When they don't like the price...

[Antisocial_Worker]

...What do they do?

Typically, when someone comes in and doesn't agree with the rate at my hotel, they'll just thank me and walk out. Other times, you get the ones who take some sort of personal offense to the rate, as though I made it up out of spite.

Take the case of a man who just walked out. He came in, asked the rate, and I told him. He gasped and asked, "What happened to $69.95 a night? Everybody's over $100 a night up here!"

"It's tourist season, sir," I said.

He looked at me as though he'd never heard the words "tourist" and "season" ever used, linked, in a sentence before. A new concept. A puzzle to solve.

"Oh, so it's a monopoly then. I see."

He was turning to walk away but he did see me shake my head and squint my eyes as though I was pained by his idiocy.

"No. No, it's not a 'monopoly.'"

He snarled. "Thank you," and stormed out.

Or take the case of a man who didn't care for the price last weekend. He asked for the rate, I told him what it was, and he asked me why he couldn't get the same rate he got in April.

Is it just me, or does that question answer itself? You can't get the April rate in July. Is this a difficult concept to grasp?

He huffed and puffed a bit, but was digging out his credit card when he said, "I think you're ripping me off."

I smiled very pleasantly and asked with a gentle lilt to my voice, "Would you like to find other lodging, sir?"

"No! I want to stay here if that's alright with you." If looks could kill...

"I'm sorry sir, but it's not alright." Ever so pleasant.

He shoved his cards back into his wallet and asked for my name, which I refused to give him, then said "I'll fix you," and left.

Needless to say, I remain unfixed.

[MrSunshineState]

Good for you for standing up to that second guy.

[HawaiianShirts]

Hotel room prices are now personal insults. That makes perfect sense. I understand tourist season. I did hotel housekeeping for a summer in Yellowstone. Rates went up June through August because there were more guests than in May or September. Supply and demand. How hard a concept is that to grasp?

My wife and I travel based not on rates, but on our moods. If we want the local flavor, we go in the off-season. If we want to do traditional tourist stuff and watch other people out of their own elements, we go during peak seasons. I expect to pay room rates accordingly. I don't have to like it, but that's the way it works.

I'm curious, though: Ever get hagglers in a hotel?

I get them in computer sales all the time. One from last month stands out as a particularly bad one. He was looking at a laptop. We were clearing out old (as in three months old) models for the new back-to-school set. Some prices were pretty good. This computer was originally $1000, had been on sale for $850 once or twice, and was now clearanced down to $650.

SC: How much is this computer?
Me: (making a point of looking at the tag) Clearance price is $649.99. Not bad considering it's usually $350 more.
SC: I'll give you four hundred for it.
Me: I'm sorry. I can't do that. $649 is the lowest price it's ever been and about three hundred below company cost. I can't sell it for any lower.
SC: But I want this computer.
Me: I can sell it to you for the price on the tag.
SC: (thinking he's so smart) What if I don't want to pay your commission?
Me: Then you can pay the price on the tag. I don't get paid a commission.
SC: Liar! ALL computer salesmen get commissions! Why do you think computers are so expensive?
Me: Actually, it's mostly because of the research and development that goes into making them, the software, and the advertising that makes computers expensive.
SC: Come on! What is your commission? We'll just take that off the price.
Me: Like I said, I don't get commission. And even if I did, what makes you think I'd be willing to sell something to you if you refused to pay the extra for a commission? I'd be working for free. Do you work for free?

And he walked out without another word to me.

[myswtghst]

SC: Come on! What is your commission? We'll just take that off the price.
Me: Like I said, I don't get commission. And even if I did, what makes you think I'd be willing to sell something to you if you refused to pay the extra for a commission? I'd be working for free. Do you work for free?

And he walked out without another word to me.

May I just say, you rock. Seriously. Way to destroy his "argument."

[Antisocial_Worker]

I just stood up to another one, too.

An older man walked into the lobby while I was checking in a couple of Harley riders who also didn't care for the rate, but accepted it. After they were done, the older man stepped up, asked for the rate and I told him.

"I find that very hard to believe," he said, blinking at me as though I'd told him that in order to stay here, he had to complete some kind of RPG-style quest involving him retrieving for me the Baking Powder of Legendary Lengendariness from the heart of a dungeon he wasn't nearly high enough of a level to attempt yet.

Then he launched into a story about being tired and having driven since 7 this morning. Which is sad, but not my problem. Your failure to plan your trip properly is not my fault, nor my concern. Then several remarks were made about how the rate was ridiculously high.

He dug his credit card out and gave it to me, sighing, then asked, "Did those people in front of me get the same rate?"

I hate being accused of ripping someone off, so I admit that I answered rudely, "Yes, sir they did."

He looked around the lobby, sighing and after a moment of this, I handed his credit card back to him.

"I don't think we'll be able to satisfy you, sir."

This shocked him. "You're not going to let me stay here?"

"I don't think we'll be able to satisfy you, sir."

I was giving him directions to the nearest fleabag, which might possibly have the kind of rate he was looking for when he blinked a few times, then finally turned and left.

One thing I will not tolerate is being accused of ripping someone off when I know good and well what it costs to stay here tonight, and what it costs to stay at any of the other hotels nearby. I probably fended off a complaint anyway. When someone is that upset about a rate, they'll do anything, including lie like a rug, in order to get their money back. Had I let him stay, I guarantee you we'd have gotten a fax from corporate in a day or two informing us that the guest found unsettling arcane symbols scrawled in blood on the wall, candle stubs bonded to yellowed skulls with hardened wax on the dresser, and something that might have been finger bones in the bathtub drain. Also, the room smelled musty. And I would have had to write an ass-kissing letter to the person and we still probably would have had to give him money back.

