The 5 Hotel Secrets You Must Know

March 31, 2017 

Going on vacation is the easiest way to help dissolve the stress away and make memories that will last a lifetime. We all expect our vacations to be perfect, and that starts with the place we chose to spend our time at. That is why we decided to let you in on a few secrets that can help make your vacation experience more fluid and stress free. Here are the five tips you should know before arriving at your chosen hotel:

 beautiful enclave pool

1- Call if arriving late: We understand that guests may need to arrive late to check in. That is why at the Enclave Suites we have a 24-hour front desk for your convenience, so you can check in any time. However, hotels’ computer systems usually turn over at midnight and all active reservations that have not been checked-in will automatically go into a “no show” status. That is usually not a big deal, because we can just reinstate your reservation when you arrive at, let’s say, 1 am.  But if the hotel happens to be in sold out situation, you may lose your reservation since you did not check in on the correct date. So, to avoid any trouble, even if you plan on arriving late, say 8pm and forward, give the hotel a call and let them know. They’ll put a note on your reservation to avoid letting you go into “no show.”

  

2- Book direct: Nowadays most people chose to visit online travel agencies to book their stay. It’s very convenient since they aggregate several hotels in one search, so you get to quickly compare prices. What people don’t know is that the hotel has to pay a commission to those sites, so if you eliminate the third party in this transaction, you can actually save some money. Just call the hotel and explain that you saw a good rate online and ask if they’ll match or beat it. At the Enclave Suites for example, we have a Best Rate Guaranteed anytime! So you can always be sure you will be getting the best deal if booking through our online booking engine or through our reservations center.

 

3- Avoid in-room calling: Many hotels offer free local calls from your room, but if you try to make a long distance call you will be billed a LOT. And that applies to any hotel. Save money by using your smartphone and downloading apps like WhatssApp, Viber or Skype and using the hotel’s Wi-Fi to connect to those apps and call home for free.

 

4- Early check-in: Understand that check-in time is set for the afternoon because hotels need to allow the housekeeping department to do their job without any rush. We often have guests asking if they can check-in in the morning. But how could hotels possibly allow you to check in at 10am if check-out doesn’t even happen until 11am? Basically, if the hotel is running at a high occupancy, getting an early check-in will be highly unlikely.  So, we urge you to not let that small detail add stress to your trip. Now, what most hotels can do for you is hold your luggage until it’s time to check-in. So instead of stressing over an early check-in, just leave your luggage at the hotel and plan to go out for a few hours and get your vacation started while you wait for you room to be ready.

 

5- Repeat guests: If you travel frequently to the same location, make sure you stay at the same hotel every time and let your hotel staff know when you’ll be back. Hotels love their repeat guest and will often treat you with even more prestige every time you come. You could get a special rate for being a repeat guest and even get free upgrades when available.