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If you are a SPG enthusiast and redeem for award rooms, it is likely that you have come across the SPG Award Room Charge on your bill. It happens more often than one would like.
What is a SPG Award Room Charge
The SPG Award Room Charge is an internal charge that the hotel property charges SPG for booking a room at award rate. It should not appear on a guest bill. It is a billing error.
I first came across this charge during my stay at Sheraton Denver, last year. My one night cash+points stay was wonderful and I requested a digital copy of my bill. It was only a full week later, I glanced at the bill and was surprised by a $4.99 ‘Room Chrg SPG Awards‘.
Room Chrg SPG Awards had sneaked into my final bill
How to avoid/reverse an SPG Award Room Charge
Ideally, you should always review your bill during checkout and identify any unknown charges to the hotel staff. Staff at SPG properties will acknowledge the error and remove the charges. If like me, you don’t catch it until after your credit card has been charged, a quick email or call to the hotel property can fix the issue. I emailed Sheraton Denver with the related details and heard back from the Front Office manager with an email confirmation of the charge reversal. The accounting department reversed the charge within a day and forwarded me a copy for my records as well.
Sheraton Denver refunded the SPG Award Room Charge
Take Away
Another minor thing to keep an eye out for. The bottom line is, always check your bill at checkout and question any charges that do not look ‘standard’. While not neferious as Destination Marketing Fee (DMF and how to opt out), SPG Award Room Charge is an inconvenience that can be easily spotted and fixed.
9 comments
Thank you for posting this. With the changes in the SPG program, the program is a mess. I booked 2 rooms for 2 nights at Thanksgiving and was charged the fee for all 4 nights. When I got home and looked at the folio, I emailed SPG immediately. A month later I just got a reply that said “We will look into this”
After reading your post, I just contacted the hotel but there is no manager today. I look forward to hearing from one soon.
Your fee was small, only $5/night. Mine was $35/night.
Hope you hear back from them soon Peter, $35/nt is steep! Since weiting this blog, it has happened to me once more but I caught it at checkout. Same resolution – they were able to adjust it back.
Cheers!
Heard from the hotel manager today and they are putting $140 back on the credit card
Good stuff. Glad it all worked out 🙂
What is this charge supposed to be for?
The SPG Award Room Charge is an internal charge that the hotel property charges SPG for booking a room at award rate.
That’s what I thought. Seems fishy that someone would forget to take it off the bill and add it in to a seperate folio.
Is the $75 with the same description the cash supplement for your cash+points?
(I mean, why is the $4 an error but not the $75 – they look the same…)
Yes, thats the cash portion of my c+p rate 🙂