John B
New Member
I'm a big believer that the best way to get a great hotel experience is to be a great guest and better human being. Though I'm still relatively young, I've done a lot of traveling both for work and play. I'm always looking for interesting tips folks might have for getting better perks upon arrival or throughout a stay. I'll share a few of my own:
- Before: Call the front desk the day of arrival to confirm your reservation. This is an old and relatively outdated practice in the developed world where property management systems do a pretty good job of managing reservations. However, it gives you a chance to make a connection with the front desk agent and leave a good impression. If you are polite and use kind words letting them know how happy you are to be staying with them, that can pay dividends in either upgrades or just making sure your room is actually ready upon arrival. The point is to initiate contact and leave a good impression. It won't always pay dividends, but it is free to try and if nothing else you might make a front desk agents day.
- Upon arrival: Once again, remember to be polite and show an interest in the front desk agent and their day. A front desk agent's day can be all over the place. If you are genuinely interested in their day and welfare after they have had a string of boring or rude check-ins, you might make their day enough to get a little upgrade or extra amenity. If nothing else, they might remember you and look for other ways to help out or make your stay a little more enjoyable.
- Throughout your stay and checkout: Depending on the type of lodging you have tips might be warranted. However, even in 3 star overnight hotels where tipping is not generally expected, smiles and politeness are always appreciated. Yes there is a common theme coming up here. Be polite and be interested in the staff. Hotel staff often times have thankless jobs and can feel like they are just another cog in the machine. Everyone in a hotel has the ability to make your stay better in one way or another, you also have the ability to make every staff members stay better. This condition creates possibilities for symbiotic relationships.
Also, to get away from the singular idea of just being nice I would recommend not ignoring problems you find with your room or the common areas. If you find something wrong, report it politely. Staff should always appreciate a polite report of something amiss than someone else yelling at them about it later.
- After you leave- Surveys: I always fill out surveys sent to me by hotels for two reasons. A. It is a good way to help the hotel gets better. This is especially important if you plan on returning. Why not help make your stay better next time. B. Often times managers will send you a thank you email for taking time to fill out the survey. Generally the manager will leave an invite to contact them again with any questions you might have. I've used this to my advantage many times during rebookings, especially when I'm booking something other than a vanilla overnight stay. For instance, if I'm heading to a place for a guys weekend with a few of my buddies. I'll send the details directly to the GM. This has benefits because it helps you get a block of rooms and often the GM will show their appreciation for you bringing extra business with some sort of upgrade or extra amenities. I've also used this approach when certain lodging rates aren't available online or with the general reservation line. I've never been disappointed.
What tips do you have? I'm always looking forward to learning and sharing tips to improve my lodging experience.
- Before: Call the front desk the day of arrival to confirm your reservation. This is an old and relatively outdated practice in the developed world where property management systems do a pretty good job of managing reservations. However, it gives you a chance to make a connection with the front desk agent and leave a good impression. If you are polite and use kind words letting them know how happy you are to be staying with them, that can pay dividends in either upgrades or just making sure your room is actually ready upon arrival. The point is to initiate contact and leave a good impression. It won't always pay dividends, but it is free to try and if nothing else you might make a front desk agents day.
- Upon arrival: Once again, remember to be polite and show an interest in the front desk agent and their day. A front desk agent's day can be all over the place. If you are genuinely interested in their day and welfare after they have had a string of boring or rude check-ins, you might make their day enough to get a little upgrade or extra amenity. If nothing else, they might remember you and look for other ways to help out or make your stay a little more enjoyable.
- Throughout your stay and checkout: Depending on the type of lodging you have tips might be warranted. However, even in 3 star overnight hotels where tipping is not generally expected, smiles and politeness are always appreciated. Yes there is a common theme coming up here. Be polite and be interested in the staff. Hotel staff often times have thankless jobs and can feel like they are just another cog in the machine. Everyone in a hotel has the ability to make your stay better in one way or another, you also have the ability to make every staff members stay better. This condition creates possibilities for symbiotic relationships.
Also, to get away from the singular idea of just being nice I would recommend not ignoring problems you find with your room or the common areas. If you find something wrong, report it politely. Staff should always appreciate a polite report of something amiss than someone else yelling at them about it later.
- After you leave- Surveys: I always fill out surveys sent to me by hotels for two reasons. A. It is a good way to help the hotel gets better. This is especially important if you plan on returning. Why not help make your stay better next time. B. Often times managers will send you a thank you email for taking time to fill out the survey. Generally the manager will leave an invite to contact them again with any questions you might have. I've used this to my advantage many times during rebookings, especially when I'm booking something other than a vanilla overnight stay. For instance, if I'm heading to a place for a guys weekend with a few of my buddies. I'll send the details directly to the GM. This has benefits because it helps you get a block of rooms and often the GM will show their appreciation for you bringing extra business with some sort of upgrade or extra amenities. I've also used this approach when certain lodging rates aren't available online or with the general reservation line. I've never been disappointed.
What tips do you have? I'm always looking forward to learning and sharing tips to improve my lodging experience.