hotel haggling

[tori_deathangel]

i've found a hotel i'd like to book, but priceline won't let you pursue individual hotels and i haven't found any real decent rates. does anybody call up reservations and haggle with them? the date of the hotel is over 6 months away

[Monstermile]

Depending on what hotel chain it is you can get discount codes on the back of the Wal-Mart/Rand McNally atlas. Never heard of being able to negotiate a hotel directly. And for the record I have always found that booking direct is cheaper than any of those site like expedia or hotels dot come.

[HAnderson]

Also if you have AAA you get discounts with some hotels

[setlok73]

i've found a hotel i'd like to book, but priceline won't let you pursue individual hotels and i haven't found any real decent rates. does anybody call up reservations and haggle with them? the date of the hotel is over 6 months away

Sure, the only problem is you have too much time. Until the date gets closer the hotel holds out hope they will be filled up. But I would call and get the best rate you can right now, then as the date approaches I would start calling and negotiating. If they don't give you the deal you want you can always cancel. You normally have to cancel anywhere from 24 hours to 7 days without getting a cancellation charge.

[Xfeg]

theres a four star hotel that i stay at in dallas (a boutique hotel) ive gone there maybe 3 times and i always call them and get a quote and then ask if thats the best they can do and they lower it and i ask again. once they get to the lowest price that stops and i get my room for $109 instead of $200. You just have to be comfortable and polite in asking. I do also always call like the week of though. Also, this particular hotel opened less than a year before my first stay so im like a special member to them.

[citrixgirl]

ok this is something that i know about(alot about as we spend anywhere from 2 to 4 weekends a month at hotels) OK can U haggle ... Yes, and you can do it when u book no matter how far in advance. If you work for the government in anyway you get a discount( Id required). Also some companies have hotel discounts so you might want to check in on that. If it is a chain and you ahve stayed at another one of there hotels but not this one talk them up about how u love the chain and would love to stay there. Mention the price is a bit much. Also check with your cc sometimes they offer discounts if u use there card at certian hotels. Also you can always ask if there is a mailing list you can get on or if the person knows of any groups that get a discount.... never know when that random human society membership that cost you 15 bucks is going to save u 15% on a hotel(just an example)

[jerseygirl]

http://finance.yahoo.com/family-home/article/103216/The-Cheapest-Days-to-Buy-Certain-Items

 

according to this - call on SUNDAY

 

When to Buy: Sunday.

Why: There are two kinds of hotel managers, and the kind that won't give you a discount on your room rate has Sundays off, says Greenberg. Call the hotel directly, and ask to speak with the manager on duty or the director of sales. These employees are open to negotiation, he says. They'd rather have a booked room at a discounted rate than an empty room. (The rest of the week, your call would get you a so-called revenue manager, who monitors profits — and is rarely willing to lower rates.)

HTH!

[kmbrly]

I did hotel management for close to 10 years when I lived in St Louis.

 

Never accept the first price they offer. Always resist. Ask for a Manager's Special, or if they have any other kind of special (I worked for Best Western and we had what we called a "Best Rate" as well as Mgr Specials).

 

In my experience, I would rather book my hotel with guaranteed reservations even if it was 6 months away and at a discounted rate, instead of waiting til the last minute and then work my butt off with walk ins, and hoping enough walkins would come in to fill up.

 

The only exception to this would be if there was some sort of special event going on at that time. For example, 4th of July weekend, when Fair St Louis is going on, Cardinals in town playing someone like the Cubs or the Braves, and something special going on at Six Flags just down the road, don't expect too much of a discount.

 

Where is it that you're trying to book (the city, and hotel name)?? Is May considered peak season for that area or off season?

 

Good luck.

[adewrell]

I am the ex-general manager of Wingate Inn in Destin, Florida and the Hampton Inn on Okaloosa Island (Fort Walton Beach).

 

You can absolutely negotiate a room rate. First - ask for the director of sales. They have the most leave in negotiating rates. Their motto is "heads in the beds". Depending on what property you want to stay at, the break even point for them is probably around $40. You won't likely get anything lower than that. AAA, government, AARP, Entertainment, they are all the same 5-10%, nothing special.

