Tip 03 · October 21, 2026
Tell the hotel why you're coming.
Anniversary, birthday, a first trip back after a hard year, a big presentation the next morning. Hotels can't plan around what they don't know.
When the team knows why you're there, the small things tend to follow: a quieter room before a big day, a note at turndown, a better table at dinner. None of it is guaranteed, but it's far more likely when the hotel hears it in advance.
What to do: Add the occasion to your reservation in a sentence. When I book, it goes into my note to the hotel before you arrive.
Tip 02 · October 14, 2026
Early check-in is decided before breakfast.
Early check-in depends on which rooms are empty and clean by mid-morning. Early in the day, the front office and housekeeping look at departures and decide which arrivals they can take early.
If you're already flagged as an early arrival, you're part of that plan. If you walk up at 10 a.m. and ask, you're at the end of the line.
What to do: Share your arrival time and request early check-in on the reservation. If you're landing on a red-eye and need the room at 7 a.m., the only sure way is to book the night before.
Tip 01 · October 7, 2026
Your room is usually assigned the day before you arrive.
At most hotels, rooms for tomorrow's arrivals are assigned the afternoon or evening before. That's when the higher floors, quieter corners and better views get matched to names.
A request made at the desk when you arrive comes after that work is done. A request already on the reservation is in front of the person doing the assigning.
What to do: Put your requests on the reservation, not in your head. A short note a few days out reaches the hotel before the room list is set. I send one for every client.
