One reason might be to validate that the card works at all.
Another might be to bypass anti-fraud provisions of the issuer. (It seems plausible that someone trying to buy a laptop at a random retailer away from home might be less likely to trigger a fraud alert if they had a same city, same timeframe hotel reservation on the card.)
Another might be to bypass anti-fraud provisions of the issuer. (It seems plausible that someone trying to buy a laptop at a random retailer away from home might be less likely to trigger a fraud alert if they had a same city, same timeframe hotel reservation on the card.)