouble, but it's best to try to mitigate the consequences of any that finds you. Have a safe trip!

I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

[hillson 0]

Just like it is done here...you'll be fine just dropping the plastic. Take a second and walk into The Peninsula right around the corner for some serious hotel envy. :)

HKG is pretty amazing, too, as airports go

[guineapiggie101 0]

Iago, actually I get 12% discount for prepaying my stay at least 21 days in advance. So I save some $$.

I guess I will just use the credit card to hold the incidentals.

Thanks for the advice about fraud.

I'm looking forward to this trip. Going to check out the Peninsula Hotel too.

It's been 24 years since I've been to HK. Will be nice to see the new airport. Also, since my uncle is retired, he has time to take me around and show me all the sights.

10 more weeks to go till I hop on a plane to HK. I can't wait.

[strife 0]

even if you prepay the hotels I have stayed at in Hong Kong want to do a pre charge.

You will certainly notice the difference in 24 years, Dont forget visit the ICC building

[adagen 0]

I quite often stay in hotels which are booked through the business I'm working for and paid by them. Hotels still ask for my credit card details. My response is that the bill is paid by the company and anything else I'll pay as I go. Sometimes needs a bit of discussion to get the message across, but more and more people are doing that now.

The hotel are trying to protect themselves against you drinking the contents of the minibar then skipping off without paying. If you try and charge a meal or drinks to your room, their systems should flag that you need to pay as you go so that's not an issue.

If a major hotel accepts a regular booking for me but isn't prepared to trust me not to steal the contents of the minibar, then I certainly don't trust whoever checks the contents of that minibar before and after my stay. And with that climate of distrust, the less access they have to my credit card details the better.

Anne

[Andy9o8 0]

Quote

10 more weeks

and it's going to stay under your mom's radar that whole time?

[guineapiggie101 0]

I emailed the hotel about their incidental charge, and their reply was that their incidental deposit is $500HKD (which is about $65 USD) per night. Not too bad. For 6 nights that would be close to $400 USD total which is not too bad. I probably would put it on my card then.

As for my mom, I haven't said anything to her about it. My uncle hasn't either (and I know they have talked recently). I am hoping to get it closer to the date before it comes out. i did find out that she is planning to go to HK in March (she was asking me to look for tickets for her online).

[guineapiggie101 0]

For those of you who travel out of country on vacation, is travel insurance recommended?

[Coreece 190]

Quote

For those of you who travel out of country on vacation, is travel insurance recommended?

I never even considered travel insurance until it was required for me to do so when traveling to some volatile shit-holes around the world.

I don't know your medical insurance situation nor the resources your uncle could provide, but I'd still recommended it regardless even if it's just for peace of mind.

The coverage really isn't that expensive, especially if you're not looking to be insured for trip cancellation which typically accounts for about 60-70 of the cost.

-You can get good coverage for around $40-$60 (emergency medical/preexisting condition/medical evacuation and all the other goodies)

-add about $100 if you want trip cancellation coverage for a trip costing around $2000

-add another $75 to cancel for any reason. (if applicable)

One type of coverage that I require that isn't typically given with package deals is security evacuation for political and natural disasters but I don't anticipate some type of political/civil uprising in Hong kong, and typhoon season doesn't really start until April.

Godspeed!

Your secrets are the true reflection of who you really are...