"Ask a former front desk agent/concierge/rooms coordinator anything"
If possible, NEVER EVER EVER use Priceline! Most agents and rooms coordinators are trained to give Priceline the worst rooms aka by the elevator, poor views, etc. Also join those preferred groups, it only takes a moment and costs you nothing. Even if you don't travel often, you'll still get perks. If you need a room at the last minute, call or come to the front desk. Agents get bonuses for perfect sales and have more freedom with the rates. If a person called me needing a room, I'd see how much the website charged and do about $20-50 less. I was also able to offer suites for a discount, if they weren't booked up by a certain time.
So if there was anything you wanted to know, I'll answer it.
6. "Wow! I be forgetting that I have AAA when I make purchases like that." In response to Reply # 3
I gotta start using it more...
I just remember when my mom turned 50 (20 years ago) and she couldn't wait to use her senior citizen's discount at restaurants and stuff. I was so embarrassed back then, but now I see the perks in it.
****************************************************** I mean really whassup Help a brother understand How self-admiration takes the soul of a man Damn, vain ass, plain ass, nothing ass nigga Get yo punk ass out the gotdam mirror
4. "It depends on what the person wants" In response to Reply # 2
I try to ask a couple of questions to figure out what exactly they want. In the winter, I tend to recommend places that were closer. When people want a fancy night out, I would go more for quality. I always tried to my guests something for free though like a bottle of wine or dessert.
5. "Local number instead of 800 number for better rates" In response to Reply # 0
Not for last minutes but reservations in general. True or false?
****************************************************** I mean really whassup Help a brother understand How self-admiration takes the soul of a man Damn, vain ass, plain ass, nothing ass nigga Get yo punk ass out the gotdam mirror
Reservations have little to no power over the rates. They are basically just doing data entry. The desk has the software to change rates. After about 5 and there are still empty room left, management are like GET THOSE ROOMS SOLD!!! I've given people $200 rooms for $80 because it was better than leaving it empty. Not to mention, agents get bonuses for up-selling
14. "a person left all of their shopping bags in the closet" In response to Reply # 12
I mean Hermes, Tiffany and Company, Saks and the wild things is we had to call them to come and get it. They were from the North Shore and came to the city for a staycation. I'm like damn just call and ask for a late check out if you're running late. We give you a good hour or so.
19. "A certain Detriot based rappers wanted nursery water" In response to Reply # 15
Mind you we had Fiji and Voss but someone had to run to Walgreens and get nursery water. It was hilarious because nobody knew who he was but me. I had to set his reservation to celebrity status. LOL! That's the only reason he even got the water.
21. "Hmmmm...which rapper had really bad teef" In response to Reply # 19
I shall scour the pics to see LOL ****************************************************** I mean really whassup Help a brother understand How self-admiration takes the soul of a man Damn, vain ass, plain ass, nothing ass nigga Get yo punk ass out the gotdam mirror
22. "if you have time, go down there yourself and make the reservation" In response to Reply # 17
if you do call the front desk, tell them that you would rather do your reservation at the desk. Just don't call between 7-noon or 2-5, that's when check-in and outs are happening and it's hella busy.
When I worked the 11-7 shift, whew I could write a book. The strip clubs would always drop off passes so I had those if guys asked me about that. Some of them would try and ask me if there was sex in the champagne room. I was asked where could I score coke, I'd say the mini-bar LOL. I know some of the guys at the bar hooked them up with that stuff.
34. "Good question...it worked in Toronto for us. n/m" In response to Reply # 31
****************************************************** I mean really whassup Help a brother understand How self-admiration takes the soul of a man Damn, vain ass, plain ass, nothing ass nigga Get yo punk ass out the gotdam mirror
35. "it works everywhere" In response to Reply # 31
One of my frequent guests came in with a young lady at like midnight with no reservations. He slipped me a $50. I noticed that our largest suite was empty until Monday and he was only going to be there one night. So I gave it to him for $150 when it's $500. I just put in Q status (which means the carpet is being cleaned or something). I told him if he wanted to rent a movie or get something from room service or minibar to call the desk to cover my tracks. At the end of the day, my manager is like some money is better than no money.
80. "so whats the right way to do this?" In response to Reply # 35
see I really have no idea how to start this. So you just slide them some dough? Or you slide them dough then say is there anyway I can get a suite? Do you slide them the mone afterwards and be like tanks for all the help, then they go back and change shit up? Whats the best way to handle this?
November 8th, 2005 The greatest night in the history of GD!
85. "you "tip" when you give your credit card" In response to Reply # 80
You want to be mad discreet about it. You definitely don't want to try it when a manager type is around. You want to ask if there are any upgrades available first too. You might get an airhead who won't "get" what the money is for.
33. "one of THEE most useful posts ever on OKP!" In response to Reply # 0 Mon May-16-11 11:15 AM by Stoogie
man i live in an out of hotels/motels and i never knew abt the after 5pm make front desk reservations.
i'm happy now.
