Operating Instructions

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Merchant Operating Instructions: Hotel Services

We offer two card payment services that can help you to run your hotel business efficiently by enabling your guests to make guaranteed reservations over the phone and online and to save time with express checkouts.

• Guaranteed reservation
• Express checkout
• Delayed or amended charges

• Guaranteed reservation 
• With our guaranteed reservation service, hotel guests who give their card number when they make a booking are guaranteed a room. It also entitles you to charge the card for one night’s stay if the guest does not arrive, or cancels their booking after an agreed deadline.
  
  To use this service, you need agreement(s) with us to process MOTO transactions and eCommerce, if accepting bookings over the Internet.
  
  Which cards can I accept for guaranteed reservations?
  
  You can accept:
  
  
  • MasterCard
  • Debit MasterCard
  • Visa
  • Visa Debit
  • JCB
   
  You cannot accept:
  
  
  • UK-issued Maestro
  • Non-UK-issued Maestro
  • Visa Electron
   
  What details do I need from the cardholder?
  When a guest calls to make a guaranteed reservation, you will need to take their:
  
  
  • Card type
  • Card number – the long number across the centre of the card – the 12- to 19-digit number across the centre of the card
  • Name as it appears on the card – including any initials
  • Card expiry date
  • Card start date (if applicable)
  • Full postal/billing address, including postcode, as it appears on their statement (MOTO/card billing address)
  • Contact address – if different from above
  • Contact telephone number
  • Card Security Code – CSC (Find out more in Card Not Present Transactions.)
  • Planned date of arrival and length of stay
  • Number and type of room(s) wanted
   
  Never ask for a customer’s PIN.
   
  The Data Protection Act 1998:
  Please remember that, if you are collecting personal data like the above, you need to register as a data controller. Your failure to do this and any subsequent action that may be taken against you will not be the responsibility of Streamline.
  
  What information must I give the cardholder/guest?  
  When the booking is made, you must provide the cardholder with the following information in writing:
  
  
  • Rates for the room(s) they have booked
  • Booking conditions
  • Hotel address
  • Your internal reservation code for their guaranteed reservation
   
  You must also explain the following conditions:
  
  • The deadline for cancellation is 6pm local time on the booked date of arrival.
  • If the guest cancels later than this, they will be charged for the night.
  • You can set your own deadline earlier than this, up to a maximum of 72 hours before 6pm on the arrival date. If this is your policy, you must explain this at the time of booking, and confirm it in writing at least three days before the arrival date.
  • If the guest fails to arrive at the agreed time, the reserved room will be held until noon on the day following the reservation date.
  • If they do not arrive during this time, they will be charged for one night’s stay, and the rest of the booking will be cancelled with no charge. This is called a 'no-show'.
   
  For bookings made over the Internet, you must also provide copies of the relevant web pages detailing the terms and conditions of the booking, plus the actual website address.
   
  What if a guaranteed reservation is cancelled?  
  If a guest cancels their booking within the deadline, you must not process a card payment. You should also provide them with this information in writing:
  
  
  • A cancellation reference number, which you should also keep on file
  • If the cardholder asks you to, you must include the cardholder’s name, the last four digits of the card number, the card expiry date and your own cancellation code in this written confirmation.
   
  'No-shows' and late cancellations
  If a guest fails to appear before noon on the day following their reservation, or calls to cancel the booking after the deadline, you are entitled to charge their card for one night’s stay in the room or rooms that they reserved. To do this:
  
  
  • Follow the instructions in Card Not Present Transactions, using the information the cardholder gave when accepting the booking.
  • You will need the Card Security Code (CSC) for these transactions.
  • On the transaction receipt, write "NO SHOW".
  • Under ‘total’ enter the room rate for the room(s) that they booked.
  • Send a copy of the bill for the 'no-show' booking to the billing address the cardholder gave when booking.
   
  What if the accommodation has been overbooked?  
  If a guest has made a guaranteed reservation but the room is not available when they arrive, you must provide them with:
  
  
  • Comparable alternative accommodation
  • Transport to the alternative accommodation and between establishments, if requested
  • Forwarding of all messages and calls to alternative accommodation
  • Two three-minute telephone calls, free of charge
   
  If you do not provide these services, you may be excluded from taking MasterCard, Visa or JCB payments for guaranteed reservations in the future.
   
