Parking, Wi-Fi and a 24-hour reception are the minimum free services that you should pay attention to when choosing a hotel. What else can you get for free? We have collected a whole bunch of features that will make your stay in hotels more enjoyable. We also recommend being friends with the staff: even if the service you need is not on the list, the reception will try to help you.
Get to the hotel for free
After booking a room, check if the hotel provides a free transfer service from the airport or train station. This way you will save on public transport or taxis. After all, a trip to the airport or train station is usually more expensive than travel within the city.
Accept a compliment
Newlyweds know that if they loudly announce their recent marriage upon check-in, there is a chance to receive a gift – a bottle of champagne, a fruit basket or a discount on spa treatments. Who knows, you may be offered to move to a more expensive and comfortable room for free. This is called a “compliment from the hotel.” At the same time, you don’t have to get married to receive a compliment. The occasion could be the anniversary of a long-past wedding, or a birthday. And perhaps some surprise will be waiting for you in your room.
Evgeniy Kochanov, IT specialist and blogger at LiveJournal, has been traveling since he was 7 years old, visited 15 countries and 50 cities, St. Petersburg:
I try to stay in the same chain hotels. Therefore, he earned the privileges of a regular guest. I almost always get a free room upgrade: a more spacious room with a picturesque view of the city rather than the courtyard. I try to be at the hotel immediately upon arrival, and not wander around the city with suitcases. Large hotels are accommodating and, if possible, provide a room earlier, until 14:00. If I’m leaving late, I try to check-out not at 12:00, but later. They put up an hour or two without any problems, and once they managed to extend the room until 18:00. No extra charge! Or you can pay for half a day.
Get a bed for a child
If you are traveling with a small child, ask for a bassinet or extra bed. The main thing is not to forget to inform the hotel that you have children. Write about this in the comments when booking. The service is provided if the room is spacious enough and there is room for another bed – this is done taking into account fire safety standards, which are strictly observed in hotels.
Ask for everything that is missing for happiness
People feel happier in hotels. But, just like at home, something is always missing for complete happiness: a wine corkscrew, a set of dishes, hygiene items, thread and a needle, or a smartphone charger, which, of course, you forgot at home. Feel free to ask for all this at the hotel. And also: an iron and ironing board, an extra blanket or a softer pillow. Some hotels have a special “pillow menu” to choose from. Or the turndown service: hotel staff will straighten the bed and warm it with an electric sheet, close the curtains, and dim the lighting in the room.
Anastasia Dmitrieva, Vega Izmailovo Moscow Hotel:
For example, when staying at Vega Izmailovo in Moscow, you will receive for free: two bottles of still water, a kettle and a tea set, as well as the most necessary thing for any trip – a toothbrush , toiletries, slippers and robe. There is an ironing room on each floor. Many high-star hotels have a luggage carrier service. Pets are allowed upon request.
Drink tea before bed
Among all the “wants”, an ordinary cup of strong tea is perhaps the most pleasant and most important. It can be ordered to your room. Or get a kettle from the hotel so as not to torment the employees with the same request every evening.
Wake up from (someone else’s) pleasant voice
Many travelers, out of fatigue, turn off the alarm clock on their phone without waking up. So you can sleep anywhere. Ask the front desk to call you at the appropriate time. Phones in hotels usually ring loudly, and the staff is distinguished by caring insistence: if you don’t answer the phone, they will call you back several times or knock on the door. There is only one condition: hotel registration must be open 24 hours a day. Please check this in advance.
Lana Klyuchkina, worked at Swissotel Krasnye Holmy, travels independently, Moscow:
If you are relaxing in a hotel where there is a concierge service, then with all your questions you can safely contact them, nothing is impossible for them: urgently finding an exclusive scent of perfume, a painting from the 17th century , Or something like that. I also have a rule – always leave a tip, at least a small amount. Then the staff will try to fulfill all your requests with more willingness and attention. Once at a hotel in Mauritius I had a personal concierge and he offered to sort out my things. I was a little surprised by this service, but it turned out to be absolutely free and the norm for this hotel.
