London - Beware the hotel front desk. Not only do they hold the key to your room, they also hold the key to the difference between an average or a premier stay.
Knowing how to ask staff for things, how much to tip, how to book, when to push your cause – and when definitely not to can – transform the service you receive.
Doyen of the hotel industry Jacob Tomsky, author of Heads In Beds: A Reckless Memoir Of Hotels, Hustles, And So-Called Hospitality, started life as a valet in New Orleans more than 10 years ago and rose through the ranks to land a front-desk job in New York. As a result, he knows some of the best and worst secrets of the industry.
Here are some of Tomsky’s best revelations:
Hotels make a packet on room rates
According to Tomsky, the average cost to turn over a room and keep it sleep-worthy is just £25 ($40). That covers everything from washing sheets to cleaning supplies.
“That a hotel could fail to be profitable astounds me,” Tomsky says. Given that the average price of a four-star hotel in London is about £140 (R2 450), they should be raking it in. Stay somewhere that costs far less than £25 a night and you’ll know serious corners are being cut.
Never pay for the mini bar
Mini bars beg you to spend. Amazingly, Tomsky says you can almost always wriggle out of paying for them: the process of applying a mini bar bill is horribly inexact and anything from keystroke errors, delays in restocking, double stocking and many other mishaps can cause miscalculations. People at the front desks don’t want an argument.
“Even before guests can get through half of ‘I never had those items’, I have removed the charges.”
Phrase it the right way
Getting the front desk to take your latest gripe seriously can be tricky.
“Although most complaints should be delivered to the front desk directly, in person or on the phone, most issues will not have been caused by the front desk. Briefly outline your problem, offer a solution if you have one, and ask whom you should speak to, to have the problem solved. ‘Should I speak to a manager about this? Should I speak to housekeeping?’ Those are beautiful questions.”
Best of all? Ask for the employee’s name as nothing concentrates the mind better than knowing you can identify them later.
Don’t book on discount sites and expect the world
It’s obvious, but if you want the best room you have to fork out for it. Hotels give those who book through last-minute discounts sites such as Expedia the worst, smallest and dingiest rooms. They know you’ve come to them because of a one-off deal and probably won’t be a repeat visitor.
“First, we earn the slimmest profit from these reservations… (Second), since we have no reason to assume internet guests will book with us again, unless our discount is presented, it makes business sense to save our best rooms for guests who book of their own volition.”
Tip like your life depends on it
Every front desk wields a certain amount of power when it comes to awarding a guest a better time, and they’re almost always authorised to upgrade for special occasions. There’s always a room with a bigger TV screen, a room that, according to the building’s layout, has a larger bath and two basins or a room that has a great view.
All it takes? A decent tip. “When I feel $20 burning in my pocket, I will find (an upgrade) for you. If there is nothing room-wise, I have a slew of other options: late checkout, free movies, free mini bar, room service amenities, and more… in the hope you’ll hit me again.”
Don’t be shafted
Hotels overbook rooms to compensate for no-shows. If everyone shows up, the front desk will have to send some people packing or put them up for a night elsewhere. To ensure it’s not you, Tomsky suggests not using a discount site when booking, being a repeat customer, booking for more than one night and not being rude to staff. - Daily Mail