"Jay Honeck" wrote in message news:n3eqd.164904$R05.161886@attbi_s53...
That ain't right. I can see the guarantee thing during a known busy
weekend, but if I make a reservation (contingency) and show up at or ahead
of the reservation time just to find out you don't have a room because
somebody else showed up before me with cash, I'm hauling somebody into
court.

With only 27 suites to rent, we're in no position to play the "will they
show up?" game.

Which is why, if you want a guaranteed reservation, you've got to guarantee
that you're gonna show up. Since wiring money in advance is pretty awkward,
we must do it the credit card way -- even though I absolutely despise the
credit card companies, and it pains me to no end that I must pay those
*******s 4% of everything I take in.

But, if we didn't accept credit cards, our longevity would be measured in
weeks. Sadly, very few guests actually pay with cash.

(P.S. Hey, while I'm bitching, let's talk about the 5% I've got to pay to
the State of Iowa, and the 7% I've got to pay to Johnson County. Yep, a
whopping 16% of everything we bring in, off the top, goes to someone other
than Mary and me. Remember that next time you wonder why it costs so
damned much for a hotel room.)

(P.P.S. Of course, it would be much worse if we were part of a chain, or
used on-line booking agencies like Travelocity. Then we'd be giving away
upwards of 46% of everything we earned.)

(P.P.P.S. Which, by the way, is why we can afford to *include* a delivered
breakfast on a suite for which we only charge $59.95 per night, while the
chains cannot. That same breakfast, delivered to your suite at the
Sheraton, by itself will set you back over $40!)


Just out of curiousity, Jay. If someone were to pay cash, will you
split the 16% with them?

Bryan