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Step 1
If possible, get to the hotel before you can check in. Tell the person or people working at the front desk that it is important that you be able to check in immediately. You will almost always be told that you cannot check in before the specific check-in time. This is a great first complaint to have regarding your hotel room.
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Step 2
When you check in, try to get the hotel to lower the rate of your room by telling the front desk that a family member or friend of yours got a great deal at the hotel. There is little chance that a hotel worker will ask for the name of the person.
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Step 3
Complain about smelling cigarette smoke either in your hotel room or on your floor. Whether there is actually cigarette smoke is irrelevant.
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Step 4
Chances are that if the hotel has a pool or a gym, there will be specific hours when either one will be closed. Let the hotel know about your displeasure regarding these hours. For example, you could say that you were working during the entire day and that you could only use the gym or pool at midnight.
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Step 5
Claim that you saw a cockroach in your room. If asked about it, angrily let the hotel know that you killed the cockroach and disposed of it.
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Step 6
Try to order room service late in the night. When you are told that the kitchen is closed, complain in same manner as you would about the gym or the pool.
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Step 7
If you try any of these and get nowhere, threaten to call the customer-service number. A hotel will do anything to prevent you from calling customer service, including giving you a discounted rate on your hotel room.
Comments
underman said
on 9/6/2009 6: If the kitchen is closed, it's closed. We don't have 24hr room service. We do have vending machines in the hotel and there are several restaurants open late and one pizza place open very late. No discounts because the kitchen is closed. We'll even give you the phone number of our favorite pizza place. And the fast food places have 24 hr drive-thru.
7: Go ahead and call customer service. They will only refer the complaint back to the hotel for the desk manager to deal with. She/he will have already been informed and will take care of herself. Only if she/he decides it is warranted will a discount be issued. More often than not, she won't budge on the room. She knows what went on and will talk to the clerk(s) before making a decision. The clerks help the FD manager in making his/her decision.
underman said
on 9/6/2009 4: The pool is closed at those times for a reason! Nobody can use the pool after hours, not our regular guest, not even staff! No discounts because you can't use the pool. Use the pool during operating hours. Our fitness center is available 24 hrs.
5: You must present the offending critter first. You flush it, you have no evidence it was ever there. No discount. Most of the time we still won't discount a room for a single bug found in the room. We apologize, find another room in the hotel far from that room, remove the critter, and call the exterminator the next day. We don't shirk on the cleanliness of our rooms, which are normally critter free.
underman said
on 9/6/2009 1: The check in times are posted and mentioned on the phone during the reservation process. No discounts for not getting in early. Demanding to be let in early may cost an extra fee, just like a late check out fee. However, if a room is available, without it being too early, the guest can check in.
2: The lower rate technique never works. They qualified for the lower rate. The guest must qualify for the discount in order to get it. CAA? You must be a member and have the card with you to get it, and It's only for ONE room, unless each room has a member of CAA too. It's a one person membership thing and we impose that rule.
3: We offer to deodorize the room or see if there is another room available. That's it. No discounts. They're welcome to book out and find another hotel. Cigarette smokers will be fined a room damage fee for smoking in a non-smoking room, big time.
4: The pool is...