Reservar un hotel (inglés)

Is a reservation made by telephone, fax or e-mail valid?

In general, hotels admit bookings in any of the aforementioned ways, but there must be documented evidence of the booking. The establishment where the reservation is made should accordingly send the user full details about each clause of the contract, and the full text of the general conditions. In these cases, the most important thing is to keep this written proof of the reservation, and also try and get it to contain as much detail as possible.

If the reservation is made by phone, you should ask the hotel to send you a fax or letter confirming the booking, which, in addition to the above documentation, specifies the type of room, the number of days you will be staying, the accommodation regime and the price, plus VAT, when applicable. If you send a letter or e-mail, you should also ask for a written confirmation.

When the reservation is made on Internet, you will usually receive a confirmation e-mail. You can then print out the document containing the details of your reservation.

When leaving on your trip, don't forget to take all these papers with you.

Do I have to give the hotel my credit card number?

When making a reservation, some hotels also ask the client for a cash payment.

It is becoming a common practice in most hotels to ask clients who want to book a room for their credit card number and its expiry date. In this way the hotel obtains a guarantee if there are any problems later on. When you make your reservation and give your credit card number, no money is deducted from your card, but the hotel knows that if the client later cancels the booking too late (or else forgets to cancel it and does not turn up), it can debit the relevant amount from his credit card.

For the hotel, this system has the advantage of simplifying matters. And for the consumer, it has the advantage that he does not have to send money to confirm his reservation (and does not lose liquidity), and he is guaranteed that this room will be reserved for him until his arrival.

I've notified the hotel that finally I won't be able to go. However, they've charged the amount of one overnight stay to my credit card. Can I claim anything?

Generally, there is a specific time limit in which the client can cancel his reservation without incurring any charge. If he exceeds this time limit, he will have to pay an indemnity fixed by the hotel establishment and which in all events should respect the legal regulations on reservations and cancellations established in the Autonomous Region where the hotel is located. The penalty is higher the closer the cancellation is to the arrival date, and it is usually a percentage of or the full amount of the advance payment.

This is an authorised practice that is very common in the hotel sector. The consumer, however, has the right to be previously informed about the cancellation conditions through the reservation confirmation document. If this does not happen, since he has not signed the payment voucher, he can protest to the credit card company and obtain a reimbursement of the amount that has been charged.

When I reached the hotel, I found it was full. What can I do?

If you have a written confirmation from the hotel, they will usually respect your reservation.

If when you reach the hotel it is full, you are entitled to claim compensation from the establishment; because it has not respected its commitments (this is in fact a regulation in certain Autonomous Regions, like the Valencia Region, provided you are not offered a similar kind of accommodation). In general, this practice also constitutes an administrative offence.

The most practical thing you can do, and the easiest, is to ask the establishment to help you find some other accommodation and for it to cover the cost of the change. If the hotel doesn't want to know, or does not offer an acceptable solution, the best you can do is to go to the tourist office and find a quick solution to your accommodation problem.

Because the establishment has not respected its commitment, you are entitled to claim an indemnity to compensate you for the damage you have suffered. However if the hotel refuses to compensate you with a friendly settlement, the only possibility of obtaining an indemnity would be to file a complaint at the Consumer's Board of Arbitration, which obviously is not a good solution for the casual tourist.

What is possible, however, is to report these facts to the tourist authorities that control the hotel sector. This will not give you an immediate solution, but perhaps the establishment will be more prudent in future. You may file this claim directly at the OMIC (Municipal Consumer Information Office), and this organisation will process the complaint with the competent tourist authority, or else you may use the Complaints Book available at the establishment.

I had reserved a triple room with a bath, at the front of the hotel, but I was given a double room, with shower, at the back of the hotel. What can I do?

If you took the precaution of asking for a written confirmation of the reservation containing full details about it, including aspects that you consider important (for example, two rooms that are mutually connected, bath or shower etc.) you should not encounter problems like this.

In spite of this, if you are not given the room you wanted and which you had booked, try and settle the problem with the hotel. If they cannot give you the room you want and which you have booked, you should ask for compensation in the form of a reduction in price or free service (breakfast, for example, if this is not included).

