Hotels Requiring Cash

[JerryInIL]

Is it typical for small hotels in Athens to require payment in cash?

[CruiserBruce]

Never heard of it. More details, please. 

[JerryInIL]

Marble House requires cash payments.  Is this typical of small hotels in Athens?

[marazul]

26 minutes ago, JerryInIL said:

Marble House requires cash payments.  Is this typical of small hotels in Athens?

No.  There are hundreds of hotels in Athens.  Why don't you find another one?  It is safer to pay by credit card.

[mapleleaves]

When I was in Italy this past May, 2 hotels offered a discount if I paid in cash, but it was not a requirement.   It saved me 50E so I was happy to run to the bank machine and get the cash.  

 

[marazul]

8 hours ago, JerryInIL said:

Marble House requires cash payments.  Is this typical of small hotels in Athens?

Out of curiosity, I checked the listing for Marble House in a booking website. It says it accepts Visa, Mastercard or cash. 

[edinburgher]

On 9/12/2023 at 9:50 PM, JerryInIL said:

Is it typical for small hotels in Athens to require payment in cash?

Not Athens, but Instanbul where our hotel also offered a discount for cash and we were happy to agree as our booking was for 7 nights. I cannot exactly remember, but we may have got the 7th night free in return for cash payment.

 

So far in responses, Greece, Italy and Turkey.  Where next?😀

Edited September 13, 2023 by edinburgher

[JerryInIL]

1 hour ago, marazul said:

Out of curiosity, I checked the listing for Marble House in a booking website. It says it accepts Visa, Mastercard or cash. 

I only looked at the direct hotel website, (marblehouse.gr) and it requests that you pay in cash, but they still need a credit card number to guaranty the reservation.  Maybe it’s different if using a third party booking site.  I always book directly.

[marazul]

1 hour ago, edinburgher said:

Not Athens, but Instanbul where our hotel also offered a discount for cash and we were happy to agree as our booking was for 7 nights. I cannot exactly remember, but we may have got the 7th night free in return for cash payment.

 

So far in responses, Greece, Italy and Turkey.  Where next?😀

All hotels will accept cash if you choose to pay in cash. Many will offer you a discount if you pay in cash instead of card. It is almost unheard of to refuse cards and demand payment in cash. 

Apparently,  the OP's hotel accepts credit cards if you book through a third party, but demands cash if you book directly with them.  

[mapleleaves]

 

Merchant fees and booking fees are high so it's reasonable for a small independent hotel or guesthouse to offer a discount if you book direct and pay cash.

If I was happy with the hotel's location, price, amenities, and reviews, I wouldn't be put off by a cash only policy.  They're saving money by not paying fees to the credit card company or a booking fee to a 3rd party.  And they're sharing those savings with me !  win win

 

 

 

[edinburgher]

15 hours ago, marazul said:

All hotels will accept cash if you choose to pay in cash. Many will offer you a discount if you pay in cash instead of card. It is almost unheard of to refuse cards and demand payment in cash. 

Apparently,  the OP's hotel accepts credit cards if you book through a third party, but demands cash if you book directly with them.  

I think commission charges vary depending on the platform, but can go up to 25% or even a little more, and in these challenging economic times for owners  there will be an incentive to maximize income.  My understanding, rightly or wrongly, is that even when booking directly with them, property owners are unable to undercut their prices on the booking platforms but we have found in the past that they can sometimes offer "extra value" instead.  This could take the form of an upgraded room category or including breakfast which is an extra on the booking platforms they are listed with.

 

We have always preferred to book direct as any questions, special requests, or issues can be more easily addressed than when going through a third party.

 

Bit of a moot point for us now anyway, as in recent years we have preferred aparthotels to hotels and    never experiened a request for cash, ( maybe because they have been mostly owned by larger chains rather than independemnt owners?),although we have been offered upgrades.  Whatever, we will usually accept whatever incentive is offered.

[marazul]

4 minutes ago, edinburgher said:

I think commission charges vary depending on the platform,

 

1 hour ago, edinburgher said:

My understanding, rightly or wrongly, is that even when booking directly with them, property owners are unable to undercut their prices on the booking platforms but we have found in the past that they can sometimes offer "extra value" instead. 

4 minutes ago, edinburgher said:

 

Bit of a moot point 

 

15 hours ago, marazul said:

All hotels will accept cash if you choose to pay in cash. Many will offer you a discount if you pay in cash instead of card. It is almost unheard of to refuse cards and demand payment in cash. 

 

Apparently,  the OP's hotel accepts credit cards if you book through a third party, but demands cash if you book directly with them. 

I never said that the OP's hotel charged the same if you use a credit card or pay in cash.  I only pointed out that it can and will accept credit cards if you book through a third party.  Therefore, it could accept credit cards if you booked directly with them, but it chooses not to do so.  (Whether the dual pricing structure makes good business sense or not is a different matter.  Apparently, it must work for them.) 

 

It's one thing if you book directly with a hotel and, at checkout, you are offered a discount for cash. It's another thing to offer a substantially different price between reserving through a third party or directly with the hotel.  That's unusual because of contractual arrangements as mentioned by edinburgher.  Even in that case, the hotel could accept either cash or credit card at checkout.

 

If a hotel offers an incentive for paying cash that's great, but it is the guest's choice how to pay. 

If a hotel does not want to accept credit cards, that's fine. It's their business.  But If the guest wants to have the option to pay by credit card, then don't stay in a hotel that only accepts cash payments. 

If the guest doesn't want to use a booking site, then don't use one (I never do except for research).

 

Yes, it is a moot point.  The hotel chooses how it wants to do business.  The guest chooses whether to do business with the hotel or not.

 

The question was "Is it typical for small hotels in Athens to require payment in cash?"

The answer is "no"