Hotel Secrets

[catcul]

Mental Floss has an article about Hotel Secrets. This article makes me wonder if the hotel workers on this site have done any of these.

[bhskittykatt]

#1 sounds about right for what the turnover cost is.
#2 never had to do...we're too small to overbook, but many larger places do overbook by about 10%
#3 is true. Be nice, and I will solve your issue. Be a b***h, and I'll be less inclined to help.
#4 We are trained not to touch the pillow to our chins (ew), but I've mastered the art of just grabbing one corner and shoving it in there. Never done the foldy-thing; never needed to.
#5 We don't have furniture polish, just multi-purpose cleaner (which streaks on glass, so I know if a housekeeper used the wrong cleaner on the mirror). We have plastic cups wrapped in more plastic, but I do know people who have worked at places with real glasses, and I have heard stories, and I always wash my own glasses at a hotel before using them.
#6 and #8 don't apply to my motel.
#7 not so much at my motel, since we pay 3rd party sites a flat rate for listings rather than commission, but definitely so at other places. (Best bet is to always book direct.)
#9 I have never intentionally done, though I have been accused of it (store those keys in the same pocket as your phone? they aren't gonna work anymore).
#10 No one's ever tried that on me. I've only been tipped after helping someone.

[KhirasHY]

1 - Definitely sounds right to me. At every hotel I've worked at, that $30-40 cost is about what their estimate was. At my current job, it may even be a bit less, since we don't always clean every room daily (some vacant rooms are left dirty if we're not in need, and some occupied may have their DND on or decline service).

2 - I agree with most of these except #4, a smart hotel asks people for "voluntary walks" early in the day when they know they're going to be over. You can almost always find someone who will agree to a walk (hey, free night! woo!) instead of getting stuck with a SC about it. That said, at a couple hotels I worked, they would never do this. Some of my SC stories from the past were the results, but we never had a choice about whether or not to walk them, it was forced upon us.

3 - I will agree that not screaming at me will get something done nicer, but it will get done either way if I can control it. The part where this is shitty is if "Tommy" does everything he can...and the people who actually were supposed to make the fix don't do anything. Now "Tommy" gets the bad rep, which just plain sucks.

4 - I dunno actually...I've never used the chin method somehow. I was amazed when I found out that this was a thing.

5 - I've never seen a hotel do this, but if you want a streak-free wipe, use a newspaper. Seriously. I mean it! The paper will get the fluid off the glass, but leaves nothing behind with no residues. As for the glasses, we use plastic at my current hotel, but in previous ones it was made simple: the housekeepers cleaned the rooms, then our Stewards (dishwashers for the restaurant) would place new glasses in each room after it was cleaned. Made things a bit easier.

6/8 don't apply to my hotel now either, but the hotels I've worked at with bellmen/women honestly never had issues with wheeled suitcases. I'd say 80-90% of people, after a long day of travel, don't mind someone else taking the bag.

7 - I'd agree there, but discount sites also have other problems (a lot of us have talked about them before). Want to change/cancel the room? Don't call the hotel, we can't help you, you HAVE to talk to them. Want a receipt? We can't give you one that shows the rate; you paid their company and they sent you a receipt. We charge them less than they charged you, but our contract says we are not supposed to tell you that. Problem with the room type? If you reserved a room through them, and thought it was something else (ie, you thought "Deluxe" meant a suite, but it didn't), odds are you're SOL unless we are feeling very nice, because you reserved a normal room. Sorry, but that's the cost of those sites.

9 - Yeah, there's plenty of other Karma things that I could do that would make sense, but not this one. Why? People complain about non-working keys! It's a pain to have to keep apologizing and remaking them, so why would I go about intentionally giving you a reason to come back and yell, and possibly go SC on me? This one makes no sense to me.

10 - Maybe, sure, but if I don't have anything I've turned the tip down before. I'd also never take a $20 for a comp upgrade to a suite (easy way to get fired, not that he mentioned doing this in the article), but I'll take requests. The problem is when someone asks for these things (corner room, oversized room, specific room #, room in a specific spot) and it's not available. Sorry, but don't go all SC on me because someone else got the room first...

[bhskittykatt]

As for the glasses, we use plastic at my current hotel, but in previous ones it was made simple: the housekeepers cleaned the rooms, then our Stewards (dishwashers for the restaurant) would place new glasses in each room after it was cleaned. Made things a bit easier.

