My policy is to inasmuch as possible never use the hotel's phone unless it is to another room within the same hotel, an 800 call (as long as it does not incur connect charges, etc.) and to check the local phone directory for what constitutes same area code "local and nearby" calls within allowed prefixes, not merely relying on same area code in the USA.

Comparing the hotel's prefix and the prefix one is planning to call often reveals some same area code calls incur an extra charge (so listed in the telephone directory).

Sorry to be so wordy, but I hate to see members and foreign visitors think they can make a "local call" for free for up to 30 or 60 minutes, only to find out the hotel's surcharges and "extra charge" fees have incurred a high bill.

IMO greedy hotels have gored so many guests with obscenely high telephone rates they have chased most of us away, to use alternate methods of communication - leaving the hotels with possibly less revenue than if they encouraged guests to use the telephones by charging more reasonable rates.

(As a HH Diamond, I can use Internet for free - my 'phone can use WiFi, or I can use a tablet or laptop if I am using one of them. That also helps reduce any phone use.)