I have a journal recording every hotel stay back to 2005, 507 nights and counting. With that number of nights spent in hotels, I have learned a few key tips for a happy hotel stay.
- Make reservations - if you just show up you may find no room at the inn, and even if you do, you almost always pay a premium price. Even if it is only an hour or two ahead, call or go online and make a reservation. I have the apps for my two most commonly used hotel chains on my phone, I have made reservations from the car, in the parking lot of the hotel.
- Ask for the placement that you like best. I find higher floors, farthest from the elevator to be quietest, and I ask, most often I get what I ask for.
- Check the room when you arrive, and if something is not working, ask for it to be fixed or to change rooms. In Seattle we had a room with warm air-conditioning. The hotel sent up service, we went to lunch, came back and it was still warm, so I asked to be moved to another room, we did and it was so much more pleasant.
- Don't go bottom fishing, spend a little more to get something reliable. On one of the driving trips to the other house, I decided to save $20 and stay at a national chain budget hotel, rather than the reliable Hampton Inn, one bed-bug was all it took for me to never do that again.
- Tip the housekeeper. I leave $5 to $10 per night. Tip each day, on a multi day stay, the housekeepers will go out of their way to assure your room is nice and sometimes slip in extra amenities. Housekeepers work very hard, and are often underpaid. A little something goes a long way for them, and the kindness is repaid.
- If you arrive before your room is ready, or need to check out before you leave for the airport or train station, check your bag. I am surprised by people dragging their luggage to meetings and conferences, or out to lunch, tip the bellman a couple of dollars per bag and they will be take very good care of your bags. I have checked bags at hotels I wasn't staying in, a $5 bill and no question was asked about "what room are you in?" Bellman survive on tips (some of them very-very well,) treat them well and they will do anything that is legal to help you enjoy your stay.
I agree about not skimping on hotels to stay. I always pay the extra and Warbucks pays steep prices to assure a nice memorable stay and no kids!!!!!! I mostly prefer boutique hotels. And the tipping is true too for the housekeepers. I'm a huge towel whore, and they always leave me tons of towels. One even left us extra little bottle of our favorite liquors.
ReplyDeleteAnd the tip box. It doesn't appear the lock is locked. Is it turned?
The unlocked lock box
Deleteanyone could steal the tip container; it's not bolted down to the counter.
ReplyDelete"cow tipping" - hee hee hee!
good point
DeleteGreat advice. Box isn’t locked; they’re usually open containers anyway. But a penny?!?
ReplyDeleteAgree, a penny?
DeleteProbably pocket change after buying an $8.99 cup of sludge passing for coffee. That penny is not alone.
DeleteI'm Australian. We don't tip, but do pay proper wages to staff. Your advice about reservations is wise, as is asking for things to be fixed or be moved. Here hotels have a locked room where you can always leave your cases after checking out or arriving too early to check in. I don't understand the meaning of what written notice on the tip box. Tipping, it's not just for cows???
ReplyDeleteHow to explain cow tipping? I have been told, that if you sneak up on a cow that is sleeping standing up, as they often do, and push on their hips, they will hips really fast, they will tip over. I have never tried this, but I have met people who found it to be very entertaining.
DeleteI wonder how the cow feels about this kind of entertainment.
DeleteThis is very helpful. We never stay in a hotel or motel that rates fewer than three stars. Mostly, we just trailer it to KOA parks. Dogs, you know. BH doesn't like the hotels that include dogs.
ReplyDeleteOn cruise ships, the tip is included in the package. We like to tip extra because the service is so nice.