3 Tips Next Time You Book A Hotel

Some help for you on your next get-a-way

• A Decent Tip Will Usually Get You a Better Room.  Not necessarily a SUITE or anything.  But at most hotels, some of the "standard" rooms are better than others .  as in, a bigger bathroom, a bigger TV, or a better view . . . even if they claim "all the rooms are the same."   Obviously if you're staying at a discount hotel, it's not worth tossing out twenty extra bucks.  But if it's somewhere nicer, just ask if there's something with a better view, and slip them some cash.   If they really DON'T have a better room available, they usually have a ton of other perks they can offer you.
• If You Only Book One Night, There's a Higher Chance You'll Get "Walked".  Which is what they call it when they're overbooked and have to send you to another hotel.   It happens because a lot of people who book rooms don't show up.  So hotels cover their profits by overbooking by up to 10%. You're MOST likely to get walked if you're only staying one night, you've never stayed at the hotel before, and you booked your room using a site like Expedia.

• SMART COMPLAINERS WIN.

  Though most complaints should be delivered to the front desk directly, in person or on the phone, keep in mind that most issues will not have been caused by the front desk at all. So briefly outline your problem, offer a solution if you have one, and then ask whom you should speak with to have the problem solved. “Should I speak to a manager about this?” “Should I speak to housekeeping about this?” Those are wonderful and beautiful questions to ask. Most of the time, the front desk will be able to solve the problem immediately or at least act as proxy.

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