Hey Clayton,
Hear is your answer from someone who works in a hotel in Perth managing rooms div.
Advance Rate - These are usualy heavely discounted rates (usualy up to 50% of stabdard rates) and to GNT paymet for these rooms they are non cancelation (like a cheep rate with an airline - if you pay a full fair you can change / amend as much as you like because all the admin fairs are included in a full price) Make sure you read the terms and conditions on the booking firstly. Don't bother with the fair trading and ACCC sites, as they will just state to read the tearms and conditions.
Payment - Best way is to check sites like WOTIF or RATESTOGO for other discoutned rates and then call the Hotel you wish to stay at. Most hotel will honor the rate on these websites if you ask nicely so they do not have to pay a commission to the web sites. Most hotels require Credit card details tp hold the booking and before you give them these details, just let them know you wish to pay by EFTPOS on arrivial for the room and they SHOULD NOT take any payment on your Credit Card. Remember to ask first....
1.5% surcharge - THis is a stanard practice in some hotels and usualy in heavly discounted rates, and if you doint pay it ythen the hotel wears this cost. dont blame the hotels for this charge - its a bank thing - Blame the banks......[}:)]
Also - if your going with your partner - mention its is you wedding anniversary or a birthday (Little white lie) and most propertys may place a bottle of champange in your room on arrivial or do something special for you - dont push too much thou.
Fell free to PM me if you have any other questions or want any other ideas how to get away with
Clayton Lee said...
Hi there - there seem to be a few keen consumers advocates on here - I have got a question for anyone who might know.
I am about to book a 4 night long weekend in a Mirvac hotel.
On the website, they advertise an "Advance rate", which is much cheaper than the usual rate, but you must pay in full up front, and there are no cancellations or changes.
It is advertised on their room page at a certain price, but when you go through to the reservation page to actually book the room, it informs you that choosing to pay with a credit card will incur a 1.5% surcharge.
That is fine for staying at the Hotel and paying at the end, as you can choose to settle your room with Cheque, Cash, EFTPOS etc, but with the Advance room payment must be upfront.
I called the reservation line to ask how I could pay for the room in another way (direct debit, cheque etc) but they told me that the only way to pay was with a credit card.
I think that if there is no choice but to pay by credit card, then the rate advertised is not available as there is no option to pay that rate - you have to pay the advertised rate x 1.015.
We are only talking about a few dollars here, but I resent it on principle - they are advertising a rate that I can't actually access.
The supervisor of the reservations line isn't available until tomorrow, so I am just trying to decide whether to call up and be a pain in the arse, or just to take it.
I checked the fair trading and ACCC sites, and their definitions are a bit wishy washy in what I can find.
Anyone got any firm info on whether they should be providing another payment option?
Clayton
... with this, add a few rounds worth of dosh that you would have ordinarily pissed up agaist a wall 
and get yourself a 'ho' 
Youll instantly learn to forget about the little things that just dont matter... which is the whole piont of going on HOLIDAY 
ending
