Those of us in the hotel industry are entering what’s referred to as the “heavy season,” when the check-in lines stretch to the revolving doors and there is a head in every bed.  Along with the silly travel pillow in your carry-on, please pack these five facts into your brain.  Because knowing is half the battle.  And the other half is the hotel obscuring the truth.

1) Tipping the desk agent is the new tipping the bellman. You are among the horde.  A football field of guests pressing down on the desk and everyone wants a nice room.  And it’s the desk agent who’s going to hand it to you.  So break a hundred.  OK, fine, break a twenty.  But show the desk some love.  No matter what, it’ll put a smile on the agent’s face and could put you in a nicer room.

2) Better to drink from your hands than the mini-bar glass- If it’s wrapped in plastic feel free to chop it up like lettuce and swallow it; you’ll be fine.  But if it’s a heavy tumbler sitting placidly on a mini-bar doily you might want to rinse it out.  Housekeepers don’t carry around dish soap and, sadly, they’ll clean those glasses with what they have available.  Shampoo.  Or, Pledge.  Either consider it lemon tea or rinse it out.

3) Fondling the remote is like fondling the bottom of a shoe- That damn thing is impossible to clean.  Spray it with cleaning agents and it’ll frizz out and stop working.  Our only option is to spray down a towel and wipe it awkwardly, those rubbery buttons constantly getting in the way of a true clean.  My tip?  Put your hand in a sock and use it like that.  Just kidding.  Again, you’ll be fine.

4) Start your robe collection now!- Winter is coming. And nothing makes you look like a cheap bastard like rolling about in your own house with a hotel-logo robe.  Sure they offer them for sale but also they forget to put them in the room.  So put the plush little guy at the bottom of your suitcase and call down with the amazingly frequent request for a new robe, as there wasn’t one when you checked in.

5) Same day cancellations are only a phone call away- So you’re stuck in whatever city and you ain’t making it in.  Planning to throw the dice and hope a no-show charge is from the world of fiction?  It’s not.  Call in to the front desk and assert that your meeting has been moved to next week.  Then hang up, drink a soda, and call in to say you need to cancel your reservation for next week, as you are well within your rights to do.

It’s going to be a cruel, cruel winter.  Pack your own heat.   I want to see you all in a beautiful corner suite the desk agent “found” for you, robed up, a sock on your right hand and scooping tap water into your mouth with your left. Perhaps, as the holidays approach, I can offer the top eight items easy to steal from any hotel room, a gift for every single night of Hanukah.  Until then be prepared, be kind and be generous.

Jacob Tomsky is a veteran of the hospitality business. He is the author of “Heads in Beds: A Reckless Memoir of Hotels, Hustles, and So-Called Hospitality.”

Source: blogs.wsj.com

HT Editor