This is similar the set-up at a casino resort where BFF was the head housekeeper for a time. The stewards would come around and take the dirty glasses off the housekeeper carts and stock them with clean ones. Despite the stewards making swapping dirty/clean glasses easy on the housekeepers, she STILL caught them wiping out the used glasses with cleaning rags and putting them back. Didn't matter how many times she reamed them out for it, they still did it for some reason. Grrr.

[Moirae]

I have worked in the hotel industry for ten years for over 20 hotels in two different countries so I'd like to address some of the things said in this article. I have spent the last five years in New Orleans.

1. That's true, but employees rarely ever see any of it. Wages in the hotel industry are notoriously low. Also, the "costs between $30 and $40 a night" includes basic operating costs but do not include upgrades and repairs. Please note that $30 a night is probably around the break rate and they are desperate to get hotel stays. The rate has more to do with cash flow than anything else.

2. I've never seen hotels walk people if they are staying for "one night". People get walked when they are paying the least. That means the people that book online through websites like Expedia are the ones most likely to be walked. "One night" has little to do with it because hotels measure their profits by one night, though length of stay is better. What that means is that, if you are paying a high rate and staying for one night, but someone from Expedia is staying two night and the hotel is making a much lower rate, they will keep the one night over the two because they can resell the second night to someone else for a higher rate by walking the Expedia. If a hotel makes most of its revenue through OTA's (like Expedia), they will walk those that aren't the OTA so they don't piss off the OTA. He is simplifying the "walk" too much. It's not as easy on who gets walked as he's making it.

3. Do not bother housekeeping with your issues. Seriously, they will send you to the manager anyway. If you have a problem, speak to the front desk first. Usually they are empowered enough that they can handle the issue. If not, ask to speak with a manager. Whatever you do, be polite. If you are rude when you have a complaint, you are much less likely to get what you want. And if the answer is "no"? Doesn't matter. You still need to be polite. Sometimes the staff can't give you what you want. Just because you want something does not make you entitled to it or to a discount.

4. Maybe at the article writers hotel that's how they put in the pillows, but I've never seen a housekeeper do that.

5. I've never seen a housekeeper do this to glasses, they use soap. And most modern hotels don't have glasses anyway, they have plastic covered plastic cups for health reasons.

6. Have to agree with this one. You're better off buying your own stuff and bringing it in. Hotels get you with the little costs (like the astromical cost for movies), don't make it worse on yourself.

7. This is somewhat true, though mostly it's just whats convenient at the time. The more rooms a hotel has, the less time staff has to play these stupid games. At my hotel, you get the rooms that best fit with the way our rooms need to be arranged in a stretch to fit in our system. And yes, we do know which rooms are the best and which are the worst, so we fill the worst rooms absolutely last even if we have to give someone a free upgrade to keep them out of the rooms. So, are you coming during a busy time? You're better to book sooner than day of. Day of, you get the last of the pickings.

8. This one is true, but its only because bellman receive tips. Housekeeping gets tips too. Oh and btw, if you give the front desk tips, they are more likely to give you things you want, sometimes for free (a guest that gives tips is more likely to receive free sodas, for instance). But most people don't give the front desk a tip.

9. This is NOT true. These keys are called "ving cards". They are specially programmed keys that are viable for the amount of days the agent sets in the coding box. Thats why sometimes your key stops working during the middle of your stay (that and the fact that the keys are notoriously easy to decode. Put them against your cell phone for example, and they will probably decode). So, if you are due to stay for 4 nights, the clerk needs to code it to be valid for 4 nights. On the day of check out, the lock on the room will automatically deactivate the last code used around noon.

Also, did your key suddenly stop working? Its either been accidentally or intentionally decoded. Sometimes the hotel will code another key and slide it through the door lock to your room, forcing you to come to the desk to get your key recoded. But the real reason they did it is that they needed you to come to the desk to talk to them about something (like an invalid credit card, or an issue with your room).

10. NOT true at all. In newer hotels (say within the last ten years or so), and in the big boxes (like Mariott and Hilton) the rooms basically ARE the same. It's the way they are built. Same size, same layout, and the same stuff.

Older hotels will generally tell you that the room are not the same. I'd say that at my hotel. And it's true. Every single room is different. Different sizes, different stuff, different layout. Some rooms have windows, some don't. Some have tubs/showers, and some only have showers.

