You've probably been to a hotel before and it can be both pretty sad and glamorous.
Industry secrets are mostly shrouded, but luckily I found out some!
So, we've looked into it and I've put together these 10 hotels secrets that they don't want
you to know.
Number 10 - Direct discounts.
The internet is awash with discount sites that pitch you the best prices in the best
places.
Sadly, this isn't always as honest as it could be.
There are several reasons for this.
Since hotels want to fill up as many rooms as possible on a given day, they do offer
up the savings through sites like that, but they are also paying those sites, a commission
on rooms that are already discounted, increasing the chances that you won't be getting the
best rooms they have.
A better way to book your hotel is quite simply to call them directly and place your reservations.
All you need to do to get that rate the discount site was offering, is to bring up the fact,
you found a better price here or there, and ask if they can match it or better it.
They're more likely to match the offer, simply because now they don't have to pay the commission
to the website partner, leaving more money in their pockets and another customer satisfied.
But wait, there's more.
Number 9 - Dealing with death.
Death is inevitable.
It's just a fact of life, especially in the hotel industry.
With such a high turnover rate on rooms, someone is bound to pass for one reason or another.
What's odd though, is that you rarely see or hear about these events occurring at hotels.
That's because most hotels have a lot of local connections, from the police to fire crews
and the media.
This ensures, or at least helps to ensure, that you don't hear bad reviews or press coming
from those hotels that made sure to strengthen those connections.
So how do they pull it off when you're already in the place?
The bodies are removed through service or employee only elevators and quickly taken
out the back way to waiting ambulances to be transported to their next stop.
While that may just sound like day-to-day business and even somewhat respectful for
the surviving families.
What you may not want to know, however, is if they're able, hotel staff will have that
room turned around and ready for your check-in.
Often as little as 24 hours later.
Don't let this gaunt you though, they'll give it a thorough clean through.
So at least you'll be able to rest in peace.
Number 08 - Chemical Laden Glassware.
My favourite way to start the day is with a cup of coffee.
Anytime is good for coffee, really.
So, it's a wonderful perk, when hotel rooms have a coffee maker and some mugs or glasses,
just waiting to be used.
However, all is not perfect with the arrangement because although cleaners generally leave
those rooms as spick span and sparkling as possible, the crystal light shine to those
glasses and mugs, aren't all what they seem.
What's horrifying is that in most places, the shine is often due to the quick use of
pledged to tidy them up.
So, if you're in a room with actual glassware, this includes the coffee pot, make sure to
give them a quick wash out or scrub.
Or you might notice a hint of lemon with your beverage.
This isn't as common across the board anymore, as many chains have pre-wrapped plastic cups
instead, but keep this as a reminder all the same.
Number 7 - Don't be so hasty!
While you may want to book your room as early as possible before everyone else gets there
first, you might be hurting your wallet more than you need to.
As I said, in the previous example, hotels want to book as many rooms as possible to
maximize their profits.
To add to this, most hotels try and book to about 110% capacity, knowing full well that
there will be cancellations and missed bookings as everyone typically calls in early to get
the best rooms, hoping for the best prices.
However, if you wait until late afternoon to early evening, say around five to six o'clock
and book then, you're more than likely to get a better rate for your room.
As now, as the day has gone on, there have been cancellations and re bookings, transfers
and so on.
And the hotel still wants to ensure it's as booked as possible.
Now you're in the right space to wheel and deal.
Number 6 - Search high and low As you've probably experienced, getting ready
for checkout time and leaving the hotel can often be more hectic than arriving.
Other people have the same rushes and issues too.
And due to that, they often leave behind some very interesting things in their rooms.
Since housekeeping has a rather large number of rooms to clean and a finite amount of time
to clean them, they often miss these left behind articles.
That's why it's a good idea to give your new room a thorough look through once you arrive.
Look under the mattress, check behind night tables and desks, under chairs and in cushions.
Just generally make sure to clean up after yourself.
You might look out and find a valuable treasure too.
It's really hard to say what you'll find with the possibilities are as varied as the clientele.
Number 5 - Tip the gatekeeper.
“All rooms are the same,” is probably the biggest lie in the industry.
