The Top 10 Things to Ask Your Hotel

Have you ever signed up for something that you were very excited about, only to discover that it was nothing like what the brochure said it would be?

To this day, I still have a bad taste in my mouth about a trip I took to Puerto Rico.  I was a rookie traveler in those days, and I mostly went by pamphlets, photos, and website data when it came to booking hotels and trips.  I don’t do that anymore! 

On that trip, I felt like a brain-damaged goat, being led around by a listless shepherd with a chain through the ring in my nose.  From the cheap airline to the rusty old bus to an old hurricane-beaten hotel that was a 15 minute walk from the beach, I mostly had to make my own fun.

I’ve assembled a list of questions here for you to ask on the phone or at the front desk, so you can get the most out of your trip.  These are things that can make the difference between a good trip and a great trip! Or maybe just avoid a lousy trip.

1. Are some of your rooms preferable to others? Most hotels have a hierarchy of guestrooms, from standard to suite to executive lounge.  Each of these tiers has a price window.  Among the same tier of rooms, some may be preferable to others for any number of reasons.  Some may be more recently renovated; they may have bigger TVs or better views of the pool.  Ask the right questions, and you may get a better room -- for no additional cost.

2. What room is the most popular and why? The answer to this question will give you some insider information.  I’ve run into rooms that were supposedly "haunted" (I always take those).  The most popular room is not necessarily the most expensive, either.  You might get lucky and get to spend the night in the room that Billy Joel wrote a song in or something.

3. Do any of your rooms have a preferable view? Views of parking lots and industrial equipment just suck. Then again, an amazing view of the city may also mean that you have a straight shot at hearing the sounds of sirens and traffic while you sleep.  Make sure you ask for the view that is best for you, based on the money you’re going to spend.

4. Why your hotel versus other hotels in the area? It may be something very small, like a free airport shuttle or an award-winning dish in their restaurant, but I like to ask this question to put them on the spot and give them a chance to impress me.

5. How close is my room to the elevator, the ice machine, or the pool? Rooms next to the elevators or the ice machine may be noisy. Rooms near the pool may be convenient, but pools attract kids, and kids make noise. Then again, you may want to minimize your walk to the elevator. In any case, it’s good to know where you’ll be.

6. May I have a room on a higher / lower floor? I like rooms on higher floors. They afford better views of the city, sunrise, and sunset, and they’re farther away from street level traffic noise.  Those rooms come at a price, however: It can often take an extra 10 minutes to take an elevator down to the street from a very high floor.  It seems like a small thing, but going up and down from room to restaurant, work, business office, workout room, lounge, etc, can be taxing if the elevators aren’t up to par.

7. Aside from the room charge, are there any additional costs? Internet, local calls, and parking are just some of the additional costs hotels charge. Some hotels even charge a "per page" rate to print documents in their business centers.  Ironically, I’ve found that the less expensive a hotel is, the less they charge for amenities.  Courtyard by Marriott, for example, charge nothing for Internet and local phone calls, while their more expensive Marriott partners charge a lot.

8. Do you offer free breakfast? Free breakfast is the coolest thing to hit hotels since Mary and Joseph slept in a stable.  The only trouble is that some hotels count cold donuts and decaffeinated coffee as "breakfast."  Before you write breakfast out of your travel budget, make sure the hotel offers at least some milk and cereal or oatmeal or something hot (waffles, eggs, bacon, etc).

9. Do you offer any special rates / packages? Ask this question a lot.  You might get an off-peak rate, a corporate rate, or an elite membership rate. The list goes on.  Some hotels will even compound the rates (to an extent).  If they don’t, ask which rate is better.  My company has a corporate agreement with Marriott, but sometimes I get a better rate as a Platinum Marriott member than I do as a corporate employee.  There are also rates that encompass various amenities like "business traveler rates" that include Internet use and access to the lounge, or "vacation rates" that offer free breakfast and extra rollaway beds. Some packages may also include tickets to shows or local attractions. 

10. Are any large groups staying at the hotel at the same time? I’ve started asking this ever since I was the only non-wrestler at a raucous Wrestlemania event in Orlando. Fla.  I couldn’t get near the bar or restaurant and generally had to leave the hotel for any peace and quiet.  A junior high-school girl’s volleyball team will monopolize the pool and be extremely loud, as well.  What you’re hoping for is the Ladies Auxiliary for the Southern Baptist Potluck Planning Committee (the LASBPPC). That’s a quiet group!

EXTRA:  Please feel free to leave comments on this article! If you have questions for Ken regarding business travel, hotels, airplanes, etc, please send him a "Tweet" on his twitter account.  You can also follow Ken on Twitter @foodbreeze!