Visit the gym and spa treatments
Large hotels have gyms, saunas, swimming pools, massage rooms and other wellness facilities. You can not only relax in them, but also get in shape while traveling: pump up your abs, improve stretching, learn how to jump rope… Train for free.
Read over breakfast
For breakfast, it’s good to read the latest press, especially in another country, to keep up with the news: suddenly there’s a strike or mass demonstrations, and it’s better not to leave the hotel today. Most often, newspapers and magazines are provided to guests free of charge. How to read them (in English, French, Greek…) is the guest’s problem. In addition to the press, hotels have small libraries that are formed from forgotten books. This way you can stumble upon something really worthwhile.
Yanina Shkuropat, development manager, independently visited 35 countries, St. Petersburg:
The most useful free service for me is early check-in or late check-out. The second most useful thing is to take rations with you instead of breakfast, although it is cheaper to buy in a store, because rations are usually meager for those who like to eat. As for free tea: the rooms may have not only a kettle, but also a coffee machine – all this is already included in the room price.
Borrow treasure map
Internet outside your hometown is expensive, and Wi-Fi is not available everywhere—paper maps help out even in the 21st century. Ask for a free one at the hotel reception. They are printed mainly in guidebooks, which also list the main attractions, transport operating hours, schedules of concerts, exhibitions and sporting events.
Find out about discounts, ask for recommendations
In many hotels, next to the reception there is a counter where nearby cafes and restaurants post announcements of events, as well as discount coupons. Ask the receptionist to recommend your favorite places: this way you can dine cheaper and tastier than recommendations from the Internet. By the way, you don’t have to book a table yourself (especially if you don’t know the local language),
A hotel employee will also be happy to do this for you. A satisfied customer is the best customer!
Anastasia Boltenkova, Nevsky Bereg hotel chain:
Most often, guests ask to recommend a cute, inexpensive and tasty place. Agree, local residents will tell you better than anyone else about the lively, non-tourist underbelly of the city. We always and with pleasure recommend to guests a whole “map” of places where they might like: from iconic donut shops and shawarma shops to trendy bars and gourmet restaurants. And one more observation: a guest is pleased when the staff shows simple human hospitality and does nice little things: a cup of tea, candy, a smile, a beautiful postcard.
Print, scan, fax – suddenly you need to
Paper and office equipment have not yet been canceled. It happens that you need to print, scan or fax something: return tickets, a copy of your passport, and so on. Contact the reception and they will help you.
Send a postcard home
It’s a small thing, but it’s nice. Postcards are sometimes sold at reception desks. You can send them to friends or yourself directly from the hotel. At the same time, you will save yourself from the headache of searching for a post office. Finding mail abroad is sometimes more difficult than in Russia. You will have to pay for postcards and stamps, but the service itself is free.
Pavel Tormosov, Rossi Hotel:
For hotels, free services are a competitive advantage—a way to attract and retain guests. As hoteliers, it is important for us to know that guests feel comfortable and that no one pays as much attention to them as we do. The Rossi Hotel has a “Favorite Number” service: you can choose one number (in any country in the world, mobile or landline) and call it free of charge during your entire stay. This is important for parents who need to know if their children are okay, or business travelers who need to communicate with the company office.
Leave luggage for storage
If you need to check out of your room, and there is still half a day or more before departure, you don’t have to walk around the city with a heavy suitcase or look for a storage room. In almost all hotels you can leave your luggage for the whole day after you have checked out. Find out where you can leave your things: even if there is no luggage room, they will not leave you in trouble and will come up with something.
Finally call the most common taxi
Ask to order a car, and you won’t have to understand all the intricacies of the local transport services market. In addition, hotels often have agreements with nearby carriers, and you may be transported for less money.
Convenient hotel booking service – OneTwoTrip.