"A nation or civilization that continues to produce soft-minded men purchases its own spiritual death on the installment plan" (c) Martin Luther King Jr.
A desk agent is not allowed to go up to a guest room for anything ever. You have to send housekeeping, security or room service but you never go yourself. LOL
I broke that rule one time because a certain bitchmade athlete was disturbing guests and security was too star struck to check him...I had to.
Sales departments tend to over sell the hotel for the cancellations they forecast. So during conventions or holiday weekends, PLEASE try to get there as early as possible or you'll be walked to another hotel. That sucks for all parties. You get a free room but it's possible it'll be in the suburbs.
44. "not until after the room is cleaned and housekeeping reports it" In response to Reply # 40
The toiletries are fine to take home but they go hard about the robes. It's cheaper to just buy a new one from the front desk than what they charge if one gets stolen. The charge is on the card you used to reserve the room or check out.
42. "for special event weekends" In response to Reply # 0
When the hotel website is showing sold out but you still see rooms available on travel sites like priceline, what exactly does that mean? I'm scared that I'll get there and have no reservation cause I went through a third party.
I don't believe in luck, I believe in Jesus...(c)Farnsworth Bentley
45. "that means the hotel sold the rooms to them for a cheap price" In response to Reply # 42
There are some problems with those joints. If something goes wrong with your room, the hotel can't refund you. So you have to wait longer to get it back from them. Hotels scrape the bottom and give priceline, travelocity, etc the worst of the worst. Once again, I'd say call the front desk and see what they can do for you.
47. "talk to me about room occupancy rates..." In response to Reply # 0
say someone who booked a room online at the single occupany rate showed up at check-in w/a guest. did you guys adjust their rate to double occupancy, or just leave it as is?
48. "Hotel Furniture Sales!!!!" In response to Reply # 0
When a hotel switches out the furniture to upgrade or whatever....the sales are insane. Armoires for like $50, mirrors for like $5 and for those of home owners fixtures are hella cheaper too.
58. "You've got to tell us the craziest ish you have seen story." In response to Reply # 0
********** the test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function.
64. "I gotta disagree about Priceline...." In response to Reply # 0
I've had nothing but positive experiences from front desk staff when I've used Priceline to book a room. Never got put into a horrible room and even got upgraded to a suite at the Grand Hyatt when they found out me and the missus were celebrating our anniversary. I'll never stop using Priceline for hotel rooms, if anything it frees up my money to spend at the hotel, such as ordering room service or using valet instead of self parking in another lot outside of the hotel's lot.....
69. "most places give you upgrades for special ocassions" In response to Reply # 64
In fact, they are supposed to! I saw a man and woman come in wedding attire and I comp'd their night. Shit like that, gets you good reviews on tripadvisor.com. That's something that most places do. I will say that you got lucky because I worked 3 different hotels and they all are like Priceline gets the last of what we got.
66. "RE: Ask a former front desk agent/concierge/rooms coordinator anything" In response to Reply # 0 Mon May-16-11 02:59 PM by mags2526
Is it that big of a deal if you don't have your confirmation # ? I was turned away from a particular hotel when I didn't have it, but the majority of hotels let me slide by my last name.
I've worked hotels all my life. I say this like I am old and grey what I mean I've only worked in hotels, resorts, etc I've never worked in any other industry. my question to you is(seeing that you are a former hotelier...
75. "I was a legal secretary before I went into hotels" In response to Reply # 72
I left the industry because of some practices that I didn't agree with and I still don't. I'd say I mostly miss the perks but nothing else. Eating at nice places for free, seeing shows at the industry viewings and the ability to fluff my travel points LOL....oh do I miss those.
107. "there are tons of things" In response to Reply # 106
I mentioned earlier I don't like overselling. There are times when I had to scramble to find other rooms. It's just unnecessary and fucked up. Sometimes I had send people back to the areas by the airport when they just took a 45 minute cab ride.
Every hotel always has a person who does management's dirty work in hopes of a raise. I remember my hair was in the way and I wanted to pull it back. I didn't have a ponytail elastic so I used a rubber band from the drawer. I got called in the office because my coworker told them I had in my hair. I actually got called from the desk for that, seriously.
Rude people and hustlers! There are people who come with the whole intention on getting something free. They will get on your last nerves. "The iced tea that you have in the minibar has too many carbs, I would like to buy one from the store and you reimburse me for the inconvenience."
Celebrity status. When you put a room in celebrity status, that means they can get away with everything! There's a certain NFL ball player who I hate with my entire heart and soul for that reason.
77. "this post reminded me" In response to Reply # 0
that I'd been wanting to get a bathrobe from a hotel we stayed in last year and I keep thinking I'll do so when we go to the city again, and I keep forgetting.
