Tip #4 - Don't Be Afraid To Negotiate

An empty hotel room brings no revenue. Many hoteliers understand this and the ones that don't are ignorant. Take a cruise around the parking lot before checking in. If it is not crowded this means the hotel probably has some empty rooms. This is your chance to show off those negotiating skills. At my hotel right now our rack (regular) rates are between $59.99 and $64.99. It is our slow season though so I have no problem renting a room for $45.00. Research the area you are traveling to and find out when their peak and off peak seasons are. Also the later you check in the more anxious the hotel is to get rid of empty rooms. I was bringing my wife something to eat one night at her hotel and a gentleman walked in and asked if they had a late night walk in rate. She said she could give him a room for $60.00. He then told her that he wanted to cancel his reservation that had a rate of $79.99 and check in as a walk in. Now this will not work at a lot of places because for one thing it was way past the deadline to cancel. I was sitting in the lobby, disgusted by this cheapskate. I still think this kind of behavior is sickening but that guy saved about $20 so who am I to judge. Also don't hesitate to shop around. Find a dumpy hotel with a cheap rate then head over to a mid level hotel and tell them the rate you are quoted. More times than not the mid level hotel will rather sell the room at a discounted rate than see their competition get you business. You don't go to buy a house or a car without some negotiating on the price so why should a hotel room be any different?


That's all for now.