 

Depending on how ethical you want to be about it, you can tell them that you are the event planner for your company and that you are considering their property for your annual conference, but you would like to come stay for a few days to compare with another nearby property. Be sure to ask about meeting space, conference rooms, banquet pricing, etc as well. Takes a little more of your time, but usually worth it.

 

You can also tell them that you have a quote for $XX at another property nearby and see if they will match it. I have even called a different property than where I wanted to stay and told them I had a rate of $XX at a 3rd property and asked if they would match it. When they said yes, I would call the property where I really wanted to stay and say, I have a rate of $XX at property no. 2, will you match it. Most likely they will.

 

Once you get your reservation - make nice with the front desk staff. Call at the same time of day (so that you get the same desk clerk) once or twice a week and ask really funny off the wall questions, like how far are the rooms from the parking lot, how will I call the front desk from my room? Are your rooms air conditioned? How many gallons of water does your swimming pool hold?, you get the point. Always be funny, learn their name, chat them up. When you check in, tell them who you are, that you are on your honeymoon, it's your birthday, it's your anniversary, its a full moon, etc. give them a reason to want to help you, and they will. Can you say UPGRADE??? I have even had people check in to my property that the desk clerks liked them so much, they not only upgraded them, but 100% guarantee credited the entire room rate - they said the elevator was too loud!!

[krissy904]

theres a four star hotel that i stay at in dallas (a boutique hotel) ive gone there maybe 3 times and i always call them and get a quote and then ask if thats the best they can do and they lower it and i ask again. once they get to the lowest price that stops and i get my room for $109 instead of $200. You just have to be comfortable and polite in asking. I do also always call like the week of though. Also, this particular hotel opened less than a year before my first stay so im like a special member to them.

same thing here, I have used almost the exact same words...."is that the best you can do on the rate?" and like this poster, I even ask again. Polite is an absolute and always address the person by name. I even go probably too far and throw in a " Bob or Mary (whatever) does your direct superviser know what excellent customer service skills you provide in your job as a reservation host? If not, he or she should certainly know, I'll make sure to fill out a satisfaction survey upon arrival." If you do it in the middle of your request, you can bet you'll get the best deal available. Word of caution..if the person is a total jerk, it's not worth it, just call another hotel. Does this make me a manipulating creep? I don't care if does, I just wonder.

[nat1jen]

I always call the hotel directly to get the best deals. The worst thing that the person can say is no, it's the best rate available.

[vbamother]

I am the ex-general manager of Wingate Inn in Destin, Florida and the Hampton Inn on Okaloosa Island (Fort Walton Beach).

 

You can absolutely negotiate a room rate. First - ask for the director of sales. They have the most leave in negotiating rates. Their motto is "heads in the beds". Depending on what property you want to stay at, the break even point for them is probably around $40. You won't likely get anything lower than that. AAA, government, AARP, Entertainment, they are all the same 5-10%, nothing special.

 

Depending on how ethical you want to be about it, you can tell them that you are the event planner for your company and that you are considering their property for your annual conference, but you would like to come stay for a few days to compare with another nearby property. Be sure to ask about meeting space, conference rooms, banquet pricing, etc as well. Takes a little more of your time, but usually worth it.

 

You can also tell them that you have a quote for $XX at another property nearby and see if they will match it. I have even called a different property than where I wanted to stay and told them I had a rate of $XX at a 3rd property and asked if they would match it. When they said yes, I would call the property where I really wanted to stay and say, I have a rate of $XX at property no. 2, will you match it. Most likely they will.

 

Once you get your reservation - make nice with the front desk staff. Call at the same time of day (so that you get the same desk clerk) once or twice a week and ask really funny off the wall questions, like how far are the rooms from the parking lot, how will I call the front desk from my room? Are your rooms air conditioned? How many gallons of water does your swimming pool hold?, you get the point. Always be funny, learn their name, chat them up. When you check in, tell them who you are, that you are on your honeymoon, it's your birthday, it's your anniversary, its a full moon, etc. give them a reason to want to help you, and they will. Can you say UPGRADE??? I have even had people check in to my property that the desk clerks liked them so much, they not only upgraded them, but 100% guarantee credited the entire room rate - they said the elevator was too loud!!

 

Excellent info, thank you very much! Have visited Destin a gazillion types, though we had a trailer near there so didn't have to book a room, but still... great info that I will remember in the future.