介绍:
Your Valuables Aren't Necessarily Safe in Your Room
Remember that you're not the only person who has access to your hotel room. Nearly every member of the hotel staff is able to enter your room without your knowledge. So, when you leave the room for any significant amount of time, don't leave anything valuable behind. Some hotel rooms come equipped with small safes, but not all of them are insured against theft. If you do need to travel with valuables, ask the hotel management to place the items in the hotel safe, and to provide you with a receipt. The main hotel safe will be insured, and it's accessible to a much smaller number of staff members.
Room Rates Are Sometimes Cheaper at Night
If you haven't made a reservation, you might be able to score a lower rate if you time it just right. After 5 or 6 p.m., you have a shot at getting a cheaper room if the hotel still has vacancies. Some hotels do have policies that prevent them from discounting rooms, even if that means losing business. But you might be able to get a nicer room or suite for the rate of the average double room if you ask.
On the other hand, if it's 9 or 10 p.m., the hotel is much less likely to cut you a deal because the clerk knows that you don't have as many options. So, timing is everything.
There Still Might Be Rooms Available, Even if the Sign Says 'No Vacancies'
You're desperate for a last-minute hotel room, and the "no vacancy" sign is lit up. That means absolutely every room in the hotel is full, doesn't it?
Well, not necessarily. In some cases, a room will be marked as booked in the hotel computer because of a maintenance issue. Ask the desk clerk if there are any rooms with more cosmetic problems, as opposed to a room with a nonfunctioning toilet. If it's a simple matter of a stained rug or scratched table, you might be able to persuade the clerk to let you have the room. If you ask nicely, they might even discount the room because of the (marginally) substandard quality.
Your Bed Has Bed Bugs
Beware: Bed bugs are on the rise. These pervasive insects are causing major problems in hospitals, apartment buildings and -- you guessed it --hotels. Just because a hotel is expensive doesn't mean it's immune, either; bed bugs are difficult to spot, and they spread quickly.
Before you book a room, check out the Bed Bug Registry. This free service keeps track of bed bug incidents at all different kinds of locations, including hotels. The reports are dated, and in some cases feature responses and updates from hotel staff. So, you can judge for yourself whether the problem has been dealt with appropriately -- and if you feel good about staying there.
Don't Believe Everything You Read
Hotel reservations are usually made sight unseen. So, you have to rely on the information the hotel offers through its Web site. And of course, those Web sites are designed to make you want to stay at that particular location, so they might not be entirely honest.
Travel columnist and former hotel employee Amy Bradley-Hole advises potential hotel guests to do their homework, first. If a hotel is listed as "minutes away" from a particular attraction or location, what does that really mean? Plot it out on Google Maps to see if that translates to "60 minutes on foot" or "10 minutes in a cab." Figuring that out before you book can save you an unpleasant surprise once you arrive.