As in the above case, because the establishment has not respected its commitment, you are entitled to claim an indemnity to compensate you for the damage you have suffered. However, if the hotel refuses to compensate you in friendly terms, the only possibility of obtaining an indemnity would be to file a complaint at the Consumer's Board of Arbitration, which obviously, as we have seen, is hardly an acceptable solution for the casual tourist.

What you can do, however, is to report the facts to the tourist authorities that control the hotel sector (this will not give you an immediate solution but perhaps it will prove effective at the establishment). Also, because the hotel has breached its commitment, it has committed an administrative offence, and a claim may consequently be lodged directly at the OMIC (Municipal Consumer Information Office), who will process the claim with the competent tourist authority, or you can register it in the establishments' Complaints Book.

I've booked a room with air conditioning, but the system had broken down. It was 35º C and there was no other room available. Can I claim anything?

If the equipment in your room has this kind of problem (faulty air conditioning, dripping tap, for example) you should go to the reception desk and ask either for the fault to be repaired or to change rooms, so the establishment fulfils the quality conditions of the service that you have contracted.

If you are not given a satisfactory solution, try at least to negotiate a price reduction or obtain some compensation (half-board without extra charge, for example). If it is a major problem, consider the possibility of finding accommodation at some other hotel, but before doing so make sure the first establishment will not consider this a cancellation, or else they could charge you for cancellation expenses on the grounds of early departure.

I've left the hotel sooner than expected, and they've charged me cancellation expenses. Is this usual?

There is a possibility of being penalised for early cancellation as compensation for renouncing the contracted services. The hotel may establish what this is, but in all events it should respect the legal system of reservations and cancellations applicable in the Autonomous Region where the hotel is located.

In most cases, they can penalise you by the sum of one day for every 10 days or fraction of the time not enjoyed in the stay you have reserved. But this is not always the case. There are some Autonomous Regions where there is not even a possibility of claiming these cancellation expenses once the stay has commenced (you may consult the local OMIC, Municipal Consumer Information Office).

In all events you should consult the general conditions of your reservation. The establishment is entitled to claim expenses incurred by reason of cancellation for early departure provided that this is stated in the terms and conditions. If this is not stated, then the establishment cannot claim these cancellation expenses.

In all events, to be able to apply these general conditions, you must ask for theses conditions to be sent when making the reservation.

My camera was stolen from my hotel room. Is the hotel in any way liable?

This is a civil or penal question that may in any event be raised with the courts having jurisdiction, where although the general difficulty lies in being able to prove this.

The visitor should follow the hotels instructions about looking after and supervising his personal belongings. The tourist regulations oblige most hotel establishments to provide a service to keep money, jewellery or valuable objects in custody and the client will be given a receipt when depositing his belongings. The establishment is responsible for the loss or deterioration of the objects deposited, in the cases and conditions stated in civil legislation.

Spanish establishments are, though, obliged to inform in Spanish, French, English and German that the establishment assumes no liability for money, jewellery or valuable objects that are not handed in for custody.

At hotels of a superior rating - four and five star- it is compulsory that there are safes available to those clients who wish to use them (this facility may also be available at establishments of lower category). In this case, the establishment is not responsible for the loss or damage to the objects deposited in them, except in cases of fraud by the hotel or its employees.

Try to get the hotel to act as your intermediary, however, because they will usually have insurance that covers this contingency.

I've called Belgium (for 5 minutes) twice from my hotel room and they are claiming 50 euros telephone expenses. Isn't this too much? Do I have to pay it?

The general rule is that the establishment must announce the telephone rates at those points where calls can be made. You will not be able to refuse payment if this tariff was announced in the publicity and you made the call nevertheless, since the hotel can freely establish the rates it charges. If no call rate was stated, then you could refuse to pay. In any case, you should ask to be shown evidence of the duration and number of calls, according to the stated rate.

If the prices are not stated publicly, this could be an administrative offence and it would be suitable to file a complaint at the tourist administration, at the OMIC (Municipal Consumer Information Office), or in the establishment's Complaints Book.