I went to their website, thinking I would order one from them on line, and I realized that they're part of a collection of "boutique" hotels, with 2 hotels in SF. I emailed the corporate office to see if the robes at the SF locations are the same as the ones in San Jose, and they had someone jumping through all kinds of hoops to find out for me, calling the buyer and so forth.
This morning she emailed me to say that the robes in SF are not the same as the ones in San Jose, and that she would have someone at the SJ hotel contact me.
Which they did. To offer me a free robe. Free? I thought I was going to pay around $150! Free? YAY
Then she asked if I needed one or two.
I like this!
Hopefully Mr W will like it as much as I do. LOL
I'm sure he'll be tickled, since he made the hotel reservations as a treat for me.
This has never happened to me before. I feel a little guilty. LOL
~ ~ ~ All meetings end in separation All acquisition ends in dispersion All life ends in death - The Buddha
86. "Eddie Griffin, Katt Williams and Melanie Camarcho stayed at our hotel" In response to Reply # 81
because their venue was a block away.
Eddie was a diva and I had help the promoter find him a room at the Peninsula. He wasn't rude to me but a lot of the people with the party talked about him like a dog when he left.
Katt was HELLA nice and friendly. I did't see much of him because he was in his room. After the show, I need wanted to hit a lounge. I told him about the W and a couple of other places. He goes "SISTER, I would like to someplace and LOUNGE" with the eyebrow. I told him of a couple of places on the south side. The driver was shook and didn't want to go. LOL!
Melanie was such a sweetheart. I had to change her reservation to celebrity status. She was surprised at what she got in her room and thanked me. It was nothing because she had the whole desk rollin.
82. "Do you guys work with excorts, prostitutes, call girls" In response to Reply # 0
or do you try to keep them out? Or is it basically like a dont ask dont tell policy?
My homeboy that used to do consulting said that in some cities it was like the girls had contracts with hotel employees for room hookups or just were able to hang out in the hotel public spaces like it was no biggie.
--- "though time has passed, im still the future" (c) black thought
87. "Sean Paul and the Bachelorette party" In response to Reply # 0
Some suburban chicks got a room because they were going to a bachelorette party. As they were checking, Sean Paul and his people were coming in. He was very friendly, spoke to everybody, tipped housekeeping even though he kept the room pretty clean, etc. So it was like squeal city. One of them got the bright idea to run on the elevator to figure out what floor he was staying on. I'll just say security had to be called.
88. "If you purchase a room on Priceline..." In response to Reply # 0
Is it okay to request, during check in, not to have a room by the elevator, or request to pay for an upgrade?
I never had a problem until last week...the whole time I had this post in the back of my head. My efforts to change rooms were futile. i was told the place was booked. I think she was lying.
89. "in some cases the rooms are already assigned" In response to Reply # 88
When the weekend is busy, it's just easy to already assign the rooms. It's one less step at check-in. It's hard to say if she was lying. It's very possible though. If the hotel is booked up, Priceline is at the bottom of the barrel. Someone who paid full price on their website is getting the better room over a travel site...that's just how it is. Now you could ask, it doesn't hurt to ask but it's not a guarantee. I never really played by those rules because I didn't care like that. (Unless someone was rude to me during check in LOL)
Travelocity send their people in the woo the sales department. I mean from play tickets to Edible Arrangements. They get top billing in the travel sites. It's really better to just go through the hotel you want to stay at.
92. "if there's an issue with your room...." In response to Reply # 0
Call the desk immediately and get another room. So many people have waited until check out with a list of issues in order to get a discount or something free that it looks suspect. The most you'll get is "I'm very sorry to hear that, had you called the front desk we would've been able to accommodate you with another room or upgrade." Hotels RARELY comp rooms. It's better to not stay in a room with water pressure issues, bad A/C or something when you could end up in a suite with a free meal. I stayed giving out free room service, minibar items or movies.
my son & I checked into a room in Dallas one weekend only to discover in the window there were hundreds of termites I called the front desk, and they got me up outta there so fast wouldnt even let me grab my things, they packed everything up for me put me in a way better room with a gift certificate for dinner
108. "RE: 107th Stand Up!!!" In response to Reply # 104
yo wats good got a question! chk ya inbox!
i like my women like i like my starbucks frappacinos, exspensive ass caramel or mocha that i wait in an absurdly long line 2 consume 2 fast leaving me confused and wanting 4 more........
i don't have any questions this was definitely interesting thanks =) ~~~~ When you are born, you cry, and the world rejoices. Live so that when you die, you rejoice, and the world cries. ~~~~ You cannot hate people for their own good.
109. "Did you ever get people wanting in the pool after hours?" In response to Reply # 0
Like at 3 in the morning? Not even for a pool party or anything crazy but just to swim or sit in the jacuzzi for a bit? I suspect they would throw a tip at you just for the privelege. I'd do this myself if I thought I could.
Avatar: Chikara Pro Wrestling. Born From Oblivion.
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