Hotel Features

Make frills and flexibility a thing of the past. Follow the shining example set by the airlines and reduce the guest experience to a room with a bed, charging a fee for everything else. Implement a luggage fee and charge extra for oversized baggage, baby carriages, wheelchairs, Seeing Eye dogs and portable dialysis machines. Charge a user fee for blankets, towels and soap and a fuel surcharge for hot water. Implement reservation change fees and charge a rate differential even if rates have gone down. If a guest cancels, charge the full amount and issue a voucher with so many conditions it's impossible to redeem. Distribute stopwatches to front desk and housekeeping staff and charge by the minute for late checkouts and early check-ins. Cut costs by delegating work to guests. Travelers have made it clear that nothing is more important than getting a deal-isn't it time they made a few sacrifices of their own? Save labor costs by introducing 'Do It Yourself' packages in which guests carry their luggage, clean their rooms and serve themselves meals. Reduce operating costs by closing your restaurant and having the turndown ladies sell pre-prepared meals from maid carts. In this time of 'rightsizing', does your hotel really need corporate office? Consider downsizing up.

Don't use the in-room hotel phone unless you know it's free. Sometimes the surcharge is as much as $2.50 per call. Ask about phone charges when making room reservations or when checking into the hotel. Your best bet is to use your cell phone or to call from the lobby pay phone. Keep kids out of the minibar. Instead, ask at check-in time if there is a convenience store or a grocery nearby, then stock up on healthful snacks and drinks. You can use the minibar to keep your purchases cold. If you need to do laundry during your stay, you may not have to use the hotel's costly laundry and dry-cleaning service. Instead, ask at the front desk if there's a washing machine and dryer on site for guests to use. If you're planning a long stay and know you'll need to do laundry, ask about on-site washers and dryers when you make your reservation.