by Courtney Kelly

Created on: September 15, 2008   Last Updated: November 18, 2008

After graduating from a Hotel and Resort Management program I went to work at a prestigious four and a half star resort at the Front Desk. More than the education, this job has taught me how to manipulate hotels and resorts to my advantage and I'm willing to share these tips with you:

1) Keep your cool. The people at the front desk do not react well to a guest having a temper tantrum in front of them or on the phone. While they may be smiling and being polite, they are actually thinking of all the ways to make fun of you with their co-workers and will give you the least amount possible to satisfy your poor temper.

2) Join the loyalty program. It is complimentary, you get free stuff, and also this is our primary source of information for how well we are maintaining our standards. Hotels only call their club members for surveys, we all know this, so we try to be extra nice to our members.

It is also a good idea to join before you arrive at the hotel because we may just upgrade your stay before you even arrive. Why? When we are overbooked in some room categories we have to move guests to a different category and we obviously prioritize our members first.

3) Complain, but please remember tip number one. We actually like to hear people complain: it lets us know what is wrong and lets us fix it for the next guest. Hotels are in this business to make money and we can't make money if guests aren't happy.

After you check in, go to the room and check it out. Then call the desk and complain about something. You can complain about anything, even the view, and make sure to say that this is defiantly not what you were expecting from a (insert hotel brand) hotel. Then just simply ask if they have anything nicer available, and when they give you your options and prices complain about the prices for the upgrades.

4) Be special. Pretend it's somebody's birthday / anniversary / honeymoon, and make sure you let us know about it. Also mention that you are thinking of making it a yearly tradition. Repeat guests pay most of the bills, so we'll want you to keep coming back and will work hard to get you to.

5) Don't book online, ever. We sell a block of rooms to online websites like Expedia or Travelocity for a minimal price and then they sell it to you for much more for profit. Again, hotels are in this business to make money, so we aren't going to upgrade you for free after technically already losing money off of you. If you like the convenience of booking online, never fear: most hotels have online booking available at their website.

Travel agencies have a similar relationship to hotels as online websites. However, travel agents are an excellent source of information and great to book through if you're going to a country you've never been to or is radically different. If you know the lay of the land, so to speak, reserve a room through the hotel's reservation center.

6) Trick us. This tip doesn't directly lead to a free upgrade but it will defiantly save you money more often than not. Before you tell us you have a reservation, ask about the daily rate. This rate changes on a daily basis based on occupancy levels. If it's more than your rate than obviously go with what you have reserved, but if it is less, then you can get your rate changed, and quite possibly just get a nicer room for the rate you already were willing to pay.

7) Arrive late. If you come after seven or eight at night, we'll be more likely to upgrade you for free or for pennies just because it is unlikely we will be selling that room to a walk-in anyway. This is especially true for resort properties.

Enjoy your upgraded room and good luck!

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