| Index |
You get the best rate by calling the hotel’s local number, not the 800 number, which usually links callers to an off-site centralized call center. Instead of asking for the reservations desk, ask to speak with the manager on duty, the general manager or the director of sales. These people have the authority to negotiate room rates.
It’s often possible to beat a hotel’s best advertised price by 20%, particularly if you call just a few days before your visit. First, shop around for the best deal on a third-party Internet travel site, such as Expedia.com or Hotels.com. Don’t take the deal -- just jot it down.
Then call the hotel and explain to a manager or director that you know these Web sites mark up room prices by 20% to 40%. Tell the manager you would like to split the difference -- say you’ll pay 20% below the price you found on-line. Unless the hotel is filled to capacity, the manager is likely to take you up on your offer.
Everything is negotiable. Think parking is overpriced? If the lot looks half empty, offer less than the daily rate. Planning to make a lot of phone calls? Some hotels offer a per-day flat fee for long-distance in the US and local calling -- usually $9.95 -- but you must ask for it.
Rooms are available even when a hotel has no vacancies. In any large hotel, a few rooms usually are listed as “out of order” at any given time. The problem might be something as simple as a stain on the carpet or a chair that has been sent out for repairs. If you’re desperate for a last-minute room in a hotel that claims to have none available, tell the manager you are willing to take an out-of-order room that has only a minor problem. You might even be able to negotiate a better rate, since the room would otherwise sit empty.
“Guaranteed” rooms really aren’t guaranteed. When you make a hotel reservation, you often are asked to “guarantee” your room with a credit card -- but there’s still a chance that the hotel will give away your room if you arrive late. Providing a credit card number improves the odds that your room will be held -- but it still pays to call to confirm that you’re coming if you won’t arrive until after 9 pm.
Major hotel chains use the Internet to offer last-minute bargains on rooms that otherwise would go unsold. There are also many bargains on advance reservations. Hotel Web sites...
TravelWeb, www.travelweb. com, a site created by 15 hotel chains now includes more than 100 hotel chains and more than 25,000 hotels in about 200 countries.
Quikbook, www.quikbook.com.
Hotel Reservations Network, www.180096hotel.com.
Hilton, www.hilton.com.
Radisson, www.radisson.com.
Priceline.com, www.priceline.com.
When subscribing to some of these sites, you can be automatically notified by E-mail of new bargain offerings.
A thief takes one credit card, not your entire wallet. It’s no secret that crime is common in hotels. The new twist is that some hotel thieves now take just one credit card when they find an unguarded wallet in a room -- and leave everything else untouched. Often, the victim doesn’t notice the card is missing until the credit line is maxed out.
Travel only with the credit cards that you really need, and check your wallet carefully if you accidentally leave it unattended.
Your bags aren’t safe with the bellhop. Even in elite hotels, luggage can be stolen right off the luggage carts in the lobby. Though these bags theoretically are in the possession of the bellhop, the hotel assumes no legal responsibility for the loss.
If your bag is going to sit for more than a few minutes, ask that it be placed in a secure room. Keep valuable items in the hotel safe.
High-end luggage might impress fellow travelers, but it also impresses thieves. The cheaper or uglier your luggage looks, the greater the odds that a thief will target someone else.
It pays to tip the housekeeper every day. Exchange a few pleasant words with the housekeeper if you see him/her -- and leave a $2 or $3 tip each day. You’ll get better service -- housekeepers are the most overworked, underpaid, underappreciated people in the hotel, so any gesture will be appreciated.
Knowing the housekeeper also reduces the chances that your room will be burglarized. Dishonest housekeepers are less likely to target guests they have met. If a thief enters your room while it is being cleaned and pretends to be you -- a common ruse -- the housekeeper will be able to spot the impostor.
Safer hotel stays: Rooms safest from thieves are near elevators and open into interior hallways -- not outdoors.
Avoid: Rooms on the first two floors... or at the ends of long hallways.
Never leave the Please make up this room sign outside the door -- housekeeping staff will make up the room anyway, and the sign advertises you are out.
When going out, leave on a light and the TV... and hang the “Do Not Disturb” sign on the door.
Hotel rooms are infested with germs. Certain items in hotel rooms never get cleaned. The biggest trouble spots include the TV remote control, telephone and clock/radio. Travel with a package of antibacterial wipes, and clean these items when you arrive.
Also, while reputable hotels provide fresh linens, bedspreads might be cleaned only once every few months. Remove them from the beds as soon as you check in. Ask for clean blankets as soon as you arrive.
