Status: checked against official sources; automated independent review
FREQUENT FLYER GLOSSARY
What is a hotel deposit policy?
A hotel deposit policy is a property's rule on whether a guest must pay part or all of the room charge, or leave a card authorisation, before arrival or at check-in, and on when that money is returned. It matters because the amount, the timing and the refundability of a deposit follow the rate plan that was booked and the individual property, so two stays sold under the same brand can carry different payment terms.
Facts checked: 18 October 2026
Key takeaways
- A deposit usually takes one of three shapes: a prepayment charged when the room is booked, a partial deposit charged before arrival, or a card authorisation taken at check-in.
- Refundability comes from the rate plan rather than the brand: the cancellation deadline attached to the booked rate decides whether the deposit is returned.
- A deposit and an incidental hold are separate mechanisms, one paying for the room and the other covering extras incurred during the stay.
- In Marriott Bonvoy, a cash element can be combined with points through a Cash + Points rate at participating hotels [5], and what a redemption covers can be limited at property level, as at Atlantis, Paradise Island, where resort fees and other property charges sit outside the award stay [3].
How does a hotel deposit policy work?
A deposit is normally attached to the rate rather than to the hotel group. A prepaid or non-refundable rate is charged at the moment of booking, so the payment itself works as the deposit; a flexible rate may instead ask for a deposit closer to arrival; and some properties take nothing in advance and simply ask for a card at check-in. The sum requested can be the first night, the whole stay, a fixed amount or a share of the total, and the rest of the room charge, together with taxes and any property fees, is settled at checkout.
Payment timing is only half of the policy. The same terms also set the cancellation deadline that decides whether the money comes back, what happens if the guest arrives a day late, and how a no-show is charged. Because the deposit sits inside the rate plan, switching to a different rate for the same room can change the deposit with it, which is why comparing a prepaid rate with a flexible rate means comparing payment terms as well as prices.
Is a deposit the same as a card authorisation?
No. A deposit is money the property actually takes, held against the booking and then either applied to the bill or returned under the rate's terms. An authorisation, often taken at check-in, reserves funds on the card without completing the charge: it covers the room plus whatever extras the guest may run up, and the unused portion is released after checkout. Many properties use both at once, and the extras element is usually described as an incidental hold.
The difference is visible on a bank statement. A deposit shows up as a charge that has to be refunded, while an authorisation shows up as a pending amount that later drops away. Which of the two a guest meets depends on the rate: a prepaid rate tends to move the payment to the front of the stay, while a flexible rate tends to leave a hold at check-in.
How do deposits work on points and award stays?
A loyalty programme defines what its own bookings include, and the property defines what is left for the guest to pay. In the Marriott Bonvoy programme, whose programme rules were updated in October 2026, a stay can be booked on a Cash + Points rate at participating hotels that display one, chosen from the rate list during booking [5]. Free Night Awards are applied at the time of booking and are redeemable at thousands of properties, with point values that vary by property [5].
What an award stay covers can be narrowed at property level. At Atlantis, Paradise Island in the Bahamas — a non-branded participating property with limited participation in Marriott Bonvoy — an Award Redemption Stay includes the standard room rate and room tax only, while extra-person charges, resort fees, service charges and other property charges remain the member's responsibility and are not included [3].
Cash stays are counted through the folio, but only qualifying charges earn points. Marriott defines Qualifying Charges to include specified charges incurred during a stay on the member's folio — for the member's own room and up to two additional guest rooms with the same check-in and check-out dates — when the member supplies their membership number at reservation or check-in, stays as a registered guest in one of the reserved rooms and pays the charges [3]. The definition is not blanket: food and beverage charges exclude alcoholic beverages or tobacco where prohibited by law, charges at outlets not managed or operated by the property (including third-party outlets) may be excluded, and the programme rules separately list non-qualifying charges [3].
Money left unpaid is also a programme matter: failing to pay amounts owed to a participating property is among the grounds on which Marriott may act against an account, including withholding or forfeiting points [3].
Exceptions and limits
- Non-refundable rates. Where the booked rate is non-refundable, the prepayment is the price of the room rather than a deposit that comes back, so cancelling does not return it; the rate's own cancellation terms control, not the property's general practice.
- Intermediaries. When a room is booked through a travel agent, a tour operator or a group block, the deposit may be collected and refunded by that intermediary, and the intermediary's terms apply to the refund.
- Property charges outside a redemption. A points stay does not automatically absorb everything billed by the hotel: at Atlantis, Paradise Island, resort fees, service charges and other property charges fall outside the Marriott Bonvoy award stay [3].
- Cancelling a points booking. A points booking has its own refund mechanics. Marriott's rules state that an award redeemed before point forfeiture stays valid unless it is cancelled after the points expiration date, and that if it is cancelled after that date without qualifying activity to extend the date, the points used for the award expire [3].
- Debit and prepaid cards. An authorisation on a debit or prepaid card ties up the guest's own funds until the bank releases them, which can take longer than a credit card hold being removed.
Frequently asked questions
Does a Marriott Bonvoy award stay cover resort fees?
Not at every property. At Atlantis, Paradise Island, a participating property with limited participation in Marriott Bonvoy, the award stay covers the standard room rate and room tax only, and resort fees, service charges and other property charges remain payable by the member [3].
Can I pay cash for part of a points stay?
Yes, where the hotel offers it: Marriott Bonvoy members book a Cash + Points rate at participating hotels that display one, selecting that rate from the list during the search [5].
What happens if I owe a hotel money?
In Marriott Bonvoy, failing to pay amounts owed to a participating property is one of the grounds on which the programme may act against an account, an action that can include forfeiting points [3].
Do charges I add to my room bill earn points?
Not all of them. For Marriott Bonvoy, specified charges on the member's folio for their room and up to two additional guest rooms with the same check-in and check-out dates can count as Qualifying Charges when the member gives their membership number at reservation or check-in, stays in one of the rooms and pays [3]. Food and beverage charges exclude alcoholic beverages or tobacco where prohibited by law; charges at outlets not managed or operated by the property, including third-party outlets, may be excluded; and the programme rules list other non-qualifying charges [3].
Sources
Sources accessed on 18 October 2026. Marriott Bonvoy is the only hotel programme covered here; other hotel programmes, including Hilton Honors, World of Hyatt, IHG One Rewards and Accor Live Limitless, are not covered.
- Marriott Bonvoy Loyalty Program Terms & Conditions (updated October 2026), checked 18 October 2026
- Redeem Marriott Bonvoy Points, checked 18 October 2026