Travel Deal of the Day (April 1, 2009)

If you have ever called a hotel and requested to speak with the "Front Desk," you may be surprised to learn that you may have actually spoken to an operator instead of someone at the Front Desk - for certain travel requests, this may dramatically impact the response you receive to your request.

The Deal:
One of the most helpful things I have learned about interacting with a hotel is that making requests to the Front Desk ahead of check-in can be very beneficial in certain situations. For instance, if you reserve a room in a hotel with dramatically different room types, a Front Desk agent can normally block one of the best rooms for you. A Front Desk agent can also often block a room with your bedding choice or may be able to put you in a room that will be available for early check-in or late check-out.

Many hotels will not (at least initially) put you in touch with the Front Desk when you make such a request. I have repeatedly found that whoever is answering the phone will reply to my request for the Front Desk by noting that he/she is part of the Front Desk. Often, this is simply not true. Admittedly, sometimes, in small hotels and/or budget-oriented hotels, the Front Desk agent answers all calls. But, this recently occurred to me for a call to a huge Las Vegas casino hotel - there is zero probability that calls made to a hotel with thousands of rooms are answered by the Front Desk agents - these Front Desk agents simply do not have the time to answer calls.

A problem arises since many operators do not have the same discretion (as Front Desk agents) to grant requests. So, be careful when asking for a Front Desk agent. Usually, I follow the rule of "One Step Above." The rule of "One Step Above" is that when you request to speak with anyone in an organization, you will usually be put in touch with someone one step below the person requested as a buffer, to ensure you have a valid reason to speak with the person requested. So, I usually ask for the Front Desk Manager (a person one step above the person I actually wanted to speak with), and I usually receive a Front Desk agent. I hope this advice helps you maximize your enjoyment of a hotel stay - do not be afraid to make requests and do not be surprised if you have to be sly to speak with the actual Front Desk.