Insider tips to get the best from your next hotel visit

Insider tips to get the best from your next hotel visit
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Hotel receptionists spill their best secrets – from how to score a discounted room to how to get that Wi-Fi charge waived from your bill!

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Don’t try to bargain with the reservations number we give you

Don’t try to bargain with the reservations number we give you
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The 1-800 reservations number will probably send you to a central office with set rates. If you call the hotel directly instead, you can negotiate.

We don’t get everything from online booking sites

We don’t get everything from online booking sites
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Hotels can pay a commission of up to 30 percent to online hotel booking sites. So offer me 20 percent less than the online price, and we both come out ahead.

These are the first things you should check for in a hotel room. 

Don’t expect a discount if we are not independently owned

Don’t expect a discount if we are not independently owned
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Independently owned hotels are far more likely to give you a discount. Some chains baulk at dropping the rate.

Give the housekeepers time

Give the housekeepers time
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If you show up at 11 a.m. and check-in time is 2 p.m., please don’t be upset if your room isn’t ready. I can’t make the housekeepers go any faster. And you don’t want them to rush.

Ask in private for a room upgrade

Ask in private for a room upgrade
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Don’t ask me for an upgrade when other guests are within earshot. Want a more spacious room without paying more? Request a corner room.

Here are 11 rude hotel habits you should stop doing asap.

Ask the front desk about excursions

Ask the front desk about excursions
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Some concierges get kickbacks for sending you to pricey tourist traps. If you want an unbiased recommendation, ask me.

We all lie

We all lie
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Sometimes my boss makes me lie, like when the elevator’s not working and I tell you someone is coming to fix it soon. I know it won’t be fixed until Monday, because the manager doesn’t want to pay the repairman’s weekend rate.

Don’t call during check-in time

Don’t call during check-in time
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Don’t call between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. with a special request. Chances are I’ll have a long line of guests waiting to check out or in and will just want to get you off the phone.

You won’t believe these 14 crazy (but totally real!) requests from VIP hotel guests. 

Being a maid means a lot of different things at a hotel

Being a maid means a lot of different things at a hotel
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My official job description: errand runner, toilet plunger, bow-tie tier, towel deliverer and chef (that free continental breakfast doesn’t appear from above). I’ve also sprinkled rooms with rose petals and dealt with dead bodies. All for about a minimum wage.

Learn the 15 things you should never, ever do in a hotel room. 

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