How to Hunt a Bargain!
Episode Seven: The Vice
Part Three: Hotels
Hotel rooms are almost entirely about negotiation, so if
you can’t give and take, you will get the going rate!
Negotiation was the hardest for me to learn. I learned this best when I
worked as a motel front desk clerk while I was at university in Montana. The
thing about Montana is that in the winter things are slow, really slow. So I had
to learn to convince people who thought our rooms were too expensive to stay. It
is all a matter of give and take. Sometimes this is an illusion, but you have to
attempt it. When it comes to things like hotel rooms, first understand that if
the parking lot is full, it is highly unlikely you will get any sort of break.
You can go ahead and ask if they have AAA or whatever, but that’s your best
shot. However, if you are going to stay multiple nights, it is still worth
checking. Depending on the area (whether tourist or business) the busy time will
either start or end on Sunday. For a business area Sunday is a peak night,
because businessmen arrive in time for meetings, etc. on Monday morning. In a
tourist area people typically leave on Saturday or Sunday which means Sunday
night is the slowest. Most of this works whether you are calling or in person.
1. Whenever possible, do call ahead. Unless you are willing to take your
chances! If you are willing to that, there’s always the chance it will be a
slow night and you will get at least a comfortable room at a bargain price. Of
course, there is also the chance you will be stuck propping the door shut with a
chair, never taking off your shoes because the brown carpet looks like it used
to be white, and bathing at the sink (if you bath at all) because the shower is
just too scary. I have done all these things, they make for great stories (and
I have plenty more, just email me if you want to hear about the television that
wouldn’t work unless my dad’s wallet sat on top—coincidence, I don’t think so!),
but they don’t make for the most comfortable and worry free vacation!
a) Call directly to the hotel, not the reservation line. The
reservation line is equipped with only the standard rates, they can almost never
offer any special discounts and they don’t really know the occupancy of the
hotel.
b) Call during regular business hours. During the evening you
are more likely to get someone who is either not willing or not able to give you
any additional discounts. They may not have any authority, or they may not be
sure about the guidelines.
c) Especially for vacations and busy times, book as far in
advance as you can. You can always continue to check back and see if you can
get a better rate (not mentioning that you already have reservations), and
cancel your original reservations (as long as you cancel them within the
guidelines specified by the hotel).
d) Be sure to write down all the information you get. Record
the name of the person taking your reservation, the confirmation number, the
rate and the date and time of your call. Just to be sure, repeat all your
information before hanging up. “Just to verify, I have a room for June 3rd
through the 9th checking out on the 10th (this can be
important, most systems have the check out date as the last date, whereas you
may think you are reserving that night as well, if the hotel fills up you may
find you don’t have a room for your last night!), at $XX a night, guaranteed on
my VISA. And if I don’t need the room, I need to cancel by when?” Make sure
you understand their rules, depending on where you are traveling too you may be
able to cancel up to the evening of your arrival, or you may need to cancel well
in advance. If, however, you discover you won’t need the room at 10 PM the
night of your arrival. Call anyway. You may still be charged, but you have a
chance they can rent your room and might not charge you.
e) Before reading on, always remember this, start out by
checking for one room for one night, even if you have been told you have special
group rates or are trying to get special group rates. Sometimes groups don’t
get as big a discount (for one thing, when they are arranged far in advance, the
hotel is less sure of what it’s occupancy will be, and doesn’t want to risk
giving up revenue) as a single person. Don’t complain about this, this is how
the business works, an empty room brings in no revenue, just learn how to work
within the system! It won’t get you any points if you tell all your family at
the wedding how you got a better rate than they did and then they all begin
demanding the same rate you got! You may suddenly find you are nickled and
dimed (phone calls, usage fees, whatever) until your rate is the same as theirs.
