Questions People Ask

[Northern Dreamer]

Recently we have had many guests ask us what other information we need from them both when they are checkin-in and then checking-out. I give them an information sheet upon check-in (Welcome, Room info, Lock/Door access, Breakfast time, an emergency ph#, quiet time, check-out time, etc...)
So, I guess I am not sure if they are asking just to be considerate, but once they have paid, (with all the personal info you can possibly retain for a registered/paying guest) and all discussions regarding event times and meals, and local attractions, have been had, what else would they need to give me, the innkeeper? Am I missing some bit of info that is a good thing to have from a guest upon check-in/out? A car license plate#? Blood type?
Seriously, I have been asked so many times, I am beginning to second guess myself and wonder what I have missed!

 

[user 26]

Could be these are guests who've stayed at hotels.
Last time I stayed at a hotel I had to give my license plate number and let them copy my driver's license out of the wallet. I couldn't get it out of the wallet and had to snip a corner to do that. (no worries as the license is back securely in there). No idea why this was needed but I went along because I wasn't going to get my key card and access to the room until I did. The car license plate I understood because parking was just for guests.

 

[Morticia]

Could be these are guests who've stayed at hotels.
Last time I stayed at a hotel I had to give my license plate number and let them copy my driver's license out of the wallet. I couldn't get it out of the wallet and had to snip a corner to do that. (no worries as the license is back securely in there). No idea why this was needed but I went along because I wasn't going to get my key card and access to the room until I did. The car license plate I understood because parking was just for guests..

They photocopy your license so they can hand it over to the police when you misbehave.
I won't stay at a place in Vermont that copies your licence and your credit card number on the same sheet of paper and leaves it out where anyone can see it. We've found another place nearby that doesn't do that.

 

[Morticia]

We have guests who ask on the way out the door if everything is paid for.
Are these foreign guests? Maybe guests are used to handing over all of their info in other countries.

 

[GoodScout]

Could be these are guests who've stayed at hotels.
Last time I stayed at a hotel I had to give my license plate number and let them copy my driver's license out of the wallet. I couldn't get it out of the wallet and had to snip a corner to do that. (no worries as the license is back securely in there). No idea why this was needed but I went along because I wasn't going to get my key card and access to the room until I did. The car license plate I understood because parking was just for guests..

They photocopy your license so they can hand it over to the police when you misbehave.
I won't stay at a place in Vermont that copies your licence and your credit card number on the same sheet of paper and leaves it out where anyone can see it. We've found another place nearby that doesn't do that.
.

They photocopy your license so they can hand it over to the police when you misbehave.
I won't stay at a place in Vermont that copies your licence and your credit card number on the same sheet of paper and leaves it out where anyone can see it. We've found another place nearby that doesn't do that.

Photocopying a credit card is a violation of most merchant agreements regarding credit card security. Adding in a DL number makes it doubly bad.

 

[Arks]

Could be these are guests who've stayed at hotels.
Last time I stayed at a hotel I had to give my license plate number and let them copy my driver's license out of the wallet. I couldn't get it out of the wallet and had to snip a corner to do that. (no worries as the license is back securely in there). No idea why this was needed but I went along because I wasn't going to get my key card and access to the room until I did. The car license plate I understood because parking was just for guests..

They photocopy your license so they can hand it over to the police when you misbehave.
I won't stay at a place in Vermont that copies your licence and your credit card number on the same sheet of paper and leaves it out where anyone can see it. We've found another place nearby that doesn't do that.
.

They photocopy your license so they can hand it over to the police when you misbehave.
I won't stay at a place in Vermont that copies your licence and your credit card number on the same sheet of paper and leaves it out where anyone can see it. We've found another place nearby that doesn't do that.

Photocopying a credit card is a violation of most merchant agreements regarding credit card security. Adding in a DL number makes it doubly bad.
.

Photocopying a credit card is a violation of most merchant agreements regarding credit card security.

Remember the days when they took a multi-sheet carbon imprint of the cards, then threw the carbons away? People would go through the store trash at the end of the day and have everything they needed to use the card: the number, exp. date, and the cardholder's name (no security code on back in those days). It took 20 years for them to get away from using the carbons.

 

[Morticia]

Could be these are guests who've stayed at hotels.
Last time I stayed at a hotel I had to give my license plate number and let them copy my driver's license out of the wallet. I couldn't get it out of the wallet and had to snip a corner to do that. (no worries as the license is back securely in there). No idea why this was needed but I went along because I wasn't going to get my key card and access to the room until I did. The car license plate I understood because parking was just for guests..

