Avoiding Hotel Fees

Hotel Fees: Avoiding Costly And Unexpected Charges

“If your mother says she loves you, get confirmation.” This piece of advice, which can only be the sign of someone who has spent too many Thanksgivings, Christmases and Saint Swivens Days (that last one always hurt the most) in a newsroom rather than grandmother’s dining room, was actually a literal sign on the desk of one of my newsroom ex-pats in the early days of my career. I’m not sure I ever bought in to that level of skepticism, even in my days as an investigative reporter, but when it comes to traveling in general, and avoiding costly hotel fees in particular, skepticism should be the order of the day when it comes to whether you’re seeing the whole picture..

So let’s talk a little more about hotel fees.

Avoiding hotel fees
You can avoid paying some hotel fees if you do your homework before you travel.

I’ve written about steps you can take to make the actual process of traveling to a hotel, booking a hotel and staying in a hotel easier. However, avoiding hotel fees can have a big impact on your wallet. As always, the goal when it comes to travel Continue reading “Hotel Fees: Avoiding Costly And Unexpected Charges”

Picton, New Zealand
Auckland, New Zealand

Get a Room – Hotel Reservation Tips

I’ve had the good fortune to have worked a number of different jobs in my life. They all come with their share of learning curves and you’re just going to have to believe me when I tell you ice cream jockey at the local Baskin-Robbins next to Big Al’s video arcade had the steepest one of all, but the jobs I’ve had that really taught me about customer service were the ones that required me to get out from behind the counter/desk/Muppet costume (another story for another day) and experience my job from the vantage point of the customers I was serving. Buy something from your store. Order your own pizza. Ride your own ride (that was at Walt Disney World, so it may be a little job-specific). Try to understand what the people you’re serving are experiencing.

As we plowed through a driving rainstorm the dimly lit streets of Napier, New Zealand were doing very little to make the night on Hawke’s Bay magical in any way. The travel fates seemed Continue reading “Get a Room – Hotel Reservation Tips”