2. First ask the room rate for the number of people you require. I don’t
recommend lying, I can tell you from experience it only irritates the hotel
staff and can mean you get worse service later. If you’re really broke and you
feel you can’t afford the rate, be honest. A hotel doesn’t make any money off an
empty room. If it’s late and unlikely they will sell the room to anyone else
(and the clerk is sympathetic) they might give you a really good deal. However,
I wouldn’t recommend pleading poverty and then spending $20 or more dollars on
in room movies and pizza delivery! You might find the next day a lot of
unexpected additional fees! Everyone resents feeling used, and you’ll get better
service if you are polite and honest. Never, and I repeat “NEVER” say, “You
really think a lot of your rooms.” Or anything resembling it. I promise, the
rate will not get lower! Also, if a town seems full and you can’t find a room,
most clerks will call other hotels/motels for you. Keep in mind, when a town is
that full what you’re going to get will be the bottom of the barrel and if you
are determined to stay in the town, it’s all you’ll be able to get!
3. If the rate seems still seems high, and the parking lot didn’t seem full
(remember close to airports may mean shuttle service and fewer cars, though),
ask if they have any discounts. If they do, see how that price is for you.
4. If the rate still seems high, it is your turn to give something extra. If
you are calling, and need more than one room, see if you can get any extra
discount. Especially for large parties hotels will often give big discounts. Or
tell them you’ll need more than one night, the more nights you need the better
your chance at getting an additional discount. Again, honesty is key. Often
hotels will charge early checkout fees, so don’t try to tell them you’ll be
there a week and then leave early!
5. If you are the person in charge of finding the best rates for your
company, call large chains and ask for the manager. Tell them you are trying to
arrange a standard rate at all locations for your (sales people/system
installers /corporate trainers/whatever). They should be able to tell you who
can help you set it up. It will depend on the chain, some operate independently,
and some do not. Before you call to arrange the actual rates, you should know
the following:
a) Approximately how many rooms you use per month and per year.
b) If there are times of the year you use more rooms or fewer rooms.
c) You should know how much you have been spending on hotel
accommodations, so you can compare, (but don’t share this information!)
d) The type of rooms you require, or will settle for—do your employees
always need data ports? Is a regular double room okay, or will they need a suite
to meet with clients?
You should find out from your traveling employees the things they require to
do their job, and the amenities they would like. If you can’t get what you
require at most hotel locations, you will need to try another chain. The
amenities are bargaining points. The hotel can provide extras in order for your
company to agree to the rate the hotel wants to charge.
6. You should find one chain and stick with it. Hotels usually arrange their
rates on a tiered system. This means they have their regular rates, (these are
the outrageous prices they quote first), and then they have a system to
determine other rates. For example, for a small, local hotel, they may offer a
discount to a local businessman who stays at least 20 nights a quarter, and one
for a businessman who stays between 10 and 20 nights a quarter. The businessman
who stays 20 or more nights will get the better rate. They usually review the
accounts of their discounted customers each quarter. If they have not been
staying as many nights as the original rate was negotiated, the hotel may notify
them of a new higher rate. If they are staying more nights, however, it is more
likely the customer will need to renegotiate a new rate. He now has a history on
which to base his right to a lower rate, and he is a proven, good, loyal
customer. It is always easier for a hotel to keep a good customer, even at a
lower rate, than to find a new person to fill that room.
7. If you typically only use two or three nights a month, but during a few
predictable months you use more, you may be able to get a lower rate either the
entire year, or at least during the season you use the most rooms. If you need
more rooms during an off season, you should be able to get a lower rate all
year. However, if you are doing most of your traveling, for example, to Florida
in the middle of the summer, and not much the rest of the year, your chances
aren’t very good. They know they can fill every room in summer; it’s the rest of
the year they don’t know about.
8. If you travel a great deal, but only to one particular city, check out
locally owned hotels. Sometimes they don’t look like much on the outside, but
you have a great chance of getting a better deal from them, and you might be
surprised by how nice they turn out to be. It is not unusual for someone to
request to see a room (or even multiple rooms), before deciding to stay. Check
out the rooms, check out the amenities, check out the area, and ask any
questions. You might be surprised. My favorite hotel/motel I worked at (and I
did training, so I worked in a lot) was my first one in Missoula, Montana. It
was locally owned, and although the owners took pains not to spend any extra on
anything they considered frivolous, and pinched every penny (in the best way!),
every year they made improvements to the property. New carpets for some rooms,
new coats of paint for others, and they made sure the mattresses never got too
old, and were turned and replaced regularly. The motel always looked lovely, and
I was never embarrassed to rent a room to anyone.
TO BE CONTINUED...
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