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Leave Your Home Safe Checklists
Packing Tips
Dollars and Sense
Health and Safety
Your Special Needs
Ticket Vocabulary
Ticket Information
Documented to Travel
Airport Arrivals
At the Gate
Your Luggage and Security
Rental Car Tips
Hotel Tips
Cruise Line Tips |
Most resorts, hotels, and package deal contractors offer “familiarity” trips to travel agents to familiarize themselves with the accommodations. Because of these trips and the word-of-mouth reports they get back from their clients, they have a pretty good idea of the following:
* Customer service record
* Ratings by independent travel and hospitality organizations
* Hotel policies – the good, the bad and the ugly
* Participation with frequent flyer or frequent guest programs
* The hotel’s location relative to the airport, the beach, the entertainment, the shopping, etc.
* Locations of the hotels both here and abroad
* Special features and amenities, such as on-site spa or business suites and meeting room
* Safety and security
* Extra services, such as concierge, shuttle, laundry or valet
* Ability to honor special requests
* Match availability, coupons or discounts to get you the best deal for your budget.
In order for your travel agent to match your trip with your needs and desires, supply her with some of the following:
* Smoking or Nonsmoking
* Size and location of beds preference
* Location of room, such as beach front and not beach view, poolside, exterior vs. interior rooms, close to the action or far from the madding crowd, first floor or at the top
* Prefer adjoining rooms
* Room with kitchenettes, vary from wet bar to complete kitchen
* Special bathrooms, say with whirlpool baths
* Business requirements
* Special accommodations for disability
* If bringing children, childproof room
* Need for an extra bed or crib in the room
* Membership in frequent flyer or room program
* Room with balcony or patio
* The hotel’s reservation policies, including the amount of deposit required to hold your reservation and how long the hotel will honor your reservation if you’re delayed.
* Whether your reservation is guaranteed. When you give them your credit card number, you will be charged the room rate so that your room is prepaid and will be held even if you are late.
* The hotel’s cancellation policies, including time limit and fees. Even discount consolidators will charge a fee.
* Whether the hotel will penalize you if you have to shorten your stay and check out early
* The hotel’s services, such as shuttles, babysitting, free meals, or recreational facilities – and their availability during your stay.
* Hotel check-in and check-out times
* The hotel’s complete address and phone number and directions to get there
* Extra fees or taxes on your hotel
* Parking
* Charges for phone calls, local and long distance
* Reconfirm your reservation, with any special requests you made, and check-in time.
* Check your credit cards for credit balance. Perhaps, you should have your limit raised. Call your credit card company.
* Pack your complete hotel itinerary in your carry-on bags.
* Let the hotel know if you’re going to be late or need to cancel the room.
* Have your confirmation and rate information with you as well as a picture I.D., your passport if foreign travel
* Present the credit card under which your reservation was made and which you’ll use to pay for the room. Verify the room rate.
* If you’ve driven to the hotel, you’ll want to have the plate number handy
* If you have any coupons, memberships or other discounts, as well as any frequent flyer or loyalty membership programs, present them at check-in.
* Ask if they have any upgrade specials; you may get a better room for less than the usual charge.
* If your type of room is sold out, ask for an upgrade at the same price, or ask if they have other rooms available at other locations in town.
* If they don’t, then have them call their competitors to find you a room. If it costs more, ask your hotel to pay the difference.
* If no other rooms are available in town, call the hotel’s reservation center to find you a room in a nearby city or town. If you don’t have a car, have the hotel provide transportation to the new location.
* Find out if they will have any rooms available the next day. If all else fails, have them compensate you., Keep receipts of any expenditures as a result of their overbooking their hotel and not honoring your reservation.
* Find out the schedules for services, such as meals, cocktails, pool and spa hours, concierge or front desk assistance, restaurants, bars, and shuttle service.
* Confirm check-out time.
* Pick up some of the hotel’s business cards for you and your party to carry with you.
* Before you leave your room, search it completely. Open all the drawers, look under the beds, behind the bathroom door.
* Check the room safe for any valuables you may have forgotten in it.
* Shake out the bedding
* Check your balcony or patio for towels and bathing suits.
* Now re-pack your bags and be at the front desk to check out at the proper time to avoid additional charges.
* If you have a problem that’s delaying your check-out, call the front desk and ask about a grace period or if there’s an additional charge.
* Check your bill to be sure there are no charges for things you never ordered or used, such as mini bar items, or movie rentals, or laundry services.
* Be sure that all discounts have been applied to your bill before signing.
* If you’re paying in cash, have the receipt marked as “paid in cash.”
* If you put things in the hotel safe, don’t forget them.
* Turn in your room key.
* Tip the bell boys if they’ve brought down your luggage. If you used the concierge service, tip him or her as well. If you use the shuttle, tip the driver when he drops you at the airport.
