Rapid Travel Chai

My migraine stay at the Le Méridien Re-Ndama in Libreville, Gabon came with a potentially costly add-on.

Cash and Points of 5,000 points + USD $75.oo, City Tax of USD $1,000.00, 18% VAT of USD $13.50.

Even Las Vegas wouldn’t be that bold! It would make British Airways proud.

I figured it was an error of not displaying the local currency XAF (Central African CFA Franc, aka céfa), pegged at 655.957 to 1€ (XAF 1000 currently about USD $1.73).

The XAF is used by 6 Central African countries. It is the same value as the XOF (West African CFA Franc) used by 8 West African countries.

The two currencies cannot be used interchangeably despite holding the same peg to the euro. That’s just an inclination of how complicated life and travel is in the region.

My surmise was correct and at check-in the rate sheet from the hotel correctly showed everything in USD except city tax of XAF 1,000.

Without knowing anything of Gabonese law, as a general principle, I suppose the hotel could try to hold me to the $1,000 that I agreed in the reservation. Or I could try to prove it an obvious error if the regulation is available and shows XAF 1,000.

I might have brought on another migraine!