They photocopy your license so they can hand it over to the police when you misbehave.
I won't stay at a place in Vermont that copies your licence and your credit card number on the same sheet of paper and leaves it out where anyone can see it. We've found another place nearby that doesn't do that.
.

They photocopy your license so they can hand it over to the police when you misbehave.
I won't stay at a place in Vermont that copies your licence and your credit card number on the same sheet of paper and leaves it out where anyone can see it. We've found another place nearby that doesn't do that.

Photocopying a credit card is a violation of most merchant agreements regarding credit card security. Adding in a DL number makes it doubly bad.
.

They photocopy your license so they can hand it over to the police when you misbehave.
I won't stay at a place in Vermont that copies your licence and your credit card number on the same sheet of paper and leaves it out where anyone can see it. We've found another place nearby that doesn't do that.

Photocopying a credit card is a violation of most merchant agreements regarding credit card security. Adding in a DL number makes it doubly bad.

Don't stay at Handy's, then.

 

[Silverspoon]

We have guests who ask on the way out the door if everything is paid for.
Are these foreign guests? Maybe guests are used to handing over all of their info in other countries..

Or maybe they are checking to make sure there are no surprises when they get their credit card bill.

 

[Copperhead]

Could be these are guests who've stayed at hotels.
Last time I stayed at a hotel I had to give my license plate number and let them copy my driver's license out of the wallet. I couldn't get it out of the wallet and had to snip a corner to do that. (no worries as the license is back securely in there). No idea why this was needed but I went along because I wasn't going to get my key card and access to the room until I did. The car license plate I understood because parking was just for guests..

They photocopy your license so they can hand it over to the police when you misbehave.
I won't stay at a place in Vermont that copies your licence and your credit card number on the same sheet of paper and leaves it out where anyone can see it. We've found another place nearby that doesn't do that.
.

They photocopy your license so they can hand it over to the police when you misbehave.
I won't stay at a place in Vermont that copies your licence and your credit card number on the same sheet of paper and leaves it out where anyone can see it. We've found another place nearby that doesn't do that.

Photocopying a credit card is a violation of most merchant agreements regarding credit card security. Adding in a DL number makes it doubly bad.
.

They photocopy your license so they can hand it over to the police when you misbehave.
I won't stay at a place in Vermont that copies your licence and your credit card number on the same sheet of paper and leaves it out where anyone can see it. We've found another place nearby that doesn't do that.

Photocopying a credit card is a violation of most merchant agreements regarding credit card security. Adding in a DL number makes it doubly bad.

Don't stay at Handy's, then.
.

A practice still being done in many places, not just Handy's!

When I questioned it I was told it was company policy. This was a chain.

 

[GoodScout]

Could be these are guests who've stayed at hotels.
Last time I stayed at a hotel I had to give my license plate number and let them copy my driver's license out of the wallet. I couldn't get it out of the wallet and had to snip a corner to do that. (no worries as the license is back securely in there). No idea why this was needed but I went along because I wasn't going to get my key card and access to the room until I did. The car license plate I understood because parking was just for guests..

They photocopy your license so they can hand it over to the police when you misbehave.
I won't stay at a place in Vermont that copies your licence and your credit card number on the same sheet of paper and leaves it out where anyone can see it. We've found another place nearby that doesn't do that.
.

They photocopy your license so they can hand it over to the police when you misbehave.
I won't stay at a place in Vermont that copies your licence and your credit card number on the same sheet of paper and leaves it out where anyone can see it. We've found another place nearby that doesn't do that.

Photocopying a credit card is a violation of most merchant agreements regarding credit card security. Adding in a DL number makes it doubly bad.
.

They photocopy your license so they can hand it over to the police when you misbehave.
I won't stay at a place in Vermont that copies your licence and your credit card number on the same sheet of paper and leaves it out where anyone can see it. We've found another place nearby that doesn't do that.

Photocopying a credit card is a violation of most merchant agreements regarding credit card security. Adding in a DL number makes it doubly bad.

Don't stay at Handy's, then.
.

A practice still being done in many places, not just Handy's!

When I questioned it I was told it was company policy. This was a chain.
.

A practice still being done in many places, not just Handy's!

When I questioned it I was told it was company policy. This was a chain.