Just because you want an upgrade doesn't mean you will get it. Rooms are assigned certain ways for reasons and you are NOT the only person in the hotel. There's also only a certain number of rooms in room types and clerks cannot make something appear out of their ass. Neither can managers. If you book a queen but want a king, its not likely that you will get a king because it may not be available. If someone booked a king, that's most likely what they will get, that means that, if the king rooms are all booked by people that paid a king rate and you paid a queen rate, you will not be getting a king.

Also, the later you arrive, the less likely you are to get what you want because other people checked in before you did.

EVERYONE wants a window. EVERYONE wants a tub. EVERYONE wants a big room. But not everyone can have it.

So ask, be polite, and accept that "no" may be the answer.

I hate these articles. They tell all this stuff when it's obvious that they don't know what they are talking about and the article writer may have worked in one or two hotels and that's it.

[Sandman]

Only time I got upgraded was right after my wife and I got married. I was still in my suit and my wife in her dress. Desk clerk said "Since I think I know what just happened.. i'm going to upgrade you"

[catcul]

I've been upgraded twice. The first time, the hotel had a noisy piece of equipment that ran all night. I asked the desk clerk what we could do about that. He moved me to the other side of the hotel.

The second time, the front desk clerk saw me bring my luggage into the hotel. Instead of making me carry my luggage up a flight of stairs, she put me in a corner room on the first floor. I didn't even ask for that upgrade at all.

[Jetfire]

I suspect that hotel pricing rule of thumb is similar to the food pricing rule of thumb that Robert Irvine advocates on Restaurant Impossible. Take your costs and multiply by 3 to cover the rest.

So if the room costs 20-30$ to sell, you charge 60 to 90$, so you have your profit, and your nest egg for unexpected maintenance and what not.

[Moirae]

Jetfire, actually, it would be more like 5 or 5 times. Most hotels are between $99 and $129 per night during regular times. Non peak times can go as low as $49 and peak times as high as $359 a night (possibly more).

The high end hotels can go even higher. For example, during the Superbowl in New Orleans, there was a Mariott on Bourbon Street that charged $4000 a night but included tickets to the game. Then again, that Mariott is probably one of the best (if not THE best) hotels in the city.

Just like everywhere else, you get what you pay for. If you're paying $59 a night, don't expect a full breakfast, and you're lucky to get a continental breakfast (continental breakfast costs $6-$7 a person since the cost of food has risen so much and people demand more and more for the breakfast, more on special events). A full breakfast will never be supplied at that rate. Our continenal breakfast includes white and whole wheat bread, white and whole wheat english muffins, white and whole wheat bagels, raisin bread, two kinds of cereal, various pastries, various oatmeal, various grits, two different kinds of fruit (remember fruit goes bad qickly), and hard boiled eggs as well as real orange juice, milk, and 24 hour coffee plus smaller supplies like the sugar, sweet n low, jellys, butter and cream cheese, and plastic utensils, plates, bowls, and glasses, etc.

Unlike other hotels, we supply free internet. Though we don't currently have pay per view movie channels, we have been looking in to having it installed.

It costs money for everything the guests want. Our break rate (thats the term for the costs of each reservation) are probably around $35 for each reservation, and we do still have to run things like electricity even if the hotel is empty.

Running a hotel isn't as simple as most people think. I once had a brand new front desk agent walk out after less than 4 hours when I was working at another hotel saying "I had no idea this job would be so difficult. I can't take this". Another agent was doing a work experience thing and was with us for a month. She told me "The amount of work you do at the desk is absolutely amazing. From the other side, it looks like you just answer the phone and type in the computer. On this side, you're the backbone of the hotel because you do everything. I don't think I can do this for a living". Honestly, desk agents don't get paid nearly what they're worth, they're a glorified secretary that's actually expected to do way more than most secretaries but doesn't get paid nearly the same amount. And that's just the desk clerks. If I told you what the housekeepers had to deal with, you'd never want to work in a hotel.

[Headset Hellion]

Asking nicely definitely goes a long way. I once had to travel with my daughter on Easter Sunday. I called ahead to the hotel and asked them if I could ship her Easter basket to be held until we got there.

When we got to the hotel, they had unpacked her Easter basket and placed it on the dining table like a center-piece. I was very grateful and my daughter thought it was magic!

