Before you go

Deposits, ID rules, check-in times, and everything that can go wrong between paying and arriving.

• Why the hotel put a hold on your card

  The pre-authorisation is not a charge, and the money is not gone. Here is what actually happened and when it comes back.

• Booking a hotel room for someone else

  Straightforward if you set it up correctly, and a problem at the front desk if you do not. Three things to get right.

• How to actually get early check-in or late check-out

  It is a housekeeping problem, not a generosity problem. Understanding that changes how you ask — and whether you get it.

• The hotel has no record of your booking. What to do, in order

  It is late, you are tired, and the receptionist cannot find you. There is a sequence that resolves this, and arguing is not step one.