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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.
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 phone fees
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.
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