Travel Safety, Article 4 Hotels: Hotels are becoming more like "home" with amenities such as high speed internet, high end wood furniture, flat screen TVs and ergonomic office chairs. Every hotel chain wants your business. That stacks the odds in your favor in being able to negotiate the best rate. Here are some tips to get the best price and protect your data and possessions. We are full fledged road warriors, tried and true, and we know you still get the best rate by calling the hotel's local number rather than the toll free number for reservations. But that's just part of the story. If you ask for the reservation's desk, there is a good possibility your call will be routed back to the toll free reservation number. Instead, ask to speak with the manager on duty or the general manager. They can negotiate room rates and you stand a much better chance of getting a good deal. Find out about fees for parking, internet use, safe-deposit boxes and fitness centers before you agree to stay. Costs for these items are sometimes built into the cost of the room or added to the bill when you check out; whether you use the services or not. Don't forget to record the confirmation number and the person's name you were talking to. Did you know rooms are more expensive in the morning? If you wait until 6:00 p.m., the hotel will cancel the rooms for the no show reservations that were not secured with a credit card. That's when they drop their rate. It may be as early as 4:00 p.m. in a city like New York where occupancy rates are generally very high. Even if the hotel tells you they have no vacancies, they do. Most larger hotels have rooms that are "out of service" because they need some maintenance work done in them. Often times, that means a minor problem like the television is out for repair or a carpet stain needs to be cleaned or a chair roller needs to be replaced. If you are looking for a last minute room and don't mind a bit of inconvenience, tell the manager you are willing to take an "out of service" room if the problem is minor then negotiate the price accordingly. You can also negotiate the price of other items in the hotel. Things like fax and long distance charges, parking rates, room safes, and movies can be negotiated. That's particularly true if the occupancy rate is low such as in off season resorts. Don't expect to have everything reduced but you can probably negotiate a few items. Many hotels offer a flat rate per-day fee for long distance in the U.S. and local calls but you have to ask for it. If possible, reserve a room that is between the 4th and the 6th floor. The first floor of a hotel is often the busiest with games rooms, pool, and restaraunts. The first couple of floors also offer easy access for criminals to make an escape. Let's face it, no one wants to run down five flights of stairs so they often limit their activity to the first couple of floors. Fire department equipment generally can not reach beyond the sixth floor so being trapped can be a concern. You will also want to avoid rooms that are close to the elevators, the vending areas and the stairways. Those tend to be the noisiest rooms. When you check into your room, perform a safety inspection of the room. It only takes a few minutes and it might save your life. Examine the room lock and be sure you know how to use it and it is functioning properly. Keep the door locked at all times and never prop a door open. For an extra margin of safety, twist the safety chain to remove the slack before latching it. Check the closets and bathrooms to make certain the room is empty. Check the windows and outside doors (if present) to ensure they are locked and operate properly Check the lock on the adjoining room door (if present) to ensure it is locked Take a moment to check the telephone calling instructions so you know how to make an outside call to 911 Look for the room safety card (generally on the back of the door) for information about fire safety and read it to become familiar with the nearest fire exit/stairway. In Section IV, Step 2, we told you to count the number of airplane seats to the nearest exit. In the hotel, you should count the number of doors between your room and the nearest fire exit. Remember that a smoke filled hallway may be impossible to see in and the only way to find your way is by feel. Take the time to note the location and number of fire extinguishers and fire pull boxes. In that same section, we also told you to pack a flashlight in your carry on. Place your room key in the same location every time, preferably close to the bed along with the flashlight and your cellular. If a fire alarm goes off at night and you must leave the room take those three items with you. You may find your route of escape blocked and be forced to return to your room. Without your key, you may be trapped with no place to go. If your key is in the same location all the time you will know exactly where it is when you need it. Your cell phone can provide you with a means to contact emergency services if you need help evacuating or loved ones if you made it out okay. Your flashlight may be useless in a heavily smoke filled corridor but not all fires produce that level of smoke and the smoke may not have fully reached your floor yet. Your flashlight may aid you if power is out or smoke is beginning to infiltrate your floor. Never use an elevator during a fire. Always use the stairs. Anyone calling your room and claiming to be with the hotel staff should be verified before you grant them access to your room. Acquire their name and verify with the front desk they are an employee. If you still are not comfortable, simply deny them entry. Remember to trust your instincts. We can't