-
+ I am genuinely concerned that if I choose to cancel later on, it’ll be a serious problem to get that money back.
They usually access to the payment details on your booking, so there shouldn’t be any reason to require additional details, recently I have paid for upgrades and they use the details that I put on the original booking (which you can update the card on)
I have pointed this out twice! Contact the hotel and ask why they are asking for payment, if they mention bank transfer as per @Aston100, run a mile!
I’ll do it when I get back to London as I am still away. But unlike @aston100 I am so not willing to cancel 🙂
Would it be worth involving Hilton corporate (main reservation line) and ask to speak to a manager. What I don’t understand is why can they charge the credit card given when you booked? That’s what hotels usually do, no?
I finally called them, and was pleasantly surprised.
First the link was genuine, they said.
They said they wanted to give their guests this option due to currency fluctuations in the country. The reservation system is using Euro, they said, and its value and against turkish lira is high and it keeps increasing. If you pay earlier, they charge you in Lira now using the current exchange rate.
I did some quick google search and read few things on Economist, which seem to agree that the Turkish economy is not doing great especially due to upcoming elections.
I figure if I want to bet that the Euro will gain against Lira until the summer, it’s wise to pay earlier — one might save couple hundered.I’ll think about it.
I finally called them, and was pleasantly surprised.
First the link was genuine, they said.
They said they wanted to give their guests this option due to currency fluctuations in the country. The reservation system is using Euro, they said, and its value and against turkish lira is high and it keeps increasing. If you pay earlier, they charge you in Lira now using the current exchange rate.
I did some quick google search and read few things on Economist, which seem to agree that the Turkish economy is not doing great especially due to upcoming elections.
I figure if I want to bet that the Euro will gain against Lira until the summer, it’s wise to pay earlier — one might save couple hundered.I’ll think about it.
You are paying a fixed Euro price ? And I presume you have your money in £££ now ?
Why do you care what happens to the Turkish Lira ?Because they give you a month to pay the bill by card after they fixed the price in Lira. That means that if you pay 3-4 weeks after they bill you in Lira, there is some good chance that you can save couple percent or even more depending on the elections/economy/inflation there.
They said that Turkish guests requested this and they pay in monthly instalments by credit card.Because they give you a month to pay the bill by card after they fixed the price in Lira. That means that if you pay 3-4 weeks after they bill you in Lira, there is some good chance that you can save couple percent or even more depending on the elections/economy/inflation there.
They said that Turkish guests requested this and they pay in monthly instalments by credit card.But is your agreed booked price in Lira or Euros?
As kind as it appears, it seems odd that Hilton are offering you a chance to play the FX market….
But is your agreed booked price in Lira or Euros?
As kind as it appears, it seems odd that Hilton are offering you a chance to play the FX market….
I agree, this sounds rather dodgy to me…
It is in Euros.
They didn’t offer me a chance to play the FX market — that’s my interpretation 🙂 I am glad that I found a gamey-but-risky-element in that.
Look at this:
https://www.economist.com/europe/2023/03/26/ahead-of-a-critical-election-turkeys-economy-is-running-on-borrowed-timeMost likely player 2 will not allow me to “play the market”, and I will end up *not* paying earlier anyways…
It is in Euros.
You have a future bill to pay in Euros. What has the Turkish Lira rate got to do with it?
A local Turk may want to pay now because they believe their cost is potentially going to increase, as they will have to pay more Lira for the same amount of Euros.
Your FX risk is Sterling/Euro.
Also they were clearly doing this a while back when @Aston100 was asked for payment up front so they’ve been waiting some time for this economic downturn! Did they say if they wanted payment by card, bank transfer or what? Were you speaking to the hotel or Hilton head office?
I just explained it.
Here is the ideal process again.1. I request an early payment link. The hotel sends the bill in Lira.
2. Lira loses value against € and £. The bill which originally was worth £100 now is worth less than £100.
3. I transfer £ to an international currency card and convert it to Lira and pay the bill with that card.
If the numbers match etc you save money.
There was a discussion recently about the “dual currency” system in Argentina, it is a similar idea.
You didn’t explain who exactly is offering you this though.
Also they were clearly doing this a while back when @Aston100 was asked for payment up front so they’ve been waiting some time for this economic downturn! Did they say if they wanted payment by card, bank transfer or what? Were you speaking to the hotel or Hilton head office?
Payment by credit card
I called the hotel on Skype.
As I said they said I don’t have to make any payments. They said it is just an option. That was not clear in the email though.You didn’t explain who exactly is offering you this though.
I did. The hotel. I said:
“ They said they wanted to give their guests this option due to currency fluctuations in the country. ”So its an extremely convoluted 1 month punt on Lira/Sterling being offered by a Turkish Hilton hotel.
I wouldn’t take any valuables to this fine establishment.
I know.. I already feel I am being too adventurous.
I already booked the redemption flights and other hotels.. Too much of a hassle to change plans for me at this stage.So its an extremely convoluted 1 month punt on Lira/Sterling being offered by a Turkish Hilton hotel.
I wouldn’t take any valuables to this fine establishment.
Indeed.
I wouldn’t sod around in countries like Turkey where you they may not have strong consumer protection for tourists, at a Hilton or otherwise.In fact, I’m reminded of the quality differences between the same international brands in the UK and those in Turkey.
Blimey must be bad if Turkish Hilton’s don’t even live up to U.K. Hilton standards!
Anyway as per others youve booked in Euros so for you there’s no real advantage of settling now, just risk of losing the full payment if something went wrong.
As StanTheMan says your risk is Sterling/Euro.
Turkish guests likely to accept, especially if they are financially savvy. The hotel gains liquidity which is why they are prepared to fix the price in a deteriorating currency provided it’s paid early.
I would charmingly mention my exposure being £/Euro rather than Turkish/Euro, if contacted again and refusing.
Meanwhile Turkey is located in a geographic area with some threat factors so personally I’d try to ensure I have travel insurance that will cover me in case of events too.
I still think that the best all inclusive Hilton resort within the Mediterranean zone is in Turkey: Sarigerme. We love it and it is very kid friendly. This summer we’ll do one week in this doubletree resort on top of Sarigerme. It’ll be a good opportunity to compare the standards.
The Argentina thing is completely different because nobody is trying to predict the future exchange rate, it’s only about getting the best rate at the time you are there, and I believe the point is that now using card is only a few percentage points away from bringing cash and needing to find a safe place to exchange it.
Medium term the Turkish lira is only headed one way, but over a period of a month it might even appreciate slightly. For example end of January it was 20.7 lira per € and end of February it was 20.
The only trick for the Turkish case is the elections in mid-May. After all it is not difficult to predict how the FX markets would react to an “election” against a Putinian autocrat. The fella has been in power for two decades. FT and the Economist have some ideas why the FX rate is currently surpressed against the Lira before the elections.
I won’t bet, obviously. But in my fantasy travel game, I am betting :)))
A resort requiring payment upfront isn’t unusual, but you would expect to be told about it in advance, as that might be a determining factor as some people booking may not have the money at the time of booking.
A Resort making contact and asking payment to be made upfront solely by bank transfer…personally I’d get myself away from that booking as quickly as possible. One assumes a fully affiliated hilton property should be entirely happy to take payment by credit card, which you can always do a chargeback for later if things turn sour, whereas a bank transfer put you at the property’s mercy.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
Popular articles this week:
