Originally Posted by
moondog
Whenever staying in budget hotels, I always call the front desk while I am preparing my things for checkout so the fuwuyuan can visit my room while I'm still there. Not only does this save time, but it also helps avert "he said, she said" arguments (which are, admittedly, quite rare).
This is a good plan. However, most budget hotels aren't blessed with English speakers, so being able to phone down and speak in Mandarin would be prerequisite to being able to communicate your intentions and wishes. For non-Mandarin speakers, usually showing up at the desk with your stuff is enough to relate intent of check-out and set the wheels in motion.