Re: innkeeping: Aren't checks for deposits a pain?

[Jofelton@aol.com]

  On the question of taking checks for deposits:
   We love checks, as opposed to credit cards, and have never had a 
problem. 
    When somebody says she wants to pay by check, we say  we'll hold the
reservation for a week until we receive the check, then will call them if 
we
don't get it. I can recall only one or two instances when we didn't 
receive
the check.
   We've had only one check bounce in four years; one local innkeeper, in
business for nearly 30 years, says he's never had a check bounce.
   One advantage of checks over credit cards: you don't have to fight with
the credit card company in case of cancellation or no-show. We've never 
had a
charge-back, and we take every step to make sure we don't have any, and
accepting checks is another way of reducing the risk.
   For last-minute reservations we always require a credit card number, 
even
if they want to pay by check or cash once they're here.
   In all these cases, if you make everything crystal clear to the guest 
at
the time they make the reservation, you'll reduce the chances you'll have 
a
problem. 
  John Felton, Amadeus House, Lenox, Mass.