Lost-and-found is a great resource for cell-phone users. If you use a cell phone, odds are that someday you’ll forget to bring your recharging cord or lose it in transit. If you’re staying at a hotel, there’s no need to buy a replacement. Recharging cords are the number-one item left behind in hotel rooms. Most hotels are willing to lend cords from their lost-and-found -- but guests rarely ask.
Not all concierges are really concierges. A true concierge is the most connected person in town. He/she can get tickets to sold-out events... reservations to popular restaurants... prescriptions filled in the middle of the night... even a new heel on a shoe by 8 am. (A tip of $10 to $20 usually is appropriate -- more if the concierge really worked miracles.) But not all hotels that advertise “concierge service” truly offer it. Many simply assign a regular hotel employee the role each shift.
An elite concierge wears a gold key on his lapel. It’s the symbol of Les Clefs d’Or -- French for “Keys of Gold” -- a prestigious international concierge organization.
Why not get a great hotel room for the same money, or less, than you'd pay for a standard room?
Consolidators. National consolidators provide deep discounts. Try Quikbook (800-789-9887 or www.quikbook.com)... Hotel Reservations Network (800-964-6835)... or Price-line (www.priceline.com).
Example: The Beverly Plaza in Los Angeles charges $179 to $228 for a room... Quikbook's rate is $125.
Downside: Some consolidators require advance payment.
Beware: Hotels that are "frayed around the edges" often unload rooms with consolidators. But some desirable properties -- such as Chicago's Drake and Palmer House hotels -- do work with consolidators. Know your hotels before you book.
Travel consortia. Many travel agencies belong to networks that can provide discounts and upgrades. Leaders include Hickory Travel Systems (800-448-0349).
Be specific when you book a room. Example: Nonsmoking, lake view, between floors three and 10, away from the pool, etc. This way, if the hotel can't meet your specifications, it might give you an upgrade.
Get out of the mainstream. Check out lesser-known boutique hotels, such as those of...
The Kimpton Hotel Group (no 800 number... call hotels individually, listed at www.kimptongroup.com) on the West Coast.
Manhattan East Suite Hotels (800-637-8483 or www.mesuite.com).
Boutique Hotels (877-847-4444... call hotels individually, listed at www.boutiquehg.com) in New York.
Example: Boutique's five Manhattan properties are known for their stylish period designs and architectural integrity. They offer breakfast... dessert buffets... VCRs and CD players... libraries of videos and CDs -- all free. Cost: $265 to $355 per night at the deluxe Shoreham, compared with $415 to $615 at the superdeluxe Carlyle.
Use clout on the right people. A couple of weeks before you leave, send a note to the manager of guest relations or the front-desk manager. Introduce yourself... suggest that you might be staying often... and that you might refer business.
When you get to the hotel, say hello to these people. You may get a better room or free breakfast. If you do, write a thank-you note.
Work the wiggle room. Rates are not set in stone. Smoke out the lowest price in town, and ask the manager you've met to match it. Also, ask for the corporate rate of the company that you are visiting. Often the hotel has a local rate that only in-house reservationists are aware of. If you can't get a break on the room, ask for free upgrades -- breakfast, valet services, transportation.
Call right after 6 pm. This is when hotels wipe out all reservations unsecured by a credit card... and may offer rooms at a bargain rate. In high-occupancy cities -- New York or San Francisco -- many hotels have a 4 pm deadline.
Join the club... a frequent-guest program will get you a few extras -- and it costs nothing to join.
Example: Starwood Preferred Guest Program offers Gold Preferred Guest Benefits... 10 stays within one year, upgrade, late checkout and three star points per dollar spent toward a free night. For more information, call 888-625-4988.
Always announce your age when you're booking a hotel room, because virtually all hotels/motels will give you at least a 10% discount when you're 50 or older. Sometimes the rate break is even better...
At all Choice Hotels throughout the world -- including Quality Hotels, Comfort Inns, Econo Lodges and Rodeways -- you'll get 20% to 30% off the regular rates at age 60, subject to availability. You must book your reservation using the toll-free telephone number, 800-424-6423.
If you join Radisson Hotels' free Senior Breaks program, you and your family will be entitled to 25% off the regular rates at age 50 in the US and Canada and age 65 in Europe. In addition, you'll qualify for a 15% discount in hotel restaurants during off-peak dining hours. Call 800-333-3333.
All you need for either of these hotel discounts is proof of age -- your driver's license will do.
Better hotel security… When you go out and must leave valuables in a hotel room, ask the head of security to engage the deadlock bolt to the room from the outside. No one will be able to enter the room -- including you -- without the assistance of security personnel. Not all hotels offer the service... but if yours does, it is likely to be more secure than leaving your possessions with hotel personnel or in a conventionally locked room.
