Hotel Loyalty Schemes: A Smart American Saleswoman

Problems
What's the loyalty scheme?

Is it any use to me if I am only going to stay in the hotel once, or don't intend to stay longer than for lunch?

Travel Tip
Always ask about a hotel's loyalty scheme and join it before travelling. Once I found the loyalty card would be posted to me and would not not kick in until after I had left.

On another occasion, I was at a hotel for lunch at a conference. A member of my family who is a frequent flyer, said, "No point joining because we are never coming back here."

However, the receptionist looked so disconcerted, that I said to her, "Never mind. Tell me anyway, so I can inform my friends."

For a moment, I thought, that's a polite lie. Not many of my friends from back in London will be coming here. Then I realised that I would be meeting friends at the conference, and probably lunching with the members of the hosting club from that city, and speaking to many other day guests who might decide to return with families later.

The receptionist told me about the benefits of the loyalty scheme, and how soon they started. I was now an expert on the hotel, and had something to tell others as a conversation opener.

In another hotel, I found that by joining the loyalty scheme, which started immediately, we had a reduction in the hotel shop. Best of all, we received an upgrade to the club lounge floor. The bedrooms were better, good views and more toiletries. The club lounge offered a free self-service breakfast, which meant a quick getaway instead of witing to be served in the busy downstairs restaurant. We also got free pre-dinner drinks and canapes, and free help from the club floor's receptionist, without the need to go down to busy reception.

You can join usually join the loyalty scheme before making any bookings. The loyalty scheme might offers a reduction on the hotel restaurant meals. Sometimes I find I am stuck in an isolated hotel for a day's conference. I don't want to leave because it's better to stay with the group and network.

If you are looking at items in a hotel shop, listen out for other customers being offered discounts. Ask if there are any discounts. The best people for telling you immediately are Americans, who like to make a sale.

American President Calvin Coolidge was nicknamed silent Cal, but he had one one-liner which is often quoted and abbreviated by the mis-quote, The business of America is business. (He actually said: The chief business of America is business. I have grown to like the shorter version, although the longer version is clearer.)

The Americas: "The business of America is business."

I remember standing looking at postcards in the lobby of an American hotel. A man came in to enquire about the price of a hotel room. He obviously wanted something cheaper. "Got any discounts?" he asked.

The smart sales lady behind the counter beamed, sure she was about to clinch a sale. "Yes! Are you a member of the AAA?" (American Automobile Association. In the UK we have the AA, Automobile Association.)

"No," he replied, glumly.

"Retired person?"

"No. Do I look like it!"

She started running through what sounded like a list she had been given of people who the management considered were entitled to discounts.

"A member of the armed forces?"

"No."

"Member of a local business association?"

"I'm not from around here."

"What business are you in?"

"Secret business."

I thought: She has reached the end of the road. She has got to the end of the list. She won't get a sale.

I was wrong. Maybe she had discretion.

Equally likely, she would give a little to make her commission on the sale.
More likely she just decided she could tick a random box, or 'other' and give him the discount, which nobody above would query. They would be happy with the extra sale.

So she sighed and conceded, "All right, I"ll give you the secret business discount."

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please bookmark and share links to your favourite posts.

How to get help from hotel receptions, concierges, car parks

Problems
1 You arrive at a hotel but they have no room for you and they are full.
2 You are on honeymoon and your room has twin beds.
3 You want an upgrade to a room with a sea or garden view but the hotel is full.
4 You want help because you've lost your car.
5 You want help because your car won't start.

Answers
1 a) Offer a tip to reception (countries such as India and Malaysia). It may be they are waiting for a bribe before granting you a room. Stand and chat. Ask for help. Check the names of bookings to see if your name has been wrongly spelled or listed. In Asia the surname is first. A room for John Smith will be listed as Smith John.
2 a) Push beds together. b) Put mattresses on the floor. c) Turn the mattresses sideways to make a double. d) Change rooms next day.
3 Don't unpack. Find out when people check out and check in. Get an empty room in the late evening from a 'no show'. Get a room next morning before rooms are allocated to newcomers. Get room changed next day.
4 Chat up and ask for help from the car park supervisor.
5 Befriend the Automobile Association people in the vicinity.

Stories
LILLE - LOST ROOM BOOKING
I arrived with a group of journalists, four of us, for a festival opening event in Lille, a city in Northern France. The hotel had no bookings in our name.
The others travelling with me were in despair, wondering where to find another hotel. Besides we had free rooms from the paid for by the tourist board. We did not want to have to pay. The tourist board had clearly chosen an out of town hotel at cheap prices since the city was full.
I asked reception if they had any empty rooms, no shows. She had four beds not yet claimed, booked by the local tourist board.
I gasped, "They must be our rooms! They've booked in their name instead of ours." Problem solved.