  Keeping records
  You must file copies of the following and keep them securely for a minimum of 18 months in case of dispute, after which time they should be disposed of in a secure manner. If it is not possible to produce a terminal receipt on request then there may be a chargeback.
  
  
  • Cardholder’s name, address and card number
  • The terms and conditions for the reservation, as provided to the cardholder at the time of the booking
  • The confirmation code
  • Transaction receipt, if a night’s stay is charged
  • Hotel bill
  • Any correspondence relating to confirmations received from the cardholder acknowledging the terms and conditions of the booking

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• Express checkout 
• This convenient service means that, when guests are ready to leave, they can return their keys and go without waiting for their bill to be made up. It is very important to follow the correct procedure carefully to reduce the risk of chargebacks.
  
  Which cards can I accept for express checkout?
  You can accept:
  
  
  • MasterCard
  • Debit MasterCard
  • Visa
  • Visa Debit
  • JCB cards
  • American Express and Diners Club cards (if you have a supplementary agreement)
   
  You cannot accept:
  
  
  • UK-issued Maestro
  • Non-UK-issued Maestro
  • Visa Electron cards
   
   
  How do I use express checkout?  
  When the guest arrives
  
  
  1. Ask them whether they would like to use the service – not all guests will and some prefer to check their bill before paying it.
  2. If they agree, ask for the card with which they intend to settle their bill.
  3. Check the validity of the card. Find out more in Card Present Transactions – Chip and PIN.
  4. Ask your guest to write down the billing address for the card. This is normally their home address, but some company cards are billed to the company address.
   
  Processing the transaction
  When you have verified the card and the cardholder, follow the instructions in Card Present Transactions – Chip and PIN.
  
  
  1. The expected amount of the bill (the room rate, multiplied by the number of days accommodation) needs to be pre-authorised.  Find out how to process pre-authorised transactions in your Terminal User Guide.
  2. Explain to your guest that the bill will be debited to their card account after they have left and that there is no need to pay on checking out.
  3. If the transaction is not authorised, you will need to ask your guest for another method of payment. If they give you another card, you will need to verify this again before starting a new transaction.
   
  UK- and non-UK-issued Maestro cards do not support pre-authorisation requests.
   
  After your guest has left
  
  
  1. Work out the final bill.
  2. Follow the instructions to complete the transaction using your terminal.
  3. Send the bill and a copy of the terminal receipt to your guest at the billing address supplied. You must do this within three working days of the transaction.
  4. If the final bill is higher than the pre-authorised amount, you will need to complete a top-up authorisation. Find out how in your Terminal User Guide.
  5. If the top-up authorisation is declined, you will need to contact your customer and ask them for another method of payment.

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• Delayed or amended charges 
• There may be times when you need to process extra charges or change the amount agreed because of other costs incurred during the stay. These extra costs are called delayed or amended charges.
  
  For hotel stays the following services may be the subject of a delayed or amended charge transaction:
  
  
  • Room charges
  • Food or beverage charges
   
  A delayed or amended charge transaction must be completed within 90 calendar days of the transaction date of the previous transaction to which the delayed or amended charge transaction relates.
   
  Processing the transaction
  When carrying out a delayed or amended charge transaction, you must:~
  
  
  • Include the words “Signature on File” on the Transaction Receipt.
  • Send a copy of the transaction receipt to the cardholder at the cardholder's address.
   
  Disputes (including chargebacks)
  In the event that we receive a disputed card transaction, we will write out to you requesting documentation to assist us in defending the dispute.  Should the documentation not be supplied to us within the timescale indicated in the letter this will result in a chargeback debit to your bank account.
   
  You must provide evidence that the charges billed were incurred by the cardholder during their stay.
   
  If you do not have any documentation to do this, we will not be able to defend a dispute on your behalf and a chargeback debit will be processed to your bank account.
   
  Please note that any transaction processed in a card not present environment is taken at your own risk and can be subject to a chargeback dispute resulting in a debit to your bank account.

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