Surprising Hotel Secrets That You Need To Know
Date 28 Jul 2015 | Posted by Linda Paul
Hotel are an essential part of the life of a traveler, avid travelers and some businessmen stay in hotels more than their own homes. You may think you know most things there are to know about staying in a hotel, perhaps you do; but we are pretty certain that most people have no clue about some of the things that follow in this article. Here are some hotel secrets that may surprise you.
Online Discount Booking Is Somewhat Of A Farce
While browsing for countless hours may get you a really cheap room, usually these rooms are not worth even this price. In a word, they’re, well, cheap and usually really poorly maintained. Booking through third-party sites is not recommended – it’s better to check the rates online and call the hotel directly to book your room. Who knows you might even get an upgrade.
Being Clever About Cancellations
Contrary to popular opinion, if you want to make a last minute cancelation you can do it and without paying the hotel’s cancellation fee. Call the hotel and tell them your meeting was pushed to next week (or any later date) and that you’d like to move your reservation to that time. Then call the day after, and talk to someone different you can easily cancel your reservation and incur no fee since you are cancelling it several days in advance. This is a hotel secret that is really useful (and sneaky)
The Hotels Non-800 Number
It’s better to skip the 800 number and instead go directly to the local number of the hotel. This way you can speak directly to the hotel manager and ask him if he’ll match the prices you have seen elsewhere. This is important because usually National reservation lines cannot offer discount rates as they lack the authority to do this.
Be Nice And Tip
Tipping the front desk manager anything between $20 and $60 can go a long way in securing you a good room. It can also mean that some extra charges are dropped, late checkout times offered and an overall friendlier service given. It never hurts to be friendly with the one in charge of giving out rooms.
Dropping Small Charges
If you press hard enough with a small excuse, the mini-bar fees or the movie fee can easily be dropped. Instead of arguing over something debatable the front desk tends to just drop the charges all together.
Book Early To Avoid Getting ‘Bumped’
Like airlines hotels also follow the practice of overbooking so they can compensate for people who book rooms but do not show up. Such no shows are inevitable and this practice is beneficial for the hotel. However at times everyone shows up and there is a lack of rooms. During this scenario the hotel sends some guests to other nearby hotels, covering the cost of the new hotel. They don’t compensate you for the inconvenience caused however, so try to book your room earlier to avoid being sent down the road.
Hotel are an essential part of the life of a traveler, avid travelers and some businessmen stay in hotels more than their own homes. You may think you know most things there are to know about staying in a hotel, perhaps you do; but we are pretty certain that most people have no clue about some of the things that follow in this article. Here are some hotel secrets that may surprise you.
Online Discount Booking Is Somewhat Of A Farce
While browsing for countless hours may get you a really cheap room, usually these rooms are not worth even this price. In a word, they’re, well, cheap and usually really poorly maintained. Booking through third-party sites is not recommended – it’s better to check the rates online and call the hotel directly to book your room. Who knows you might even get an upgrade.
Being Clever About Cancellations
Contrary to popular opinion, if you want to make a last minute cancelation you can do it and without paying the hotel’s cancellation fee. Call the hotel and tell them your meeting was pushed to next week (or any later date) and that you’d like to move your reservation to that time. Then call the day after, and talk to someone different you can easily cancel your reservation and incur no fee since you are cancelling it several days in advance. This is a hotel secret that is really useful (and sneaky)
The Hotels Non-800 Number
It’s better to skip the 800 number and instead go directly to the local number of the hotel. This way you can speak directly to the hotel manager and ask him if he’ll match the prices you have seen elsewhere. This is important because usually National reservation lines cannot offer discount rates as they lack the authority to do this.
Be Nice And Tip
Tipping the front desk manager anything between $20 and $60 can go a long way in securing you a good room. It can also mean that some extra charges are dropped, late checkout times offered and an overall friendlier service given. It never hurts to be friendly with the one in charge of giving out rooms.
Dropping Small Charges
If you press hard enough with a small excuse, the mini-bar fees or the movie fee can easily be dropped. Instead of arguing over something debatable the front desk tends to just drop the charges all together.
Book Early To Avoid Getting ‘Bumped’
Like airlines hotels also follow the practice of overbooking so they can compensate for people who book rooms but do not show up. Such no shows are inevitable and this practice is beneficial for the hotel. However at times everyone shows up and there is a lack of rooms. During this scenario the hotel sends some guests to other nearby hotels, covering the cost of the new hotel. They don’t compensate you for the inconvenience caused however, so try to book your room earlier to avoid being sent down the road.