Merchant category codes

MCC 7011: Lodging: Hotels, Motels and Resorts

MCC 7011 is the merchant category code for hotels and lodging. It tells every card network what kind of business you are, and that decides which interchange rates your sales can qualify for.

Written by Robert Day, Founder and Managing Partner of weAudit.com, previously an executive at Fifth Third Processing Solutions, later Vantiv and Worldpay, now part of Global Payments, the world’s largest card processor. Published October 2026.

MCC 7011 at a glance

7011

Name: Lodging: Hotels, Motels and Resorts

Independent hotels, motels, resorts, inns and bed and breakfasts. Many large hotel chains use their own dedicated codes in the 3501 to 3999 range instead.

Seeing it on your own card statement?

It means the business is classified as lodging. Many cards treat it as travel for rewards, but each issuer sets its own rules.

What MCC 7011 covers

MCC 7011 covers lodging businesses: hotels, motels, resorts, inns and similar properties that rent rooms by the night. Large chains often process under their own chain-specific codes, while independent properties generally use 7011.

Code	Name	How it differs
7011	Lodging: Hotels, Motels, Resorts	Independent hotels and lodging
3501-3999	Hotel chain codes	Dedicated codes for specific large chains
7012	Timeshares	Shared ownership and timeshare properties
7033	Trailer Parks and Campgrounds	Campgrounds and RV parks

Why the code changes what a business pays

Lodging has its own card network rules and interchange programs, built around how hotels take payments: authorizations at check-in, incremental authorizations during a stay, and a final charge at checkout. A property coded correctly, and processing those steps correctly, qualifies for them. One that is not can pay more on every stay, and authorizations that are not handled the way the rules expect can cost extra fees.

The code is set when the account is opened, usually by whoever filled in the application. Nobody checks it again unless you ask. A wrong code costs money on every sale for as long as the account is open, and it never appears on the statement as a fee.

Signs MCC 7011 may be the wrong code

Your statement shows a retail or service code instead of lodging
Check-in authorizations and final charges are not handled as one stay
You see misuse-of-authorization or similar network fees
Your property management system and processor were set up separately and never reconciled

See the full merchant category code list, run your numbers with the fee calculator, or read why setup matters more than the rate you were quoted.

Common questions

What is MCC 7011?

It is the merchant category code for lodging: hotels, motels, resorts and similar properties.

Why does a hotel charge show a different code?

Many large chains use their own dedicated codes in the 3501 to 3999 range. Independent properties generally use 7011.

Does MCC 7011 count as travel for credit card rewards?

Many cards treat lodging as travel, but each issuer sets its own rules.

Why are hotel card fees complicated?

Because a hotel stay involves several card steps, from the check-in authorization to the final charge, and the networks have specific rules for each one.

Can the wrong code cost a business money?

Yes. The code decides which interchange programs a sale can qualify for, so a wrong one can cost money on every sale without ever appearing as a fee.

Send us a statement. We will check your code, and everything else.

Our first audit is free and takes about five minutes of your time. We check whether your account is coded and set up correctly, and if there is nothing to find, you will know that too.

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About this page: merchant category codes are defined by the ISO 18245 standard and published by the card networks, which occasionally add, retire or rename codes and do not always use identical names. Code names here follow Visa and Mastercard published lists, checked October 2026. Whether a code is right for a particular business depends on what it actually sells; your processor and the card networks make the final assignment.