Use sites like Expedia , Travelocity and Priceline to REALLY get the best rate. I don't mean book your room with these sites. First let me explain how these sites work. Say you visit Hotels.com and the price for the Example Inn is $60(this price is usually the same as the hotel's rack or standard rate). You book the room and give your credit number. Hotels.com charges your card for $60 plus tax. Hotels.com then sends your reservation to the Example Inn. In return for selling rooms the Example Inn agrees to give Hotels.com a big discount, usually between 20% and 30%. So Hotels.com ...
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Hail! The Hotel Guy here. As an employee of the hotel industry I've discovered that most people have no idea what they are doing when it comes to staying at hotels. Well I am here to help. I will be giving tips on how to get the best rate when checking in, what to look for when choosing a hotel and also share some stories about what really happens at hotels that most travelers never find out about. Plus a bunch of other stuff as I think of it. Not much to say today as I just started this blog but I will leave ...
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Story Time This happened about 3 years ago while I was working night shift. It was about 3:00 AM. I had just finished printing all my reports and balancing all the cash and credit cards from the day when I hear, " Psst , hey buddy". I look to my left, where the lobby ends and the hallway begins, and I see a man's head peaking around the corner. I say, "Can I help you, sir?" His response was, "I locked myself out of my room...and I'm naked." Well...this was a new one for me. I asked the guy what room he was in ...
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I numbered wrong so Tips 3 and 4 are out of order. THIS WHOLE SITE IS OUT OF ORDER If your room is not what you expected it to be then don't hesitate to call the front desk and let them know. Now I run into a LOT of people that make up complaints just to get discounts on rooms so I am not endorsing that behavior. People like that make hotels less compassionate when a guest has a real problem. If you do have a legitimate complaint though make sure you let the hotel know. The hotel will take 1 of 2 steps ...
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An empty hotel room brings no revenue. Many hoteliers understand this and the ones that don't are ignorant. Take a cruise around the parking lot before checking in. If it is not crowded this means the hotel probably has some empty rooms. This is your chance to show off those negotiating skills. At my hotel right now our rack (regular) rates are between $59.99 and $64.99. It is our slow season though so I have no problem renting a room for $45.00. Research the area you are traveling to and find out when their peak and off peak seasons are. Also the later you ...
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