So... I'd rather avoid that, and refuse service up front. Saves time and effort.

[Antisocial_Worker]

I'm curious, though: Ever get hagglers in a hotel?

Almost daily.

[MrSunshineState]

Almost daily.

Do they all think they know that you have some secret 5 star rooms at a 1 star price?

[Antisocial_Worker]

I honestly don't know what it is, but they always think that it is shocking -- shocking I tell you -- to find high hotel room rates in the mountains of Western North Carolina between May and November. When you explain that rates are high because it's tourist season, they always sneer and ask what there could possibly be to see around here, and I really hate that.

Then there are the people who think it's ridiculous to charge that up here when they paid the same or less at a hotel in some more "deserving" locale such as Daytona Beach or somewhere.

What it all amounts to is that they act as though we're just making these rates up and that we're the first and only hotel in this area to ever charge that much. We're ripping them off and we'll go out of business because of our terrible price-gouging way of doing business. What I like to point out, when it becomes apparent I'm dealing with someone like this, is the fact that the most expensive hotel room in this area goes for about $2000 a night. that usually shuts them up. We know tourism. It's been an integral part of the economy around here since the 1790's. We've seen it all, done it all, and charged for it all. Don't think you're going to change things with your little hissy fit, because it will not pain us in the slightest to see you forced to drive all the way to Spartanburg, SC (50 miles away) or Knoxville, TN (130 miles away) in order to find that cheapo rate you think you're entitled to.

[Talon]

I believe there is a special room for such compulsive complainers. The number of that room is "1408" in the Dolphin Hotel

[Antisocial_Worker]

I believe there is a special room for such compulsive complainers. The number of that room is "1408" in the Dolphin Hotel

Rm 113 at the hotel where I used to work would do the trick too, although the ghost in there wasn't mean. Just annoying sometimes.

That movie ought to be the official movie for hotel employees. Either that or The Shining.

[TruthHurts]

I'm curious, though: Ever get hagglers in a hotel?

Yes we had a guy walk in (during tourist season) and plop 80$ on the desk. He then says "I want a room and I don't wanna go a penny over 80" He then starts talking about how late it was (10pm) and that no other walk-ins would be coming. He starts bragging about how he would go to another hotel and how we would miss out. It felt so good to look into that smug face and say "Sorry, 120 is our lowest rate and it's non-negotiable."

I had to bite back laughter when reached into his wallet and pulled out more cash for the room. So much for going to another hotel.

[BlackIronCrown]

So... I'd rather avoid that, and refuse service up front. Saves time and effort.

*nods approvingly* Smart move. It's the tourist season, so it'll be easy to fill that room up - no complaints about losing money there. All in all, I say it's a good strategy for keeping the place clear of problem people.

[slick]

I loved seeing the looks on dumb peoples faces that can't believe we don't have rooms on certain days.

The University is about 12 miles away from us, and football is its biggest draw. Home games generate good revenue for us during September through November, months that are normally slow.

Games are on Saturdays, so people staying at the hotel normally leave in the morning, tailgate, watch the game, then celebrate at a bar/restaurant, or just hang out afterwards if we lost, but in other words, they stay out of the hotel and enjoy there time.

I love to see people come in at 3pm, see that the parking lot is pretty much empty, and just assume we have rooms. When told we don't, the reactions I sometimes see are priceless. I had a grown ass man throw a fit when I said "sold out" as his ignorant mind couldn't comprehend this. Even after being told that there is a football game going on, he still couldn't believe it. Some people understood, a lot of people didn't want to understand, I feel sorry for these people.

I will haggle with people if I can, especially during slow times, but I only haggle with respectful people. Those jerks that they this, as though its a known industry secret and are now smarter than me because they know about it, piss me off "Well you can take my $39, or let the room go unrented, do you think your manager will like that you let a person walk out over a few bucks?" And the few bucks in question is more like $40-$50. Haggling is getting a $79 room for $65. Trying to get a $79 room for $39 using sleeze bag tactics is DISRESPECTFUL! I let these people be other hotels problems, no discount from me.

[autumn_soul]

I've stood up for myself (and, dare I say, The Firm) a few times but you lot have got it down to an art!! I salute thee!! Unfortunately, my firm's policy is "Give 'em what they want" which at first glance is suicide but we (WE?! Where did that come from?!) are a huge multinational with a finger in many a pie and can afford the odd "discount". Unless it's something like a Remington razor put on a shampoo shelf then argued "But it said £1.99 on the shelf" Well, I'm sorry, but it was dumped there, it doesn't belong there! Now and again people say "Well, why wasn't it put back?" "Because we're as lazy as you lot sometimes!!"

[Pinkie]

This topic has perfect timing. I'm leaving on vacation in a week and have been doing some online research about where to go and what to do....I have a tight budget and have found that instead of heading north to Michigan's upper peninsula, I'm going southwest towards Iowa because I've been able to find hotel rates that fit my budget. What surprises me is that the little mom and pop places up north, that aren't as nice cost twice as much per night as newer national chains in Dubuque Iowa (there's plenty of tourist type things to do in Dubuque, really!) So instead of being a SC, I've done my research, and based on my budget, have made a decision and will not make hotel clerks lives a living hell.... Too bad more SC's can't do the same.