Like any form of business, the hotel industry has secrets. Some of them, like the fact that sheets and duvets don’t necessarily get washed every day, are just icky. But others can save you the equivalent of a small fortune – provided you know what to do. Think of it as the cheat code of hotel life, a way of getting a discount room, a free upgrade or even more. Here we go over some of the top tips hotel management don’t want you to know about…
Ask For Upgrades
Hotel staff are people too and, like most people, are willing to be persuaded on certain subjects. Provided, that is, you’re polite. Be rude and you’ll almost certainly get nowhere; but pack a sweet smile when you reach reception – no matter how bad your day has been – and a world of discounts could be opened up to you. Most hotels can give you a severely discounted room upgrade at the receptionist’s discretion, so always enquire when you arrive. Effectively, you’ll get a massive saving on a better room which wouldn’t have been available had you plumped for the better room in the first place.
Discount Prices
Along the same lines, most hotel chains can give rooms away at discount without any prior booking. Again, this is something the receptionist can do and is always worth trying – especially if it’s low season and things are likely to be slow. Set yourself an upper limit price, then select a number of hotels you’d like to stay at that are out of that range (within reason). Then call each in turn and politely ask if they could do a better rate for your travel date, explain you’ve been looking around and you really liked the look of their hotel. Usually you’ll find at least one happy enough to knock anywhere between 10 – 40 percent of the price off a room. Just make sure not to try this one during holiday season.
Use Websites
Most hotels list their prices on their website. Usually, those prices are far in excess of what you’ll pay elsewhere. Shop around online for the best deals: there are at least 3 good hotel booking websites catering to the UK alone, and often simply booking with them will net you a nice little discount. The trick is to not be too picky about which hotel you stay at – simply select the area you’d like to be in and a star range and take whatever’s affordable.  Vouchercloud hotel vouchers is an example of a site that offers reduced hotel fees just remember these can and do expire. Finally if you’re really not picky, you can also use things like lastminute.com’s ‘secret hotel’ option: which lets you book a ‘secret’ hotel at a stupefying discount. However, since they give you the location and star rating of the hotel, it’s usually pretty easy to work out which one it is – allowing you to make an informed decision and get your room at bargain-basement prices.
Tip the Staff
Many of the hotel staff, especially at the fancier places, can offer all sorts to the weary traveller: from freebies at the bar to transport discounts or even favours from the kitchens. If you make a habit of slipping a 20 to your bellhop, you might just find yourself enjoying privileges that are unavailable to other guests. Just make sure you tip well, get their name and then don’t be afraid to ask if you want something. Since a bellhop or valet is probably well connected across the hotel, you’ll find other members of staff going out of their way to help you too.   Â
Don’t Ask for Late Night Food
A final word of warning: kitchens have regular hours that tend not to extend until 3.30am. Yes, even in 5 star joints. If you’re feeling ravenously hungry in the early hours (for whatever reason), be aware that any food the staff can offer you has – with 100 percent likelihood – been left out overnight in case of a call like this one. If you have any sort of qualms about eating food left unattended in a dark and greasy kitchen for several hours, this is one to avoid.
