Have you ever haggled for a hotel? Not just asking for their best rate, but asking them to do better, and then asking for an upgrade?
It can be awkward the first couple of times you try it. In North America, prices feel like they're set in stone. But hotels are scrambling to get by these days. The latest numbers from industry analysts Smith Travel Research show average occupancy in Canada is down significantly – about 45 per cent of hotel rooms are empty at any given time, and revenues and rates have fallen too. In this climate, you might be surprised at how willing hoteliers are to make a deal.
As veteran travellers know, hotel rates are something of a Russian doll: always something a little smaller hidden inside if you take the time to look. There's the rack rate; nobody pays that. Then there's the seasonal rate, the loyalty rate, the CAA rate, and so on. But these days, I figured you might be able to do better, so I called hotels across the country last week and gave it my best shot.
First, I tried the Royal York in Toronto. I checked online and saw the lowest rate was $179, which seemed pretty good for the Royal York. I called and asked for a better deal. “We can't negotiate prices,” the woman said, kindly but firmly. “Are you sure?” I said, possibly lamely. She was sure.
Next I called Le Germain, a boutique hotel, also in downtown Toronto. The man who answered said he had a room for $260. I said that was a little out of my price range. He offered it to me without breakfast for $235. I balked. “Do you work for the government?” he asked. If I did, he could offer me the same room for $199. I made a quip about working for the government part-time – about 40 per cent of the time, in fact – which earned me a little laugh and a littler discount: $10.
A pleasant but icy lady at the Wedgewood, a small, upscale spot in Vancouver with a great restaurant, quoted me $199, including breakfast and valet parking. I used my budget ploy again, but once again, was offered only $10 off. It's something, but there were probably better strategies.
A call to the Wingate by Wyndham in Regina netted me a king smoking room for $119.99. I got stonewalled when I asked for a better price, so I asked to speak to the manager. I got voice mail. I left a message, which was not returned. I tried the same thing at the Sutton Place in Edmonton. Their website's “best rate guaranteed” was $288. I was able to get that down to $228 without any effort at all, but when the clerk held firm there, I asked for the manager, which resulted in another unreturned message.
(I later found out it might be a better idea to ask specifically for the rooms division or front office manager.)