offer you a better tip than to take time to meet your housekeeper. We have always made it a practice to tip the housekeeper a few dollars each day and, when possible, spend a moment talking with them (Once you get into our business section you will see this as a recurring theme). The housekeeping staff are the most overworked and underappreciated people in the hotel and they can make your stay very pleasant or not so pleasant. A number of really good things happen when you take the time to recognize the behind-the-scenes staff. They will go out of their way to meet your expectations. One of our colleagues regularly tips the housekeeper and leaves a note asking him or her to place two sodas in ice before 4:00 p.m. and ensure the blinds are open. Each and every time he returns to his room, the soda is iced down, the blinds are open, the bed is turned down and a signed note is left by the housekeeper thanking him (the drinks are charged to his room). If housekeeping is on the floor when he leaves in the morning he stops for a moment to greet them and let them know what a good job they did in his room. People appreciate praise. Most housekeeping staff are honest, hard working individuals but, let's face it, there are always a few that will take advantage of a situation. Your housekeeper is far less likely to victimize you if they know you. Especially if you make it a habit of tipping them. If housekeeping knows you and someone enters the room while they are cleaning it and pretends to be you they will know what is taking place. You'll often find extra towels in your room and they take a few extra minutes to ensure they have restocked everything in your room. Unsure of who to tip and how much? Here are some suggestions from travelsense.org: Bellhop - $1 to $2 per bag (extra if bags are heavy or cumbersome). Coat check - $1 to $2 Concierge - $2 to $10 depending on the service; 10 percent of the cost for securing hard to find items like tickets to the theatre or sporting events. Doorman - $1 to $2 for hailing cab (extra in bad weather). Housekeeping - $1 to $2 per night (extra for upscale hotels or if room was particularly messy). Room Service - 15 percent or at least $2, unless gratuity is included. Valet - $1 to $2 each time you request your car (extra in bad weather). One of the latest fads in hotel theft is stealing a single credit card. If a thief gains access to your room and finds a wallet, they will often take one credit card and leave the wallet in place. Often, you never know the card is gone unless you use it frequently or until you recieve the bill. Here is a resource few people think to ask about; the hotel lost and found. How many times have you unpacked in your hotel room only to find out you've forgotten the power cord to your laptop or cellular. Call the front desk and ask if they have one in their lost and found. Hotels generally don't mind lending the cords and it will save you the cost and aggravation of having to buy one. Power cords are generally the most forgotten items in hotel rooms. You have your room at the price you want. You've just spent the day traveling. You walk into your room, drop your bag, and softly fall back onto your bed. It's a familiar scene. Did you know that bedspreads in most hotels are only cleaned every couple of months? That's right, and do you know what people do on those bedspreads? It's the first thing to go when we walk into a room. We carefully remove the bedspread from the bed and hope we never have to touch it again. Other areas in the room that seldom if ever get cleaned are the remote control, telephone and the clock radio. That's why we carry anti-bacterial wipes and a bottle of hand sanitizer with us. If it is winter and you think you need one, ask for clean blankets when you arrive. In Section III, Step 4, we warned you about bed bugs. Ask management if they have had recent complaints of bed bugs then take a moment to inspect your room for any tell tale signs of them. For your convenience, we are reprinting tips from the Harvard School of Public Health on how you can detect bed bugs. "... The bedroom and other sleeping areas should be carefully examined for bed bugs and signs of bed bug activity. Folds and creases in the bed linens, and seams and tufts of mattresses and box springs, in particular, may harbor bed bugs or their eggs. They may also be found within pleats of curtains, beneath loose areas of wallpaper near the bed, in corners of desks and dressers, within spaces of wicker furniture, behind cove molding, and in laundry or other items on the floor or around the room. Sometimes, characteristic dark brown or reddish fecal spots of bed bugs are apparent on the bed linens, mattress or walls near the bed. A peculiar coriander-like odor may be detected in some heavily infested residences." Keep an eye on your luggage. The two most vulnerable times are when you arrive and when you are checking out. If you are in a high end hotel, the bell hop will generally assist you with your bags but even then they can be stolen off the cart. People generally equate high end luggage with high end contents and sometimes they are correct. A Louis Vuitton Taiga Ivan is worth a couple of hundred bucks to a thief even if it is empty. If you find unauthorized charges on your bill at checkout, politely notify the clerk why the charge should not be on your bill and, in the interest of customer service, they will usually remove it. Your home away from home doesn't have to be uncomfortable or unsafe. We hope following our advice above leaves you sleeping as snug as a bug in a rug...just not a bed bug. Click here to learn about information and data security while you travel. ©2007 Safe Zone LLC - Home