The PCI/DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) rules are a certification that everyone who processes credit cards has to sign off on each year. They have to certify that every employee is following the industry's security standards to protect credit card information and that their policies comply with those standards.
PCI is not, in itself, a law. The standard was created by the major card brands (Visa, MasterCard, Discover, AMEX and JCB). At their acquirers’/service providers’ discretion, merchants that do not comply with PCI/DSS may be subject to fines, card replacement costs, costly forensic audits, brand damage, etc., should a breach event occur. I would suspect any customer who notices a hotel violating the rules and who reports it to Visa/MC etc. would likely trigger a PCI audit from the hotel's credit card processor.
We do training with our staff every year about not posting the passwords for our registration system anywhere, and never writing down CC numbers or information, or even reading it back to a customer where some other guest in the inn might overhear it.

 

[Morticia]

Could be these are guests who've stayed at hotels.
Last time I stayed at a hotel I had to give my license plate number and let them copy my driver's license out of the wallet. I couldn't get it out of the wallet and had to snip a corner to do that. (no worries as the license is back securely in there). No idea why this was needed but I went along because I wasn't going to get my key card and access to the room until I did. The car license plate I understood because parking was just for guests..

They photocopy your license so they can hand it over to the police when you misbehave.
I won't stay at a place in Vermont that copies your licence and your credit card number on the same sheet of paper and leaves it out where anyone can see it. We've found another place nearby that doesn't do that.
.

They photocopy your license so they can hand it over to the police when you misbehave.
I won't stay at a place in Vermont that copies your licence and your credit card number on the same sheet of paper and leaves it out where anyone can see it. We've found another place nearby that doesn't do that.

Photocopying a credit card is a violation of most merchant agreements regarding credit card security. Adding in a DL number makes it doubly bad.
.

They photocopy your license so they can hand it over to the police when you misbehave.
I won't stay at a place in Vermont that copies your licence and your credit card number on the same sheet of paper and leaves it out where anyone can see it. We've found another place nearby that doesn't do that.

Photocopying a credit card is a violation of most merchant agreements regarding credit card security. Adding in a DL number makes it doubly bad.

Don't stay at Handy's, then.
.

A practice still being done in many places, not just Handy's!

When I questioned it I was told it was company policy. This was a chain.
.

A practice still being done in many places, not just Handy's!

When I questioned it I was told it was company policy. This was a chain.

The PCI/DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) rules are a certification that everyone who processes credit cards has to sign off on each year. They have to certify that every employee is following the industry's security standards to protect credit card information and that their policies comply with those standards.
PCI is not, in itself, a law. The standard was created by the major card brands (Visa, MasterCard, Discover, AMEX and JCB). At their acquirers’/service providers’ discretion, merchants that do not comply with PCI/DSS may be subject to fines, card replacement costs, costly forensic audits, brand damage, etc., should a breach event occur. I would suspect any customer who notices a hotel violating the rules and who reports it to Visa/MC etc. would likely trigger a PCI audit from the hotel's credit card processor.
We do training with our staff every year about not posting the passwords for our registration system anywhere, and never writing down CC numbers or information, or even reading it back to a customer where some other guest in the inn might overhear it.
.

Out for my walk yesterday. A woman was standing outside the Hilton reading her credit card number loudly enough I could hear it from across the street.

 

[Generic]

Could be these are guests who've stayed at hotels.
Last time I stayed at a hotel I had to give my license plate number and let them copy my driver's license out of the wallet. I couldn't get it out of the wallet and had to snip a corner to do that. (no worries as the license is back securely in there). No idea why this was needed but I went along because I wasn't going to get my key card and access to the room until I did. The car license plate I understood because parking was just for guests..

They photocopy your license so they can hand it over to the police when you misbehave.
I won't stay at a place in Vermont that copies your licence and your credit card number on the same sheet of paper and leaves it out where anyone can see it. We've found another place nearby that doesn't do that.
.

They photocopy your license so they can hand it over to the police when you misbehave.
I won't stay at a place in Vermont that copies your licence and your credit card number on the same sheet of paper and leaves it out where anyone can see it. We've found another place nearby that doesn't do that.

Photocopying a credit card is a violation of most merchant agreements regarding credit card security. Adding in a DL number makes it doubly bad.
.

They photocopy your license so they can hand it over to the police when you misbehave.
I won't stay at a place in Vermont that copies your licence and your credit card number on the same sheet of paper and leaves it out where anyone can see it. We've found another place nearby that doesn't do that.

Photocopying a credit card is a violation of most merchant agreements regarding credit card security. Adding in a DL number makes it doubly bad.

