People travel all over the world on any given night. Everyone has either had great moments on trips due to hotels, or some really bad ones. Let's help you avoid those nightmarish instances.
Something that is far overlooked by the majority of those who stay in hotels are the locals that actually are tending to their requests. In the hotel system, each employee is taught to cater to each guest’s every whim, regardless of how ridiculous it may seem. Your satisfaction in your stay entirely rests on these people, and believe me, you definitely don’t want them on your bad side. They can be your biggest allies. Here are four tips on how to work with the hotel staff in order to get the best stay possible.
1. Treat your hotel room like it's being cleaned by your mother
Yes, your hotel room is like your sanctuary after unwinding from your daily travels — we get that! We expect you to become lazy and not clean up after yourself as much as you would at home. But not cleaning up after yourself and leaving a mess, are two completely different things.
Housekeeping staff members will work much harder and keep you much happier if you understand that you're actually supposed to tip them (yes, they are performing a service for you), and if you do your best to allow them to clean your room in a quick and perfectionist manner.
Also, don't blame the housekeepers for not making up the bed or exchanging your towels when you leave the "do not disturb" sign on your door all day, or if you're in the room all day. They're not going into the room if it's occupied or if you have visibly requested silence.
2. Don’t flash your rewards status to anyone
Hilton Honors and Marriott Rewards are two of the most prolific loyalty systems to be introduced in any marketing scheme. We get that! Whether you’re Gold, Diamond, Bronze, Blue, or Silver, we expect you to understand that the marketing scheme is already benefiting you more than it needs to, and we all know when you’re trying to scam your way into getting free stuff.
We certainly appreciate you choosing our hotel in every way, and will always prefer a member over a non-member; however, when you try and take advantage of the system by conniving your way into getting things, a mutual resentment is going to occur. We know the rules of every membership tier. You aren’t going to fool us.
Every hotel employee gets someone that throws a card in their face and says, “Honor my request because I’m an (insert level) member.” We really don’t appreciate it, and are less likely to bend our rules for you if you approach it in that way.
I can’t express enough how much further you can get by being polite, appreciative, and caring when you look to try and get an extra benefit. I’ll give you an extra free bottle of water, upgrade your room, or go out of my way to give you the best possible room placement if you treat me with respect.
3. Tell us when there is a problem instead of trying to exploit the problem
Say you ended up getting put next to noisy college kids in the room next door; it’s in the late hours of the night and you have to be up at the crack of dawn. Instead of not getting any sleep so you can argue with the guest services representative to attempt to get a free night’s stay, call down to them right away so they can relocate you to a quieter, more comfortable, and probably upgraded room. Your stay will be far more pleasurable if you allow the staff to do what they were trained to do.
If your sole goal is to get a free night, you will more than likely be disappointed. Most hotels offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee, but if they weren’t given the ability to make it right for you (which is always in the fine print), they’ll only give you a slight abbreviation off your quoted price.
Allow the hotel to fix it and kiss your ass; buy, if there is absolutely nothing they can do to move you or accommodate your request, then you’re entitled to the 100% satisfaction guarantee. But hey, free upgrade opportunity, or abbreviated rate on 0 sleep? There may be a Jacuzzi suite calling your name for the price of that one standard king bed.
4. Talk to us and find some common ground
Hotel employees have a life and family just like you. Feel free to tell us how your day is going or if you have any concerns with anything involving your stay. We don't need to know your life story, but do tell us some information about you, and we can relate to you on a personal level. If you don't want to tell us about your personal life, then ask about ours.
Find out what there is to do around the town - we do live there. We would know all the perfect spots for your downtime desires. We see thousands of people come and go through the hotel in our line of work. Find some common ground with us. Let us get to know you. If we find you to be a certified grade A human being, we will do our absolute best to make sure you have a grade A stay, every stay you have with us.