Hotel charges

Bonjour all Is it standard practice for hotels in Paris to take a 30% deposit for an apartment? I am not going until September 2015 but they have charged the credit card already! The only good thing is the more I pay now the less I will have to pay later.

A hotel and not an immobilier? I normally just provide my credit card information, but I'm not charged unless I cancel and they can't re-rent out the room (the charge would be equivalent to a 1-2 day stay). I wonder if it has to do with the long lead time, and maybe the fear is that the credit card they have on file may no longer be valid at that time, then they have no recourse if the guest is a no-show.

A parent company made the charge, causing some confusion!