I booked a stay at Art Maisons (Oia Castle) for July and recently received an email from stating that my balance (of hundreds of Euros) is due upon arrival IN CASH. I'm really surprised a hotel that seems to be so established won't take credit card as a form of payment.

Has anyone had a similar experience at this hotel? Or know anything about why this might be so? Do they really only take cash? Do they accept CC for food/beverage bills? Thank you!

I really think this is just an error in word choice on the part of whomever wrote that email to you. I know for a fact that they do accept credit cards and always have. I suggest you send them an email explaining your concern and asking them to clarify what they said, but if in fact there has been some change in their policy please come back here to let me know.

Thanks.

Why don't you go ahead and ask them?
Can't imagine that you can't pay with a credit card, besides this is what they have in their website ref. payment policy :

<< PAYMENTS BY CREDIT CARD
We accept the following credit cards: MasterCard, Visa and American Express.
Payments can be made by credit card or bank transfer.>>

Oh and something else.... the cancellation policy that they have on the website is NOT legal.
In Greece you can cancel every hotel reservation up to 21 days before your arrival, WITHOUT any cancellation charges.
They have changed it to to 31 days, which is against the law.
Just for your information.....

Contact them, and i am sure that they will accept payment with credit card.....

Thinking about this some more, I think what they really meant to say is that you have to pay the balance due for your stay in full when you first arrive. And as I already said, I'm sure they'll take your credit card.

We've found that hotel owners in Greece, more than any other country in Europe, prefer payment in cash. I guess that's one of the causes of the debt crisis, assuming that cash payments don't attract taxes.

Kay

It's so that they can pocket the money without paying taxes, and then expect the rest of Europe to pay billions to keep the country from going bankrupt.
I would cancel that booking.

It could be that the hotel prefers cash and is asking if that could be the form of payment but if not they would accept credit card. This is what happened to us on our stay in Santorini and we paid cash.

Tulips
The hotelier is obliged to give to every client a receipt for the services he provided, regardless if client paid with a credit card or in cash.
Your comments about the Hotelier wanting to pocket the money and the taxes is simply nonsense and insulting.
Thinking that all Greeks would act this way makes me think about the stereotypes others may have for your own country....
So please STOP generalizing !!!

I am surprised by the fact of how something small can become such an issue !!!!
This is a 5 star hotel with a website where it is stated very clearly what means of payment they accept.
There is nothing easier than to send a simple email to the reservations department and resolve what i think is a misunderstanding !!!
Family run small hotels and private rooms in Greece usually do not accept credit cards, but in a world where on line travel is expanding, they are slowly adjusting as well.
If you book a hotel with a website stating that they do accept credit cards, then you won't have a problem.

It's what I hear from many people visiting Greece; merchants want cash. Not all tourists ask for receipts. In Holland and Belgium we have some of the highest tax rates in the world, and now billions of it go to Greece.

This from the BBC;
The financial crisis of the late 2000s hit Greece particularly hard, as the legacy of high public spending and widespread tax evasion combined with the credit crunch and the resulting recession to leave the country with a crippling debt burden.

And from Bloomberg:
Prime Minister George Papandreou’s drive to tackle the European Union’s biggest budget deficit and pacify investors who have dumped Greek assets may hinge on convincing more people like Rigas to abandon this tax-dodging tradition. Papandreou says that Greek workers and companies have skirted tax worth 31 billion euros, more than 10 percent of gross domestic product.

How nice to have an opinion about Greece without having visited it ever... just based on what you heard from many people......

I could post many links here about the reasons that drove Greece to the crisis, but i guess you already know everything better !!!

ruby0784
After speaking with the hotelier, i think that what you booked is their special offer Number 1.
According to this offer you get a special discounted rate under the following condition :
You pay with your credit card a deposit of 50%, and the rest upon your arrival in cash.

If you don't want to make use of this special offer, then you will have to pay a deposit of 30% and the rest with your credit card upon your arrival. ( without receiving a discounted rate of course)

The special offer conditions are published on the hotels website.

Tulips, your foolish statements reveal a basic lack of objectivity and understanding. Clearly the problem lies with the words used in the email in question and NOT with a dishonest hotelier. I have known this man for years and I know for a fact that he accepts credit cards, AS I'VE ALREADY STATED, and for you to suggest that the OP cancel their booking is irresponsible, immature and just plain stupid. If you can't be helpful, be quiet.

<<<If you can't be helpful, be quiet.>>>
Well said BLL.
I think Clausar has got it, it sounds like it could be the offer rate? The part to be paid in cash saves them money as the merchant charges can be high here in Greece for retailers taking card payments, which is another reason for a lot of smaller places not doing so. As Clausar also stated, you should get a receipt regardless of how you pay, I do for all my accommodation & I stay somewhere (in Greece at least once a month!