Hotel Question

I had one hotel charge me immediately for one night (on a two night stay), but that was the only one of 5 hotels that did so.

Yes, if you make the reservation, they expect you to show, so they charge you for the room. If you find the fine print, if you want to cancel, you may have 24 hours to do so with a refund, or, they might keep all the deposit.

When you check out, check then to make sure you aren't charged again.

I prepaid for my hotels on the last trip. Kind of nice, since I knew that expense was already paid for. I did get a receipt from the hotel when I checked out.

Since you used a credit card, if there is a problem you can always take it up with them.

I've found that hotels may charge the full cost of the room if a discounted price is chosen. For example, I booked a room not too long ago that had two prices listed. One was significantly discounted and non-refundable and the other was higher but offered more flexibility in terms of changes or cancellations. It's always a bit of a gamble to book hotels on that basis, but I'm willing to take a chance.

Yes, our Venice hotel charged the card prior to arrival and handed us the charge receipt at check-in. This was a direct booking. Other hotels have put through a pre-authorization to ensure the card is valid.