The Insider--On YOUR side!
Rejoice, fellow travellers. Whether you're booking that room for business, pleasure, or because the alternative is crashing on your folks' (or --shudder--the in-laws!) hide-a-bed, someone is finally on your side.
Me.
Lodging is an industry, just like any other industry. And like any other industry, there's a whole industry built up around the actual buildings that you stay in. Everything from linen manufacturers and cleaning supply suppliers to professional associations and lobbyists. I'm not attached to any hotel, but I fall into that industry-around-the-industry category. My work also requires me to travel a fair bit, so I actually know the industry inside and out.
Believe me, it's the kind of knowledge that can help an outsider, whatever the problem, whatever the challenge. And I'm happily going to pass it on, because a knowledgeable guest is an empowered guest, and an empowered guest is ultimately good for the industry. Empowered guests make hotels work harder to make them happy, and that means they train and pay their staff better, they source better products like sheets and amenities. Happy guests are repeat guests, and more money gets spent and ... Well, you get my drift.
Let me put it this way--The manager may be blowing a head gasket while you're making sure you're getting your money's worth (of course, if he's worth his salary, he's also gritting his teeth and making you feel like you are the most important person in the universe, head gasket notwithstanding), but in the grand scheme of things, you're doing him a favour. If you're happy, you'll come back, and if you're not, you won't. It's as simple as that.
We'll have the first Insider's tip tomorrow. And if you've got any burning questions --- anything from the best way to resolve a dispute to deciding which loyalty program works best for you, or even strategies for scoring upgrades, fire it off to me. If I don't know, I can find out.
--The Insider
