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Unless you have worked in the hospitality industry, you are probably not aware of a few very quick and easy ways to get that special room in the inn, bed and breakfast, or hotel that you want, even after they have turned down your reservation request.
The policies discussed apply to many small inns and bed and breakfasts, but you may find them applicable and effective even when dealing with the larger hotels with centralized and off-premises reservation systems.
The first policy that can really annoy you in your efforts to sleep over in a popular tourist town is the Minimum Night Stay Policy. You may find that an inn requires a two night stay on a weekend, and/or a three or four night stay over major holidays such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, the Fourth of July, Memorial and Labor Days, and most certainly in the case of events such as national golf tournaments, wine festivals, car races and the like.
A caveat here is that you may also be told that no, you may not fulfill your two night minimum stay requirement for the weekend by booking both Friday and Saturday nights; you may book either Thursday/Friday or Saturday/Sunday. Bear in mind that a full house is job security for the reservation/front desk manager and her/his staff. In the days and weeks prior to your preferred arrival date they will do all they can to fill their property in advance.
So what to do to get around these little policy annoyances and get that romantic room of yours?
If your requested date is full, or if you only want to spend one night on a weekend or holiday, inquire about the cancellation policy. Almost every property will require those booking reservations to guarantee the arrival with a credit card, some even charging the first night's stay to the card when the room is booked. Should the guest not cancel within the policy's stated time frame, they forfeit their deposit.
Perhaps you want to stay over in a lovely little coastal town on Friday night. You are told that check-in time is 5pm, and the cancellation policy requires 48 hours notice. Call the hotel Wednesday morning asking if any vacancies have opened up. If not, request that they put you on a waiting list in the event that over the next several hours someone does indeed cancel. Call back in two or three hours, and keep calling back to check. While it would behoove you greatly to make friends with the front desk and reservation staff if they are on the property, you do not want to rely on their good moods and graces to get your room. However, if they do call you back and fulfill your request, be absolutely certain to thank them personally upon your arrival or departure, and a side tip or a little gift is appreciated more than you will ever know.
When the day of your planned stay arrives, call again first thing in the morning to inquire about vacancies. If you still cannot find a room in the first choice hotel on your list and are feeling lucky and spontaneous, head into town regardless. You will find many opportunities presented to you on the day of your trip that you could not avail yourself of in advance.
Proceed directly to your first choice property and simply ask the desk clerks if they have a vacancy. You would be amazed to know how many last minute cancellations hotels receive due to sudden illness, work obligations, travel snafus, and the like. The last thing the manager wants to have on her/his hands is an empty room after turning down countless people in the days prior. As an incentive for their staff to fill to capacity, some inns even offer a bonus; a small percentage of the room rate to the employee who sells the empty room for that night.
If there is still "no room at the inn", ask for referrals. What you may not know is that your favorite property is affiliated with other inns and hotels in an association that affords them reciprocal relationships. Often they are willing (and required) to help each other fill room vacancies once their own property is full. If you are really lucky, a helpful employee might even jump on the phone and start phoning nearby inns to inquire for you.
As hard as it is to believe, your chances of booking a room in your desired inn are often far greater on the day of your arrival than weeks in advance. And if you will be traveling to a popular area with a plethora of accommodations to select from, you may be pleasantly surprised at your good fortune if you keep the faith and treat the reservation staff with kindness and courtesy, helping them to want to help you.
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