Travel tips
Hotel reservation tips
Before you go
Always book your hotel reservations as far in advance as possible
to ensure room availability. Many cities such as New York, Chicago
and Las Vegas can experience severe room shortages.
Be precise about the name and location of the hotel you are
requesting. Some cities will have multiple properties within
a particular hotel chain. For example, Los Angeles has 40 Holiday
Inns, 11 Sheratons and 8 Hyatt Hotels.
Check your itinerary to verify the hotel location and confirmation
number. Your confirmation number guarantees you a room or adequate
compensation.
When you arrive
Provide your confirmation number to the hotel agent at
the front desk.
Even though you have a confirmed rate, be sure to ask if any
lower rates may be available. Most hotels have "fire sales"
when availability is high or may be able to offer a rate that
was sold out at the time of your reservation.
Because of high no-show rates, most hotels overbook their rooms.
If you become a victim of an overbooking, know your rights!
The hotel is expected to find you another hotel of similar quality,
provide you transportation and pay for any rate differences.
Did you know?
Travel agents always recommend
that all hotel reservations be guaranteed for late arrival.
If you need to cancel a guaranteed reservation, you must do
so by 4 p.m. (cancellation time may vary by city or hotel chain)
local time, on the day of arrival to avoid a no-show fee.
Some major hotel chains charge penalties for early check-out.
For example, if you confirm three nights but decide to stay
only for two, you may be penalized. Be sure to ask at check-in
if there is a possibility that you may check out earlier than
reserved.
In addition to rates that your company may have negotiated,
SatoTravel offers corporate discounts for hotels in the United
States and throughout the world.
Hotel rates are inventory-controlled and are based on supply
and demand, similar to airline airfares. Therefore, the fewer
the rooms available on a particular date, the higher the rate
you should expect to pay.
Safety tips
Rooms that have card key
systems rather than metal door keys are safer because the key
codes are changed after each guest departure.
Never place your purse, laptop or other valuable items on hotel
baggage carts. They can be stolen while you're standing at the
check-in counter.
Don't flash cash, especially when you visit the hotel's cashier.
This is a favorite observation post for pick-pocketers.
Do not display a "clean the room" sign on the outside
of your door as this indicates to potential thieves that you
are not in the room.
When you leave your hotel room at night, turn on a light and
keep the television on a low volume to give the impression that
you are in your room.
Frequent guest programs
Enroll in the frequent guest program of any hotel chains at
which you frequently stay. These programs offer many amenities
such as free room upgrades, block space when hotels are sold
out and sometimes provide airline miles.
The information above
is provided as a service and any details and/or industry rules
and regulations are subject to change at any time. Please contact
your SatoTravel agent with any questions.
source:www.satotravel.com
