When Upgrading Your Room Makes Business Sense
The next time your company is negotiating rooms with a hotel, it may be advisable to get the travel/administration department to check on the possibility of giving you room upgrades that actually work out less expensive than standard rooms. Kidding? Hardly. For statistics show that an executive club room with its attendant facilities is actually less expensive when it comes to totting up the total bill.
Most luxury hotels have created a caste system within their room deployment so that up-end guests (vice presidents and managing directors) are segregated from the hoi polloi. But while doing so, they may actually end up paying less on their hotel tariffs than their less senior managers who use the standard rooms in these same hotels. How does this work?
Executive club floors _ by whatever name _ build in a host of freebies to justify their higher room tariffs. If one uses these perks judiciously, it eliminates the additional costs guesrs in standard rooms have to pay: thereby ensuring that their bills are considerably less, and for more prestigious service in the bargain.
Take the complimentary airport pick-up or drop, for example. Some, like the Sheraton, Oberoi and Taj, provide a Ford/Mercedes for your pleasure. In money terms this translates to an average Rs 1,500 one way, but even an ordinary yellow can would cost you Rs 200-250 one way.
Breakfast, also on the house in the club floor lounge, works out to roughly Rs 420, inclusive of taxes.). Add to this, a complimentary tea/coffee service for that is available all day in the lounge, along with refreshments (normally a steady supply of cookies). If you factor in a few cups for yourself, and a few more for your guests/visitors, with each cup, inclusive of tax, at Rs 100, you could save up to Rs 1,000 daily on beverages alone.
You're also free to use the club floor meeting rooms/boardroom without any charge for one meeting every day. On the standard floors, no such facilities are available, but if you try and book a business club boardroom for your meeting, you may have to shell out as much as Rs 7,000 for the full day, and Rs 3,500 for a half-day. An advantage in most executive club rooms is that they are designed for plug-ins of fax, printers and internet equipment to ensure that you receive faxes in the privacy of their room to preserve confidentiality, rather than use the business centre. There is, of course, a fee to be paid for the use of this facility.
Ironing of clothes is yet another freebie that shouldn't be sneered at, given that ironing alone at Hyatt Regency Delhi can set you back by Rs 120 for a shirt, Rs 165 for a pair of trousers and Rs 200 for a jacket. When you check into an executive floor room, some five-stars give you complimentary pressing for any two garments, such as at the Park Royal, while at the Taj, no ceiling has been set _ as long as you ensure it isn't your entire wardrobe.
More good news: you can toast the evening with a cocktail and appetisers on the house, the average tab for which can be pegged at around Rs 430. And during happy hours, the occupant's guests can also benefit from the discounts of up to 50 per cent. Though most hotel managers say their clients usually never over-step the limit, there are cases where complimentary hors' doeuvres have become dinners for some.
Intangible benefits, much more difficult to put a price to, include a 24-hour valet or butler service, better rooms, an enhanced social and business environment, better toiletries, and facilities such as separate check-in, late check-out, and sometimes complimentary usage of the spa or fitness centre.
On an average, a standard room costs Rs 8,000, a club room Rs 11,000. Add the freebies to the price of the standard room, and you'll begin to realise where your savings lie. No wonder, going club class makes better business sense.