Not quite. The suspicious receptionist insisted on phoning the tourist board to verify our story. But the office was closed - everybody was already on their way to the grand evening reception.

By now all my journalist friends were on the case and convinced the rooms were rightly ours. Another journalist persuaded the receptionist to let us take our suitcases out of the car to leave them at the hotel. We unpacked out our evening clothes, changed, and rushed off to the reception. The tourist board people, of course, were glad to ring the hotel and explain that the rooms were for us.

MOROCCO - TWIN BEDS ON HONEYMOON
On honeymoon, I and my new husband arrived at our hotel (The Mamounia in Marrakesh). A large coach party was ahead of us. By the time we are seen, last, the only bedroom left had twin beds.

I have never forgotten this. I spent the next ten years checking the honeymoon suite of every hotel I visited. I became a honeymoon specialist. I wrote for Brides magazines and talked on radio stations about wedding etiquette and honeymoon hotels.

2 SINGAPORE
Our first names and surnames were reversed. It happened at least once at a hotel. At least once on an airline reservation.

3 SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA
We were in Sydney for about a week, staying at a grand hotel with a view of the harbour. But our room was on the back, facing a building site with scaffolding and noise. My husband was out at business meetings. I had to sit in the hotel room all day waiting for him to return. I sat there thinking, at home in London I would be looking out at my garden. I have just paid several hundred pounds to cross the world and sit looking at scaffolding. I went down to reception. I asked if I could change rooms. Sorry, no luck.


I told them, "I have booked into a room at a four star hotel facing the harbour for a week. I have travelled half way round the world, leaving my lovely home, for a view of scaffolding. Can you change my room for free? If not, how much extra will it cost? If I cannot get a room with a better view, I will check out of the hotel when my husband returns from business this evening. I will never use your hotel chain again. And I will never come back to Australia." The girl on reception said, "Just a minute, Madam." We got a changed room. I did all the packing and unpacking from drawers. The porters moved the items on hangers.

I could not contact my husband at work. He did not want to be interrupted. He had gone to a different office. He had said he had no time to change rooms.
But when my husband came back, it was fait accompli. Nothing for him to do - except try to find out which room I was in because his hotel key opened to an empty room!


Tips
1 Print a copy of your room reservation in advance. Keep the copy of your room reservation handy in your right hand pocket.
2 Make friends with the reception and concierge on arrival even if you don't need help.
3 Before your trip find out the foreign language words for common problems such as:
Where is the restaurant? Do I need to make a booking? I need a table for two. Now. Any time.We would like double beds. We would like twin beds. We want a room with a view. We are prepared to pay for an upgrade. We do not want to pay for an upgrade. It is our anniversary. It is my birthday (show passport or keep copy of passport if reception keeps passports).

Actions
Print your list of hotels, restaurants, businesses, friends you are visiting.
Check trip advisor for problems at your destination or hotel such as rooms on the road side are noisy, restaurants close early. Check for special deals.
Always have a second choice hotel and restaurant in case you need a quick decision or see special offer.
Find a favourite restaurant or hotel even if it is out of your price range. Every now and then on a trip you are offered a treat. You may need to treat a host who has invited you to their home, or boss who has bought you meals. You might want to recommend something to new friends. You never know your luck = you might see a special lunch time offer as you walk past on an off-season Monday. You might see a special offer when you open a tourist map, a local newspaper and magazines.

AUTHOR
Angela Lansbury, author and speaker.
See my other travel posts on this blog. Read other blogs on grammar, spelling, language, speaking. Like my pages and share them. Link to me on Facebook and LinkedIn. Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. Watch me performing my poetry and speeches on Facebook and Toastmasters International club pages and on YouTUbe.
Author of:
Wedding Speeches and Toasts. (Ward Lock/Cassell. Several editions. In some libraries. Also second hand copies on the net.)
The Best Man. (Ward Lock/Cassell.)
Quick Quotations. (Lulu.com - or buy from me when you see me.)
Who Said What When. (Lulu.com - or buy from me and get it signed when you see me.
New copies of my books are mostly £10 / 20 Singapore dollars. One of two books which are thicker, cost me lots of postage to get delivered to my home and /or with lots of illustrations are £20. Sometimes I have an old battered copy which I will sell cheaply.