I'm planning ahead for a trip to Scotland/Skye for early next October, and in trying to heed the advice about booking early booked three nights in Skye at the Skeabost Hotel.
I booked directly with the hotel and specifically chose a "Book now, pay later" higher refundable rate with free cancellation by a September 2026 date.
Since booking the reservation I received a "payment request" to my email for the full amount with a same-day due date that links to Guestline Paylink. After ignoring it, I received another one today. As this is my first time booking anything boutique in Scotland/UK, I'm wondering if someone could help me understand a few things:
- Is this normal for boutique hotels in Scotland? I try to book direct to benefit the hotels rather than a third party, but I can see how this would encourage people to book through one of the aggregators instead.
- I don't see any language that would indicate if I don't pay that my reservation will be canceled, but should I assume that I still have a reservation if I wait to pay?
- Finally, is there any reason (beyond not wanting to get annoying emails every day) to pay it? I understand that it's refundable, but as the stay is nearly a year away I would prefer to pay at the hotel or at least closer to my date.
Appreciate any guidance or advice for booking on Skye. Thank you!
ETA: The hotel does require your credit card information in order to reserve the room, so I provided that to reserve.
Update! It was human error—someone put the date in for 2025 rather than 2026 to the invoicing system, so it was sending as if they were overdue. It has now been corrected and payment will be made from the credit card on file 21 days prior to the stay (per the cancellation policy).