[AccountingDrone]

Running a hotel isn't as simple as most people think. I once had a brand new front desk agent walk out after less than 4 hours when I was working at another hotel saying "I had no idea this job would be so difficult. I can't take this". Another agent was doing a work experience thing and was with us for a month. She told me "The amount of work you do at the desk is absolutely amazing. From the other side, it looks like you just answer the phone and type in the computer. On this side, you're the backbone of the hotel because you do everything. I don't think I can do this for a living". Honestly, desk agents don't get paid nearly what they're worth, they're a glorified secretary that's actually expected to do way more than most secretaries but doesn't get paid nearly the same amount. And that's just the desk clerks. If I told you what the housekeepers had to deal with, you'd never want to work in a hotel.

I just finished watching a British series set in a 5 star hotel, great fun and it does show a lot of the crap the employees have to deal with. Streaming netflix is great

[KhirasHY]

Speaking of the profit per room, I'm reminded of the place where I worked under Hell Manager, which was a famous luxury hotel. They have 3 top-tier suites that retail for $1,400 per night before tax for the normal rate. That includes just the room: parking, internet, meals, and all the rest is extra on top of that. The rooms, according to the hotel, cost about $50 to flip when they are occupied (which, understandably, is not often).

The reason they cost $50 instead of $40? The hotel pays a whopping $10 commission per night to the reservationist who booked the room. They always were cheap at that hellhole...

[smileyeagle1021]

The one thing I have to say about hotels raking in money... yes, we charge a lot more than what it costs to turn over the room, but what the article fails to mention is that a lot of those expenses (salaried or near salaried staff, yeah, I'm an hourly employee, but I have to be here whether the hotel is sold out or has one room sold, property taxes, depreciation, etc) will occur whether the room is sold or not. We don't get to turn off the lights in the hallways just because not all the rooms are sold. So really, you aren't just paying for the turnover on your room, but a portion of the rooms that don't sell. And yes, you should pay that gladly, because overbuilding so that most nights there are empty rooms is the only way that there is a chance that you'll get a room during that convention that you just absolutely have to go to.

[Arcus]

The only place I have been to where I could get a good room for near or below cost was in Vegas. It's no secret that they do it because they know 99% of their guests will spend more money in the casino than they would get from the room.

[BroSCFischer]

IMHO:

#1: This is VERY subjective. In my opinion there are 2 types of hotels: Destination and Pit Stop.

Destination hotels are usually located in cities or near large tourist attractions. They are upscale, and usually quite expensive. This is the hotel you spend a week on vacation at.

Pit Stop hotels, meanwhile, usually have much more seasonal business. These are the hotels that you pull into on the way to a destination. Usually located near a highway exit or other major thoroughfare. While you may utilize them for a particular event, they more often deal with travelers on the way to somewhere else. They also tend to house people who are there for labor positions (road crews, construction) and have weekly rates to accommodate this.

Destination hotels may indeed be raking it in, but when the Pit Stop hotels have higher rates, it is likely that this business is to help sustain them in the leaner times. While they do indeed turn a profit, the margin is much narrower than Destination hotels.

For example, there were a few nights this winter when we had occupancy in the low single digits, with rates under $50/night. This didn't cover the cost of paying three desk workers ~$8/hr, let alone be profitable. However, this past weekend, we were quite busy, and are rates were well above $100, which helps to make up for some of those low occupancy nights.

#2: While I do know that some hotels do over book their rooms, I've never worked in a hotel that did that.

#3: Yeah, I'd say that if you are nicer, you are more likely to get more help, but the name thing is not really a motivator for me.

#4: Yep, this is done, and it's effective.

#5: Never worked in a hotel with glasses, only the plastic in plastic cups.

#6: Never dealt with a mini bar.

#7: Yep, this is absolutely the case, and he states the reasoning very well.

#8: Never had bellmen.

#9: While it is possible to do this, it doesn't happen very often (if at all) here, because it is more time consuming (and thus a bigger hassle) to make 2 individual keys, than to make both at the same time. Also, the desk then gets to deal with an irate customer because the keys didn't work. Just not worth it.

#10: Again, this is pretty subjective. In Destination hotels, sure there are multiple room types, and also the ability to upgrade. In Pit Stop hotels the rooms may have a few different bed sizes, and maybe a suite or two, but, in general, the rooms themselves are pretty identical.

Example: At my first hotel, they had some larger rooms with 2 queen beds, and my 2nd hotel, they had smaller rooms with 1 full size bed and 1 suite (that was more often than not 2x the cost of a regular room). Generally, the rooms were pretty identical though.

Also, upgrade discretion depends on the hotel management. Sometimes you have it, and sometimes you don't.

Overall, I'd say his list was pretty accurate for a Destination hotel, but it can NOT be applied across the board.

SC