Protip: The person on the other end of the counter/phone has power over your rate.

[Mr Hero]

Do not piss him off. If only everyone could learn this, there would be fewer sucky customers.

Tonight's episode will star Mr Hero as the protagonist and the antagonist, SC, will be played by Jack Ass.

It's 2:00am on a Sunday morning. The phone rings. Enter Mr Hero from stage left

Me: Spiel
SC: I'm calling about rates for tonight.
Me: Tonight the rate is at $89.99
SC: Awww, come on! Can't you do any better.
Me: Since it is so late in the evening, I'll sell it to you for $79.99. This also includes a free continental breakfast. All of our rooms have a fridge, microwave, and coffee pot in the rooms.
SC: Can you do $60
Me: I'm afraid I can't go that low. (Since he was sounding like a whiny EW, I was not going to budge even though I really could have gone lower.) $79.99 is the lowest I can do.
SC: Do you have rooms available?
Me: Yes, how many do you need?
SC: How many rooms do you have?
Me: How many rooms do you need?
SC: Look, it's 2 in the morning. Any money you get for the room is profit. What's the lowest you can go?
Me: Like I said, $79.99 is the lowest I can go.
SC: You're a dick, you know that?
Me: The room is now $99.99.

[Iris Kojiro]

Good thing you have PunkBuster activated so he can't try to hax0r using the "Spineless Higher-Up" program.

(only doing that because of the GamePro reference, you see. ^_~)

[smileyeagle1021]

I like my response

SC- come on it's not as if you are going to rent it to anyone else
ME- exactly, which is what we were planning on with the housekeeping schedule, so if I rent the room to you I'll have to pay a housekeeper overtime... so really, no I can't go lower.

[Mr Hero]

I like your response too. I'll have to try that if anyone uses that line on me. This is why I love SC.com. I get new ideas for common situations.

[KhirasHY]

Heh, you took it down to $79? Nicer than I am...if I'm called at 2am in the morning for a room, I'm listening for 3 things:

1) Slurred or unnecessarily loud voices (drunks)
2) Lots of talking/shouting in the background (they want a party/crash room)
3) "You betta get a room sug, I don't sell to sit in the back seat" (Hookers, yes, I've heard this over the phone)

Any of those 3 things, or anyone who stumbles into the lobby at that time who smells horribly of alcohol, and suddenly the only rooms we have left are at our rack rate. That's about $249 to $299, depending on how generous I'm feeling.

I should mention I'm bad tempered by 2am.

Edit: I also don't haggle. If I tell you $299...that's the best you get from me, probably because you earned it

[Mr Hero]

Any of those 3 things, or anyone who stumbles into the lobby at that time who smells horribly of alcohol, and suddenly the only rooms we have left are at our rack rate. That's about $249 to $299, depending on how generous I'm feeling.

I should mention I'm bad tempered by 2am.

Edit: I also don't haggle. If I tell you $299...that's the best you get from me, probably because you earned it

I tend to do that as well for people that walk in that want a room that late at night. If they look like they could be trouble for the other guests, I don't budge. The only difference is that our rack rate is $89.99.

Those that get all pissy about the rate aren't worth the effort. They most likely won't rent at $79.99 either. I think the reason they get pissy is that there is a Motel 6 directly behind us. Since it's not visible from the road, there's a sign by the sidewalk located between our lot and the restaurant next door. The rate for Motel 6 is $43.99. As a result, we get a ton of people late at night surprised at the rate. This confusion has generated many stories which I might share some day.

The guy on the phone from my original post was very articulate and didn't sound like trouble. Just some entitlement issues.

[smileyeagle1021]

I Motel 6 is $43.99.

oh, I love the people who complain, "but Motel 6 down the street is only (insert lower price than us), what can you do for us"
my response invariably is "I can give you directions on how to get back to Motel 6"

[DistantStar]

Where I work we can't negotiate prices. (I guess that's because the resort is old and famous and people will eventually pay no up matter what.) At first this annoyed me, but now it doesn't, after reading stories like these.

You want that $99 rate you saw online? GO THROUGH THEM TO GET IT! It's not like our cancellation policies are going to be much more -- if at all -- lenient than theirs. Dammit. How hard is that to understand? Even if I like you I can't do it.

The nicer you are, the likelier I am to bend a rule for you if I can. Screaming at me doesn't help. I don't know why people scream at you when they want you to help them, honest to God I don't.

[protege]

I don't know why people scream at you when they want you to help them, honest to God I don't.

They think you'll cave before their mAD Skreemin' Skillz, yo!

[Slytovhand]

Most excellent response, Mr Hero!!! I'll have to do a little post which you've reminded me of...

[Alpha Strike]

Do not piss him off. If only everyone could learn this, there would be fewer sucky customers.

*snip*

Me: Like I said, $79.99 is the lowest I can go.
SC: You're a dick, you know that?
Me: The room is now $99.99.

Awesome - nothing better then a customer finding out how quickly acting like an asshole can hurt his bottom line.

Would it be safe to assume that he didn't stay with you? (And would your management have been pissed to find out that you changed the price like that?)

oh, I love the people who complain, "but Motel 6 down the street is only (insert lower price than us), what can you do for us"
my response invariably is "I can give you directions on how to get back to Motel 6"

Heh - I wonder how many blank looks you get at this response - outstanding!

[mattm04]

$129.99 sounds better.

[Mr Hero]

Most excellent response, Mr Hero!!! I'll have to do a little post which you've reminded me of...

I'd love to hear it! Especially if it involves SC's

[thehippie777]

urg, the "negotiators". My mom always says that everyone should barter, I disagree. If it's clear that a price has been jacked up, hell I might barter. Not when it comes to hotel rooms. You gave him 10 off, if he don't take it why care. Especially when he calls you a dick.

[Slytovhand]

I'd love to hear it! Especially if it involves SC's

Well - I did a thread called "mwahahahaha - Now I have the power"...

But there's also another similar sort of thing.

We send out bills - with admin fees. We have the power to waive admin fees. Whinging, whining and bitching is not likely to get those fees waived

Also, you have to pay your stuff on time. We can take payment a couple of days late. Again, that's can.... your bitching, whinging and whining will not make things go in your favour ..