The Benefits of a Hotel Concierge
A good concierge can make the difference between an okay trip and a fantastic one. Remember to tip. Simple requests deserve smaller tips than the more difficult and complex requests.
* They can get you tickets to a sold out play or sporting event, or get you a good tee time or a dinner reservation at the best restaurant in town.
* If you want to take side trips or hire a car and driver who speaks the language, the concierge can arrange it.
* You need to know if the hotel is located in an area with a high crime rate.
* You’ll want to know if they have a 24-hour security staff on site, the number of security cameras on site.
* Is the parking lot lighted, under camera surveillance, manned or gated?
* Do the room doors have security features, such as peepholes, deadbolt or flip locks? Are the keys electronic?
* Are the corridors on the outside or the inside? How are they secured?
* Find out about the hotel’s safes. Is there one in the room? Is it securely welded down? Or, does the hotel have one available? What are the limits for using their safe? What are the hotel’s policies regarding items missing from your safe?
* Get a written receipt for items you place in the hotel’s safe.
* A hotel’s safety and security is even more important when you travel outside the U.S.
* Foreign hotels may not have safety features such as smoke detectors, fire alarms, sprinkler systems and emergency exits.
* Use safety precautions when you park your car. Make sure the area is well lit and there’s no one is hanging around where you’re parking. Or better, yet. Use the valet service if it’s available. It’s worth the extra cost. If they don’t have valet service, park near the lobby door, lock your car, and go into the lobby to get an escort to the parking lot and back.
* Remove all valuables from your car or at least hide them.
* Do not leave your room key with your car keys when you valet park.
* Keep an eye on your luggage both to and from your hotel room.
* Always keep your room key with you and out of sight, or leave the key at the front desk. Make sure the staff checks identifications before they pass out keys.
* Don’t wear flashy jewelry or flash around a lot of money. You make yourself a target.
* If you leave a maid service tag on your door, you’re letting others know you’re not in the room. Call housekeeping when you’re ready for your room to be cleaned if you missed the scheduled cleaning.
* Keep your rooms doors and windows locked and the curtains closed.
* Leave either the TV or radio on to give the appearance that the room is occupied.
* Leave your credit cards, cash, traveler’s checks, electronic items, jewelry, and other valuables in the safe if you’re not using them.
* Request that your room will not be on the first floor and not at the very top.
* If the hotel has several buildings, request a room either in or close to the main building.
* Register with only your first initial and last name and under your business address and phone number.
* If you lose your room key, report it immediately to the front desk.
* Take note of the location of fire exits and fire extinguishers.
* Use the deadbolt, flip lock and/or door chain at night.
* If it’s a connecting room, make sure the between room doors are locked.
* It wouldn’t hurt to buy a travel door alarm, or place a glass or small table in front of the door.
* Bring a nightlight.
* Always use the peephole to check who’s knocking at the door. If someone knocks and says he or she is hotel security or staff, call the front desk to make sure.
* Check the elevator before you get on. If someone looks a little shady, take the next elevator. If someone gets on while you’re already on your way that makes you uncomfortable either get off or press the button for a public area like the lobby or restaurant.
* If you see anything suspicious at all, notify the hotel staff.
* Avoid lying on the bed’s comforter or bedspread. You could ask for an extra sheet to place over it.
* If you perceive a problem, speak directly to the front desk staff. Explain the problem and ask that it be fixed. You may offer a satisfactory solution and allow a reasonable response time, depending on the problem.
* Once again, don’t play big shot. Simple courtesy and reasonable expectations go a long way in getting your problem fixed.
* Stay calm and businesslike.
* If you are not satisfied with the response or results, ask to speak to someone higher up, the person’s supervisor or the hotel manager. Then, calmly explain the situation and let them fix the problem.
* If you’ve gone all the way up the local chain of command with no satisfaction, then contact the hotel’s customer service department.
* Here’s the information you should have ready for the hotel’s customer service department:
* Specific information such as date, time and location of the incident
* Your name, reservation and confirmation number
* Details about the problem, including copies of any pertinent paperwork
* Name, title, employee number of physical descriptions of those you dealt with.
* A description of the actions taken by each individual employee in seeking a solution to your problem
* If you feel that the employees were not following company policies, or you think the company’s policy on this particular issue stinks, question the customer service department about them.
* You may indicate how their solution to your problem will affect your future business with them and your comments to friends and acquaintances will be colored by their actions. Suggest a satisfactory solution.
* Include information on how they can reach you with their solution: name, address, phone number, and email.
* A customary tip for luggage handlers – the doorman or bell hop – is usually $1.00 to $2.00 per bag if it’s brought to your room. If they just unload your car at the door, It’s less.
* Before you sign a room service bill, make sure it doesn’t already include a tip. If no tip is indicated, tip 15 to 20 percent.
* If you’re staying for more than one night, it’s always nice to leave housekeeping a note with a tip of one to two dollars night. If you’re particularly messy, or the housekeeping performed special services for you, tip accordingly.
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