Some have bigger bathrooms; some have bigger TVs or larger rooms space.
Only one person knows that though.
And that's the front desk clerk.
When you're checking in, no matter how long your flight was, no matter how rough a day
you've had, make sure you treat this person with all the pleasure you can muster.
A nice 20, never hurt things either.
Your front desk clerk can make sure you get the bigger room, if it's available.
They can help you get the best channels, for free maybe.
May be even comp you a nice bottle of something tasty for the evening.
The key here is to remember that this person is working their day to day, just like you,
and something as easy as a warm smile and some respect, along with a couple extra bucks
for a job well done, can end up being reciprocated back to you.
Sure they're usually only allowed to do these things for special occasions or circumstances,
but for some of these people, a polite interaction and a crisp 20 is a special occasion.
Number 4 - A golden key.
Have you ever noticed a hotel concierge with golden keys on their labels?
This isn't some quaint adornment.
It actually represents something quite unique.
This is the person you need to see for literally anything you need or want so long as it's
legal.
They are members of the order of concierges that span the globe.
Their mission, and they chose to accept it, is to be the most knowledgeable person in
the whole.
They'll know how to get you into that sold out concert.
They'll know where to get the best deals on that curiosity you're interested in finding.
These golden keys, make it their business, to know the ins and outs of virtually anything
you could possibly want during your stay.
And provided you Give them an appropriate amount of time and are willing to spend some
money, they will make sure you have everything you need.
You don't have to search them out all that hard either.
A cursory email or call may to the concierge desk at your hotel could be all you need,
and if a golden key member happens to work there, you can bet you'll hear from them promptly.
Number 3 - Not so safe and sound.
Gone are the days of metal keys.
People can cut new ones or just make off with them, meaning locks need to be replaced.
So, we've moved on to key cards.
What a great and novel idea, less costly, easily replaceable and with technology, we
can secure rooms easier by giving keys a time limit.
It sounds great and looks great on paper, but contrary to belief, these keys don't make
things as secure as you might think.
Since these keys are set up through desk terminals during check-in, they are quite simply susceptible
to human error.
A wrong key stroke here or there and your card might not open your door, or perhaps
it was the vengeful employee, you weren't rude, were you?
And they could easily have made one card opened the door and another card reset it, meaning
your original card won't work again, nor will the second.
Barring employee vengeance, the other mishap could be a MasterCard situation.
A mistake during check-in could give you a MasterCard that will open every door in the
hotel.
These are mainly used by staff members for obvious reasons, and shouldn't come into the
hands of customers, but it could happen.
In fact, one viral video from last year shows a motel in New Mexico, just handing out master
keys to all paying customers.
Number 2 - let's go for a joy ride.
Valet parking is available at many hotels, and you may want to take advantage of it yourself.
Why not?
You are treating yourself, right?
However, you may want to really read into that valet parking contract before you sign
it.
Many of those contracts don't leave the hotel liable to any damage to your vehicle, and
as such you'll have to handle it yourself, leaving the hotel free to continue business
as usual.
Perhaps with one last valet for a week or so.
Number 1 - Kick back, relax and have a snack.
Minibars, love them or hate them, there they are.
Little pre-packaged snack and beverages for your consumption.
At ridiculous prices, sure, but sometimes you just want to have a quick snack.
However, before indulging, note these few things first don't try and replace anything
you've used by sneaking your own into the fridge.
They usually always find out and charge you anyways.
Also remember to check the seals on any drinks you might decide to open and let the staff
know immediately.
Oftentimes a previous guest opens one drinks it and refills it with water and occasionally
urine.
Presumably if it's apple juice.
This can be missed by quick clean embar check by staff.
And you surely don't want to pay for any of that.
However, there may be a way out if you decide to Gorge yourself on anything in the minibar.
Do you know what the most often voided and challenged charges are in hotels?!
That's right, the mini bar.
It's really not worth their time to hassle you over a minibar bill.
Just remember number five, be polite, disagree with the charges there, and chances are the
clerk will just whip them away.
After all, they've got dozens more checkouts to go through and dozens more minibar disagreements
too.
So happy snacking.
Hopefully some of these secrets will make your hotel stay more pleasurable for you and
save you some money too.
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