I would call corporate and let them straighten it out!
I believe if you made a reservation and they did not ask for a credit card if you had previously stayed there your record is on file and they went off of that to charge your cancellation fee like the previous answer it was not a great stay
That's pretty standard for hotels, and yes, all hotels require a card to hold any reservation. Check your reservation to see when the cancellation cutoff was. Some hotels require up to a week's notice to cancel, although most only require 24 hours notice. It is possible to make a reservation after the cutoff has passed. If you canceled it before the cutoff, you can dispute it on your credit card. Mind you, I didn't have a great stay at this hotel either, but this sounds like how any other hotel would handle a late cancellation.
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