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Unexpected Travel Freebies

If you think tiny bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and lotion are the best you can score for free at a hotel, then you aren’t staying at the right property. Those mini amenities are nothing compared to the major freebies you can enjoy at some of the country’s top resorts, such as: Fish: The Hotel Triton in San Francisco is known for its iconic under-the-sea-themed lobby, but now you can experience that same tranquility from the comfort of your own room. The hotel is providing guests with a swimtastic roommate for free–a real goldfish. Your aquatic companion can stay in your … Continue reading →

Hotels Helping You Stretch Your Dollar

With many hotels pushing back check-in time until 4 p.m. and moving up check-out time to 11 a.m., many travelers wonder if they are really getting their money’s worth. After all, if you are spending $250 per night on a room, you’d like to be able to use it for at least 20 hours. Some hotels are cognizant of this complaint, so while they cut back in one area, they try to compensate in others. Competition to snag travelers is heating up, especially with the busy holiday season approaching. Consequently, select properties around the world are offering free amenities to … Continue reading →

Hotel Sticker Shock

Earlier this year, my family took a pre-spring break trip to a popular water park hotel just north of Chicago. We chose a standard room that slept four and included passes to the massive indoor water park. For $119 per night, I thought it was a steal. Unfortunately, by the time taxes and resort fees were added on, the bill for our two-night stay ballooned to more than $300, not including meals or parking. Resort fees can really take a bite out of your vacation budget, regardless of whether you book a summer stay or one in the dead of … Continue reading →

Post-Holiday Hotel Deals

Forget about finding a decent hotel room in New York City on New Year’s Eve. Unless you hit the jackpot between now and Friday night, or you are fine sharing a bed with cockroaches the size of rats, then you might consider waiting until after the ball drops in Times Square before visiting the Big Apple. By exercising patience and waiting until the week after New Year’s to travel to “The City that Never Sleeps,” you’ll be able to preserve your budget well into 2012. According to travel experts, tourists who can hold off until January 6-15, 2012, to check … Continue reading →

Do You Steal From Hotels?

Do you prefer the towels, magazines or shower caps? What do you really pilfer from hotels? Town and Country magazine, recently asked its rich subscribers what, if anything, they swipe from luxury hotel rooms. The answer: The soap. Affluent hotel guest prefer to lift expensive soap to extra-fluffy towels and bathrobes. And by expensive I mean brands like Acqua di Parma, Bulgari, Hermes and L’Occitane. No paper-thin bars of discount soap that don’t lather up or smell like a fresh morning dew. Rather, high-end guests are filling their Louis Vuitton bags with luxury lathers. According to the magazine, most guests … Continue reading →

Are You a Hotel Slob?

What does your hotel room look like when you check-out? Is the bedding crumpled on the floor? Are wet towels thrown on chairs or do you dump them in the tub? Do you leave the place looking like a pigsty and figure you’re just helping the housekeeping staff earn their pay for the day? According to a recent poll, more than 60 percent of American hotel guests pile their used towels on the bathroom floor, leave puddles near sinks and bathtubs and throw bedding and pillows around the room. Bottom line: Most guests don’t treat hotel rooms the same way … Continue reading →

Make the Most of Hotel Rewards

In a previous blog I may have suggested that being a Starwood Preferred Guest member pales in comparison to being a Hilton Hhonors member. That’s simply not the case. I merely mentioned that unlike my Hilton HHonors friend, I have not made the most of being a member of a hotel rewards program. Being a Starwood Preferred Guest member certainly has its privileges; however, you can’t take advantage of the perks unless you know what they are and how many points you need to accrue in order to score them. You earn points by staying at any of the 1,000 … Continue reading →

Does it Pay to Join Hotel Rewards Programs?

I am a member of the Starwood Preferred Guest program, yet I have never redeemed my points for a single reward. Conversely, my BFF, who is a member of Hilton HHonors scores free stuff all the time. She would undoubtedly tell you that it is well worth it to join a hotel rewards program. Me; not so much. So why is my pal such a fan of Hilton HHonors? For starters, the rewards are amazing. In addition to free hotel stays, you can redeem points for: *Tickets to Disneyland *Car rentals *Cruise certificates *Gift cards to Starbucks *Jewelry from Tiffany … Continue reading →

Dealing With Noisy Hotel Guests

How do you deal with unruly guests at a hotel? A. Contact the front desk staff and have them handle it B. Pound on the wall separating your room from the offender’s C. Knock on the loud guest’s door and politely ask them to keep it down D. Hail a “sleep warden” and have them kick out the belligerent guest If you are vacationing at select hotels in the United Kingdom, answer “D” is an actual option. “Sleep wardens” are all the rage at Travelodge properties in Europe. The specially trained staff members patrol the hotels’ halls making sure that … Continue reading →

Cheap Hotels Get New Look

The last time I stayed at an economy hotel I was greeted with tissue paper-thin sheets that nearly ripped each time I turned over in bed, stained carpet and missing light fixtures. Still, I didn’t make a fuss because you get what you pay for, right? Maybe not. According to a new report, several budget hotel chains are getting a makeover that would impress even the pickiest travelers. For example, the new look of Motel 6 includes platform beds with crisp white sheets and taupe coverlets; 32-inch flat-screen TVs; modern furnishings that maximize space and hip wall decorations. Ditto for … Continue reading →