Hotel cancellations are more costly... and less likely to be waived. About 20% of US hotels require you to cancel 48 hours before your scheduled arrival date... others require 24-hour notice. And credit card companies are less likely to resolve cancellation disputes in favor of cardholders. Travelers now win only 50% of disputes -- down from 80% three years ago. More troublesome: Some hotels charge early-departure penalties. Failing to stay as long as scheduled can cost $25 to $50 at 15% to 20% of US hotels. Offshore resorts may charge for the entire period originally booked. Self-defense: When booking your reservations, ask about the hotel's cancellation policy and for a cancellation confirmation number.
Hotels bump people, too. They call it getting walked -- you have a guaranteed reservation but are told your room is not available. Self-defense: Reconfirm reservations twice by fax or phone -- once before leaving home and again on your day of arrival. Tell the hotel what time you will arrive. If you are told upon your arrival that you will be walked, ask to see the hotel manager. If no rooms are available in the category you reserved, ask for an upgrade at no extra cost. If none is available there at any price, most places will pay for your room at a different hotel and transport you there free.
Anyone can get a last-minute reservation at a popular restaurant or a room in a hotel that is booked solid -- if you know what to say and how to tip.
RESTAURANTS:
You call at the last minute and are told no tables are available. What to do...
Ask to speak with the maitre d’. Get his/her name before your call is transferred.
When the maitre d’ picks up, address him by his first name, and give your own full name. That creates the impression that you have been to the restaurant before and know him.
Give your name, and say with empathy, “I know how busy you are tonight. But if you could find a way to have a table for me at 8 pm, I would be happy to take care of you the right way.” This language may feel uncomfortable or cagey, but it is the language that service professionals recognize.
Helpful: Never mention a dollar figure -- it is offensive and demeans his craft. Be precise in what you want. Otherwise you could end up eating at 5:00 pm or midnight.
If the answer is still no, take one last shot. Say, “I don’t mind waiting in the bar for a bit if it would help you out.” Your flexibility lets him know that you are experienced and not unreasonable.
If you get a table, tip the maitre d’ discreetly (no one should ever see). Give him the folded bill(s) in your handshake.
The tip amount depends on the caliber of the restaurant, how badly you want to get in and how hard the maitre d’ had to work to get you the table -- $10 is fine for a good restaurant on a typical night... $20 to $50 for more extreme circumstances, such as conventions, holidays, etc.
When your waiter hands you your check, hand him/her your valet ticket stub, and ask him to give it to the valet, so that your car is waiting up front by the time you pay the bill and leave the restaurant.
HOTELS
You are told no rooms are available. What to do...
Don’t waste your time asking a clerk for special service. Ask to speak to the reservations or general manager. Be sure to get the manager’s name before your call is transferred.
Address the manager by Mr. or Ms. Unlike restaurants, better hotels are quite formal.
Give your name (using Mr. or Ms.) and say with empathy, “Mr. or Ms. _______, I know how busy you are, but I’m in a bit of a spot. I’m meeting with an important client. If you could find a way to reserve a room for me, I can promise that you won’t be disappointed.”
Change the explanation, if appropriate, but keep it brief. Again, don’t mention a specific dollar amount.
If the answer is still no, don’t give up. Try again by saying, “I can imagine how many calls you get like this, but I do a tremendous amount of business in the city. If you could help me out, I would really make it worth your while.”
If this doesn’t work, add, “If it would make life easier for you, I would be willing to arrive after 6 pm when you might have more cancellations.” Be polite -- there is a big difference between being persistent and being insistent, which is obnoxious.
When you get your room, a tip of $20 is probably fine, but go as high as $50 if, say, the city is booked solid for a convention.
Your hotel's business card can be a passport around town in a city where you do not speak the language. Have a hotel staff member write the address of the place you are going on the back of a business card. Give the card to a taxi driver. When you want to return to the hotel, show the driver the front of the card.
If you plan to use a computer from a hotel room, ask the hotel if its phone lines are "computer friendly" before making a reservation. Old, poor-quality phone lines can result in slow connections, disconnections or being unable to connect at all. Phone jacks may not be available in the room. Digital switchboards may prevent your computer from being able to dial into an on-line service -- or jolt your computer with a damaging high-voltage charge... if you need to dial 9 or 8 to get an outside line, you'll have to change your computer's auto-dialing string. Also, ask about the hotel rates for phone calls... many are exorbitant.
Bargain hotels in New York City can be found through several Web sites, including www.travelscape.com and www.askjeeves.com (ask for bargain hotels in NYC). Bargain hotels in Manhattan cost more than in other cities, but it is still possible to find clean rooms with private bathrooms for around $99/night.
