1. It pays to be nice to hotel staff.
Room assignments—including upgrades—are often
still made by actual people, usually front desk managers. If they associate
your name with a friendly face, you may find yourself in a spacious corner suite on your next
visit.
2. Request hotel extras (politely).
“Ask and you will receive,”.Most hotels will
be happy to provide extra items, like DVD
players, microwaves and even fridges, at no extra charge if they have them on
hand.
3. Loyalty counts, so stick with one hotel
chain.
Frequent travelers can achieve a preferred
status level, which comes with privileges—special amenities, freebies and
access to “hotel within the hotel” areas that include perks such as private
check-in and free breakfast or happy hour
drinks.
4. Handle hotel comforters with care.
At some hotels, bedspreads aren’t washed or
even changed between guests. If you’d rather not deal with the uncertainty,
toss the comforter in the corner, wash your hands and call for a replacement.
5. Wash your hands after using the hotel
remote.
That said, the filthiest thing in the room
might be lying on your bedside table. In 2012, researchers at Ontario’s Guelph
University swabbed surfaces in 54 hotel rooms across the country. They found
that TV remotes were covered in more bacteria than previous studies had
measured on public-toilet surfaces.
6. When in doubt, ask the hotel concierge.
Trust the concierge as a source for local
intel. “They are the highly trained professionals who are the eyes and ears of
the community”
7. Don’t leave everything until check-in.
If you have preferences for where you’d like
to sleep, have special requests, call ahead. Earlier is better, but even if you
call the morning of, you’ll just need to give time to make it happen,”
8. Be wary of
hotel sell-off sites.
If you use third-party sell-off sites like
Expedia, you’ll snag bargain rates, but you’ll get what you paid for.
You’ll likely end up with a less-than-ideal room—lower floors, bad views.
9. Tip hotel staff generously.
Tipping lets you express
gratitude and ensures you’ll get good service again. Experts recommend giving
bellhops up to $5 per bag; valets should get $2 to $3 for retrieving your car;
housekeepers should be left $2 to $5 daily; and concierges should be rewarded for
exceptional service ($10 to $20).
10. Some of the best hotel offers are hidden.
Hotels will occasionally give out discounts and perks to guests who
post Tripadvisor reviews or fill out hotel surveys. You can also ask about
“recontact” lists, where special deals and packages are sent to patrons via
email
11. Hotel star-ratings sometimes lie.
Hotel ratings systems vary widely between
countries. For example, in Italy, a hotel can
earn five stars by simply having a 24-hour reception desk, rooms that start at
16 square metres and receptionists who speak three languages. A single star is
awarded for changing the sheets once a week.
