ESCAPE
HOTEL SURCHARGES
We’ve seen the
practicing that we call
“nickeling-and-diming” –
imposing phone surcharges, health-club
fees, and mandatory valet parking –
on the rise at many hotels. While a
single fee might not seem like much, add
a few here and there and your bill
becomes outrageously high at check-out
time. We think it is time to fight back
– here’s how:
Join the
frequent-guest program. Some
programs include benefits like free
health-club use, which can rid you of the
fee altogether. But if you are still hit
with those annoying surcharges, your
membership card will give you additional
status and clout when you ask the manager
to have the charges removed from your
bill.
Put things in
perspective. Extras
like parking rates and telephone access
fees (typically $1 to $2 a call) are a
gouge. But these fees are small in
comparison to the other charges
you’ve probably incurred. We always
tell the manager, “Look, I've just
spent hundreds of dollars at your hotel,
and you're trying to charge me a two
dollar fee for each local phone call. If
you were in my shoes, would you think
this was fair?" We have yet to have
a manager refuse to remove the extras
from our bill. (For more tips on how to
get results when you complain, click here.)
Use the # key. Remember that some hotels levy charges
for any calls -- even those made with a
calling card. If you call from your hotel
room using your calling card and know the
hotel is charging, plan on making several
calls in succession. If you stay on the
line after the other party hangs up, you
can press the pound key to make the next
call. This saves you the extra charge of
making another call, as your hotel's
telephone system will not recognize that
you are making multiple calls.
Avoid the
mini-bar. Do
you really need that $4 Diet Coke or that
$2.50 Snickers bar? The hotel uses the
lure of convenience to lead you into
temptation. Don't let them profit at your
expense! If you are dying for a drink or
a junk-food snack, hop on the elevator
and pick up your goodies at the newsstand
in the lobby. You'll save yourself a
bundle and work off a couple calories to
boot.
As in most other endeavors,
it pays to be polite, rather than
aggressive and confrontational when you
negotiate waivers of hotel surcharges. We
like to ask the front desk personnel if
they can "help us out" and
always express our gratitude when they
do.
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