Good hotel buys in New York City:
Several of Manhattan’s double rooms for $150 or less per night (plus tax):
* Times Square/theater district: Hotel Edison, 228 W. 47 St., 212-840-5000.
* Gramercy Park/Murray Hill area: Quality Hotel East Side, 161 Lexington Ave., 800-567-7720.
*Upper West Side: The Milburn, 242 W. 76 St., 800-833-9622.
*Greenwich Village: Washington Square Hotel, 103 Waverly Pl., 800-222-0418.
Visit www.sidestep.com to check domestic hotel rates. Even lower hotel rates, sometimes less than $40/night for top-quality hotels, can be obtained using www.priceline.com.
Quickly hit the "#" key between calls instead of hanging up. That way, you get a new dial tone and avoid being charged an access fee for a second call.
If there's no answer after five rings, hang up to avoid being charged for an incomplete call.
Charge long-distance calls to a credit card.
If the hotel doesn't charge access fees for 800-number calls, call your long-distance carrier toll-free and have its operator place the call.
Send and receive faxes over the Internet to avoid exorbitant per-page charges.
YOUR HOTEL ROOM KEY
California law enforcement professionals assigned to detect new threats to personal security issues recently discovered what type of information is embedded in the card type hotel room keys now used throughout the industry.
Although room keys do differ from hotel to hotel, a key obtained from the "Double Tree" chain that was being used for a regional identity theft presentation was found to contain the following information:
-- Customer's (your) name
-- Customer's home address
-- Hotel room number
-- Check in date and check out date
-- Customer's (your) credit card number and expiration date
When you turn these keys in to the front desk, your personal information is there for anyone (hotel employee or anyone) to access by simply scanning the card in the hotel scanner. A person could take a hand full of cards home or elsewhere and using a scanning device, access the information onto a computer and go shopping at your expense.
Simply put, hotels do not erase these cards until an employee issues the card to the next hotel guest. It is usually kept in a drawer at the front desk with your information still on it.
The bottom line is --
KEEP THESE CARDS OR DESTROY
THEM. NEVER leave them behind in the room and NEVER
turn them in at the front desk when you check out. Hotels do
not charge for the cards.
Hotel Room No-Nos <<>> From Mark Kahler <<>> Your Guide to Budget Travel
Not all honor bars are that expensive, and a few are even worse. The point is to leave them alone.
A few travelers are tempted to take the expensive water and then replace it the next day with a reasonably-priced bottle purchased elsewhere. It usually doesn't work, because inventory is taken each day and some bars are even equipped with motion sensors.
Bring your own snacks and leave the overpriced stuff for the next guest.
For the price of some of these movies, you can rent three or four titles at your hometown rental store when you get home.
If you're bored, take a walk around the hotel, or if advisable, the neighborhood. You're on the road to discover new things, not to watch over-priced movies you can see at home, right?
These costs add up quickly, and are often the source of billing mistakes. Order one movie, and guests sometimes are charged for two or three.
It's best to stay out of the movie database altogether.
Many travelers do find in-room computer hook-ups to be a good deal. Some are as low-priced as $9.95 for 24 hours of high-speed Internet access. That's less than most of the movies cost for a two-hour show.
Suddenly, the bargain room is $80/night before the tax bill and other extras. Some might argue that's still not too bad for The Magnificent Mile, but you can do better. My space at the Grant Park North garage a mile or two away cost $13 USD/day. The car was in a well-lit, frequently patrolled area. Since I didn't plan to drive during my stay, it worked out well. It won't always work out this well, but it's usually worth the effort to explore other parking alternatives before plunking down what the hotel wants you to pay.
There are still more temptations--click "next" to the right to find out how to disconnect them.
If you don't have a cellphone, buy a pre-paid calling card for your long distance conversations. Ask about fees for calling the local pizza parlor or your in-town friends, too.
Some hotels excel at charging us for other habits, too. Those who work out while on the road may find a charge for the privilege.
Sponsored Links
Room Rates Comparison
Find The Best Deals on Hotel Rooms! Compare Rates from Top Travel Sites
www.BookingBuddy.com
TravelFleaMarket.com Huge Discounts on Cruises, Hotel, Air, Vacation & Car. Never overpay! www.TravelFleaMarket.com
Hotel & Motel Rates Great Hotels at Discount Prices Select, Reserve, and Save! www.BestHotel.com If you must request a special key for the workout facility, it's best to ask if there is a fee involved. Wake-up calls and hot water are still free in most places...at least for now!
Bargain Hotel Rates
Compare rates to find bargain hotel deals anywhere you want to travel.
www.BookingBuddy.com