hotel privacy?

October 4, 2005 10:23 PM

In regards to keeping items OFF the hotel bill...

My new boyfriend has invited me to accompany him on a business trip. We are staying at a Marriott, and we are hoping to order a lot of room service, along with, *ahem* other things. Technically, I'm not even supposed to be there, so it wouldn't do to have these things (2 dinners, etc.) appear on the CC bill. Any advice on how to handle this situation?

posted by anonymous to Grab Bag (13 answers total)

Pay cash.
posted by solid-one-love at 10:34 PM on October 4, 2005

First: On every hotel bill I've gotten room service appears as a fixed charge - for example:

10/4/2005 Room Service Charge - 27.95

Rather than "2 Dinners". So if you can keep it low you might be ok. But, you could also just order out: Pizza, Chinese food etc. They all deliver to hotels.
posted by vacapinta at 10:43 PM on October 4, 2005

But, you could also just order out: Pizza, Chinese food etc. They all deliver to hotels.

Not all hotels will permit deliveries from unaffiliated restaurants.
posted by dersins at 11:00 PM on October 4, 2005

Just give them a separate card at the desk and them that all "incidentals" should be charged to that card, or paid in cash at the end. Believe me, they have encountered this before and know how to handle it. Pretty much all business travellers have to do this, since their hotel room expenses might be covered by the company, but room-service and pay-per-view porn are not.
posted by scarabic at 11:01 PM on October 4, 2005

I've stayed at hotels for business where I have specified two credit cards--one for the room (paid for by the job) and one for extras (paid for by me). That's a fairly common practice for business travelers who may not be able to expense away all charges, all you have to do is ask the hotel.
posted by Kimberly at 11:05 PM on October 4, 2005

When I stayed at the Marriott in Monterey, CA, for a conference, they actually asked me if I wanted to use a personal card for incidentals. Also, when you order room service, ask if you can separate the orders, so that one goes to the hotel bill and one goes to a CC.
posted by acoutu at 11:13 PM on October 4, 2005

Pay cash.

On preview, what solid-one-love said.
posted by ZakDaddy at 11:15 PM on October 4, 2005

Contact the hotel. Inform them that you would like to have room service and such billed separately and ask them what your options are.
posted by oddman at 11:36 PM on October 4, 2005

What the others said. But consider, room service looks cool in the movies. In practice, its often uncomfortable. Lots of hotel rooms lack 2 chairs suited for dinning (even very nice ones).

Hope your Marriott is in the States. I've had rather consistent bad experiences with them in the UK.
posted by Goofyy at 12:08 AM on October 5, 2005

my room service charges were always listed as lump sums, really expensive, and no one ever cared.
posted by BigBrownBear at 1:50 AM on October 5, 2005

Using a personal card for incidentals is the way to go. But hotels make mistakes! When you check out, ask to review the bill that will be paid by the company. You can have any items removed from that bill by paying for them.
posted by kdern at 5:54 AM on October 5, 2005

As a former Front Desk clerk at a First Class Hotel, I can assure you that the Desk will be happy to separate out any charges from the main room bill upon request. It is true that Room Service and other incidental charges will not give any specifics on the final tab, just a line item stating the general nature of the charge (i.e. "Room Service" or "In-Room Movie" or "Gift Shop") and the amount.
Regardless, just ask the Desk at any time prior to check out to have some charges kept on a separate "folio" and they will do it. Then, review these bills carefully at check-out time to ensure you are not inadvertently charging the company for your porn.
Believe me when I tell you, they are very used to this sort of request. Hotel employees, the Desk in particular, are supposed to be discreet and tactful, so don't be afraid they'll make you feel bad about it.
posted by BigLankyBastard at 8:51 AM on October 5, 2005

As another former Front Desk, I second BigLankyBastard. Always got a chuckle from the business guests wanting the "TV" on a separate bill when checking out in the morning.
posted by AwkwardPause at 9:00 AM on October 5, 2005