This story appears in the
January 2005 issue of
Entrepreneur.
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The hotel business has been enjoying increasing demand
and rising prices this past year. In fact, accounting firm
PricewaterhouseCoopers predicts the rates businesses pay for hotels
will rise by an average of 4 percent in 2005 from last year.
Here's advice on keeping your hotel tab down.
- Negotiate volume discounts. If you're staying at a
hotel for an extended period, or have several colleagues staying as
well, ask for a volume discount. Instead of the reservation desk,
deal with the hotel sales director.
- Ask for extras. If you can't negotiate a decent
price break, ask for value-added items, like free breakfast,
high-speed internet access or parking.
- Shop around for freebies. If you're not required to
stay in a big downtown convention hotel, check out some newer
hotels in the suburbs. You'll find lower rates and
all-inclusive prices-many rates include free high-speed internet,
local and/or long-distance calls, breakfast and parking. Ask
what's included and what's not.
- Ride the rails. Many large U.S. cities have extensive
subway systems that reach well into the suburbs-look for hotels
near these stations. This way, you'll avoid steep downtown
prices and high parking fees, as well as commuter traffic.
- Take a chance. Don't care where you stay? Check out
Priceline.com or Hotwire.com. Pick the area of the city you want
to stay in and the hotel service level. Only after you choose your
price (on Hotwire) or make a bid (on Priceline) and submit your
credit card number will you know the name of your hotel-and
you'll rarely be dissatisfied.