Treat an email about a hotel reservation as an alert, not as proof that the reservation or payment is valid. Before you click "pay," "manage booking," or "cancel," open the hotel or booking platform yourself. Check the reservation, read the rate terms, and find the business that actually took your money. If the message asks you to pay again or verify a card, confirm the request outside the email.

This guidance is for U.S. consumers. Hotel policies, payment protections, and complaint procedures can differ in other countries.

Which records control the booking?

Several records may be involved, and each answers a different question:

• The booking record: The hotel or booking platform's account, app, or website should show the reservation.
• The rate terms: The terms selected at checkout control the cancellation deadline, deposit, no-show charge, changes, and refund conditions. These rules vary by property, rate, and booking channel. Mews' explanation of hotel cancellation policies provides general background, but the terms attached to your reservation control your booking.
• The payment recipient: Check the receipt and card statement. They may show that you paid the hotel, an online travel agency, or another intermediary. Ask the business named in those records about a refund or booking correction. A payment dispute, if needed, goes to the card issuer or other payment provider.
• The payment method: A U.S. credit card, debit card, prepaid card, bank transfer, wire, and peer-to-peer payment app can have different recovery options. Credit-card billing protections don't automatically apply to every payment rail.

An email's appearance doesn't settle any of this. A copied logo, reservation number, privacy notice, unsubscribe link, or message containing your name can all appear in a fraudulent message.

Check the email without using its links

Leave the message alone for now

Don't use the email's payment, login, cancellation, or "manage booking" link while you're deciding whether it's genuine. Avoid unexpected attachments, and don't send a one-time code in reply.

A request to pay again, verify a card, or prevent an immediate cancellation is a reason to pause, not a reason to act faster. The Federal Trade Commission's travel scam guidance advises consumers not to sign or pay until they understand the deal's terms.

Open the booking channel yourself

Type the hotel's address into the browser, use a saved bookmark, or open the booking platform's official app. Don't copy the address from the email. If you use a search engine, check that you're opening the intended business rather than an advertisement or a lookalike result.

Sign in and find the reservation. For a booking made without an account, use contact details from the hotel's official website or a receipt you received through a channel you already trust.

Compare the records

Put the email beside the booking record and payment receipt. Check:

• hotel name and location
• guest name and number of guests
• confirmation number
• check-in and check-out dates
• room type and selected rate
• amount, currency, taxes, and disclosed fees
• deposit or payment status
• cancellation deadline and no-show condition
• official contact details for questions or changes

A pre-arrival message may not contain a room number. That omission alone doesn't show that the email is fake. The dates, amount, rate rules, and payment status are more useful checks.

Contact the business independently

If the reservation isn't visible, call or message the hotel or booking platform using contact information from its official website, app, or an earlier trusted receipt. Don't use the number or email address supplied in the suspicious message.

Ask the representative to confirm the confirmation number, dates, guest name, and payment status. Also ask who accepted the payment and who handles changes or refunds. If an online travel agency made the booking, the hotel may not be the business that can refund the charge.

Keep the original email, receipt, booking terms, screenshots, payment records, and support messages. Note the date of each contact, the representative's name, and any case number. If possible, save the original message rather than only forwarding it; forwarding can remove technical details that may be useful later.

Warning signs that call for a separate check

One warning sign isn't conclusive. A legitimate hotel may use an email service, and a genuine request to verify payment can sometimes occur. The safe response is to confirm the request outside the message before entering information or sending money.

Check cancellation and refund terms before canceling

"Booking confirmed" doesn't necessarily mean the reservation can be canceled without a charge. Find the exact:

• cancellation deadline and time zone
• cancellation fee
• deposit or prepayment rule
• no-show condition
• refund terms
• nonrefundable-rate language

For a third-party booking, read both the booking platform's terms and the rate conditions shown at checkout. Ask the business that accepted your payment which policy applies, and request the answer in writing.

