14 Sneaky Tricks Hotels Use to Squeeze More Money Out of Us

It’s Spring Break time again, when hordes of people – college student or not – leave the confines of their desks, dorm rooms and cubicles, to fly off to someplace warm where they can relax, rehabilitate and rejuvenate. (Read: get shitfaced and wake up next to some chick in a Party Naked t-shirt with remnants of a strawberry daquiri in her hair.)

And part of the getaway experience is the hotel. Some like to go cheap, because they’ll be spending little time in the room… some prefer top-shelf, and want all the pampering they can get.

No matter which side of the rent-a-room spectrum you fall on, you’ve probably notice the increasing habit hotels have had lately of piling on extra charges. Like airlines charging low rates, then wallet-raping you on baggage charges and $5 “snacks” on cross country flights, hotels have been getting pretty devious in finding little ways to squeeze more and more money out of you.

Whether it be cut backs in services, fewer soaps and shampoos in rooms, or $9 bottles of water on the nightstand, here are 14 of the most irritating tricks hotels use to cut costs:

1. We Appreciate Your Call
Payroll is one of any hotel’s top three expenses. So many have turned to automation, replacing the face-to-face contact of someone who can actually help you. While there are many drawbacks to us as guests, there are some benefits: For example, you may receive a better rate if you reserve and pay for your room online.

2. Disappearing Staff
It’s not just bell boys, doormen and concierges that have disappeared. Wonder why check-in lines are so long? That’s because hotels have made the biggest cuts in behind-the-scenes staff, forcing clerks to multitask instead of focusing on guests. The result is remaining employees may feel devalued and constantly threatened with loss of their jobs, leading to a reduction in motivation, commitment and productivity. BTW: Another disappearing position is the housekeeping inspector, who ensures each room is clean before a new guest arrives.

3. Sweat the Small Stuff
No more newspapers at your door. Mini bars are now filled with peanuts instead of cashews. And you can entirely forget about free coffee. More pools, whirlpools and saunas are closed… or they charge a fee for their use. Exercise rooms have poorly maintained equipment or don’t exist at all. When they do exist, make sure you bring a towel from your room. Perhaps most irritating for those who prefer to travel light, those complimentary mini-bottles of shampoo and conditioner are disappearing or are being replaced by low-end products. Bring your own skin lotion and mouth wash because these perks rarely grace bathroom counters.

4. Energy Saving or Cheap Trick?
Just as with homeowners, hotels are turning down the heat and A/C in vacant rooms. As a result, it can take longer to heat up or cool down a room once you’ve turned on the system. Some hotels like to “green-wash” such practices, claiming they’re trying to save the environment, not cut costs.

5. Lost Linens
Remember when hotels replaced your towels and bed linen every day? More hotels now only change your sheets when you leave, and ask you to leave a towel on the bathroom floor when you want a fresh one. Again, it makes environmental sense, but what really irks are hotels that have replaced plush towels and quality bedding with threadbare and rough linens. It shouldn’t take three towels to dry off or feel like you’re sleeping on cardboard.

6. Park It Here
It was a sad day in Vacationland when hotels implemented this trick: Charging to park your car. With $70 room rates and $40 parking, you’re looking at triple digits to park your body and wheels for a single night. With rare exceptions, hotel parking costs are far more than the municipal garage or lot. That’s if you can find one nearby.

7. The Mini Bar Trap
You have to be either starving or have money to burn to break open the mini-bar. Unfortunately, by the time many of us hit the hotel room, we’re too exhausted to go in search of reasonably priced food or snacks. With room service hours being drastically cut, mini bars have become the last refuge of exhausted guests. Hotels understand the psychology of the typical weary wanderer so they happily mark up candy and soda more than 1,300 percent. Watch out, as well, for foods placed outside the mini bar that look like complimentary treats. Those baskets of fruit or bottles of wine come at a hefty price.

8. In-Room Movies
While there’s certainly nothing wrong with offering in-room movie service, paying $10 to $15 for an ancient flick is a blatant rip-off. If you really want to kick back and relax, download a movie, or three, to your laptop before you hit the road.

9. Internet Access
Traveling on business? Want to update your Facebook status when you get back from the beach? Sure. We all do. And the hotels know we do too. Which is why they charge $10 to $15 per-night (or in some cases, midnight to midnight, so you only get a few hours use out of that first day), for Internet service that makes you feel like it’s 1999 again.

10. Breakfast Buffet
Breakfast buffets used to be big affairs, with an endless line of dishes to help you start the day off right. And hotels were eager to brag about them. Now, if you are lucky enough to book a hotel that offers a breakfast buffet, you’re likely to find a few pieces of sad fruit, some super-sweet grocery store danishes, powdered eggs (if you’re lucky) and cheap coffee.

For the other four tricks hotels use to squeeze more money out of you, click here.