Don't stay at Handy's, then.
.

A practice still being done in many places, not just Handy's!

When I questioned it I was told it was company policy. This was a chain.
.

I was once in a store and simply called MasterCard while I was standing in the store. After the transaction passed, they talked to the clerk and as soon as he said he had photocopied the card, they cancelled it on the spot and issued me a new card. So much for a photocopy....

 

[Morticia]

Could be these are guests who've stayed at hotels.
Last time I stayed at a hotel I had to give my license plate number and let them copy my driver's license out of the wallet. I couldn't get it out of the wallet and had to snip a corner to do that. (no worries as the license is back securely in there). No idea why this was needed but I went along because I wasn't going to get my key card and access to the room until I did. The car license plate I understood because parking was just for guests..

They photocopy your license so they can hand it over to the police when you misbehave.
I won't stay at a place in Vermont that copies your licence and your credit card number on the same sheet of paper and leaves it out where anyone can see it. We've found another place nearby that doesn't do that.
.

They photocopy your license so they can hand it over to the police when you misbehave.
I won't stay at a place in Vermont that copies your licence and your credit card number on the same sheet of paper and leaves it out where anyone can see it. We've found another place nearby that doesn't do that.

Photocopying a credit card is a violation of most merchant agreements regarding credit card security. Adding in a DL number makes it doubly bad.
.

They photocopy your license so they can hand it over to the police when you misbehave.
I won't stay at a place in Vermont that copies your licence and your credit card number on the same sheet of paper and leaves it out where anyone can see it. We've found another place nearby that doesn't do that.

Photocopying a credit card is a violation of most merchant agreements regarding credit card security. Adding in a DL number makes it doubly bad.

Don't stay at Handy's, then.
.

A practice still being done in many places, not just Handy's!

When I questioned it I was told it was company policy. This was a chain.
.

I was once in a store and simply called MasterCard while I was standing in the store. After the transaction passed, they talked to the clerk and as soon as he said he had photocopied the card, they cancelled it on the spot and issued me a new card. So much for a photocopy....
.

I was once in a store and simply called MasterCard while I was standing in the store. After the transaction passed, they talked to the clerk and as soon as he said he had photocopied the card, they cancelled it on the spot and issued me a new card. So much for a photocopy....

I was wondering who to call - the card issuer? Oddly, the card was issued around the corner from the hotel. I think I'll call them Monday and all their take on it.

 

[Generic]

Could be these are guests who've stayed at hotels.
Last time I stayed at a hotel I had to give my license plate number and let them copy my driver's license out of the wallet. I couldn't get it out of the wallet and had to snip a corner to do that. (no worries as the license is back securely in there). No idea why this was needed but I went along because I wasn't going to get my key card and access to the room until I did. The car license plate I understood because parking was just for guests..

They photocopy your license so they can hand it over to the police when you misbehave.
I won't stay at a place in Vermont that copies your licence and your credit card number on the same sheet of paper and leaves it out where anyone can see it. We've found another place nearby that doesn't do that.
.

They photocopy your license so they can hand it over to the police when you misbehave.
I won't stay at a place in Vermont that copies your licence and your credit card number on the same sheet of paper and leaves it out where anyone can see it. We've found another place nearby that doesn't do that.

Photocopying a credit card is a violation of most merchant agreements regarding credit card security. Adding in a DL number makes it doubly bad.
.

They photocopy your license so they can hand it over to the police when you misbehave.
I won't stay at a place in Vermont that copies your licence and your credit card number on the same sheet of paper and leaves it out where anyone can see it. We've found another place nearby that doesn't do that.

Photocopying a credit card is a violation of most merchant agreements regarding credit card security. Adding in a DL number makes it doubly bad.

Don't stay at Handy's, then.
.

A practice still being done in many places, not just Handy's!

When I questioned it I was told it was company policy. This was a chain.
.

I was once in a store and simply called MasterCard while I was standing in the store. After the transaction passed, they talked to the clerk and as soon as he said he had photocopied the card, they cancelled it on the spot and issued me a new card. So much for a photocopy....
.

I was once in a store and simply called MasterCard while I was standing in the store. After the transaction passed, they talked to the clerk and as soon as he said he had photocopied the card, they cancelled it on the spot and issued me a new card. So much for a photocopy....

I was wondering who to call - the card issuer? Oddly, the card was issued around the corner from the hotel. I think I'll call them Monday and all their take on it.
.

I called my issuer. Told them that they made a photocopy of the card.They had a fit.