Before you cancel:

1. Save a screenshot or PDF of the applicable terms.
2. Confirm the deadline in the reservation's time zone.
3. Cancel through the verified booking account or official contact method.
4. Request a cancellation number or written confirmation.
5. Check the card statement for the expected refund or remaining charge.

A cancellation link in an unverified email may be a credential or payment trap. Even when the link is genuine, using it could start a cancellation subject to the rate's fee rules. Verify the destination first.

If you clicked the link or shared information

Act promptly, but stop communicating through the suspicious message.

• You entered a password: Change it through the real website or app. Change it anywhere else you reused it.
• You shared a card number: Call the issuer using the number on the card or a statement. Ask whether the card should be replaced and watch for unfamiliar transactions.
• You sent a one-time code: Tell the affected account provider immediately. The code may allow someone to get past a normal login check.
• You paid by debit card, bank transfer, wire, prepaid card, or payment app: Contact that provider immediately and ask whether the transaction can be stopped or reversed. Recovery isn't guaranteed, but delay can reduce the provider's options.
• You aren't sure the reservation is real: Confirm it directly with the hotel or booking platform.
• You may need to dispute the payment: Save the email, website address, receipt, transaction record, and every support conversation.

A card dispute doesn't automatically produce a refund, and it doesn't cancel a hotel reservation. The issuer or payment provider reviews the claim under the process that applies to that payment and transaction.

U.S. credit-card billing disputes

A hotel or booking charge may involve a billing error, an unauthorized transaction, or a disagreement about the service. Those situations aren't identical, so follow the issuer's written instructions and describe the problem accurately.

For a billing error on a U.S. credit-card statement, the FTC's credit-card dispute guidance says to send written notice so the issuer receives it within 60 days after the statement containing the error was sent. Use the dispute address and method provided by the issuer, which may differ from the address used for ordinary payments.

Include:

• your name and account information
• the disputed amount and transaction date
• the name of the hotel or booking business
• a clear explanation of what is wrong
• copies of the receipt, cancellation confirmation, rate policy, and support correspondence

Keep a copy of the letter and attachments. The FTC says the issuer generally must acknowledge the complaint within 30 days unless it has already resolved the issue, and resolve the dispute within 90 days.

That 60-day written billing-error process isn't a universal deadline for debit cards, prepaid cards, bank transfers, wires, or peer-to-peer payments. Report unauthorized transactions to those providers promptly and follow their instructions. Don't wait for the hotel or platform to respond if that could cause you to miss a payment-provider deadline.

An unsubscribe link doesn't authenticate a booking email

A booking message may include a spa offer, room upgrade, or request to subscribe to promotions. Those features don't prove that the reservation message is genuine. Verify the booking first, and subscribe through the account settings or website you opened yourself.

For U.S. commercial email, the FTC's CAN-SPAM compliance guide covers accurate sender information, nondeceptive subject lines, a working opt-out method, and other requirements. The FTC says senders must honor opt-out requests within 10 business days.

Messages whose primary purpose is account or transaction information can be treated differently from primarily promotional messages. A message that combines both purposes is evaluated according to its overall purpose. Marketing compliance still isn't a substitute for checking the booking record.

If the hotel or booking site won't fix it

Write to the business that made the booking or accepted the payment. Give the confirmation number, dates, amount, and timeline. Say what you want resolved, such as a corrected reservation, cancellation confirmation, or refund review.

Keep the request focused and retain the response. If both a hotel and an online travel agency appear in the records, ask each one which business controls the reservation and the payment rather than assuming that either one can fix the whole problem.

Give customer support a reasonable opportunity to respond, but keep payment deadlines in view. If a U.S. credit-card billing error is involved, send the written notice within the FTC's 60-day window even while the hotel or platform is investigating.

If the email still can't be verified, don't pay through it. Open the booking account manually, compare the reservation with the receipt, and contact the business shown on the payment record before taking any further action.