Originally Posted by
essxjay
Promo code LTS reduces these rates by ~$10/night, but they're still too rich for my blood. Perhaps I should call the hotel directly? If so, how do I begin to negotiate down from these rates for, say, a 21-night stay with the possibility of extension?
For anything longer than 2 weeks, always call the hotels sales manager and ask to discuss long term rates. If they hedge on specific prices for the whole stay, negotiate a sliding scale 14 nights at $89, the next 5 nights at $84, next 10 at $79, etc.
Often, before I do that, I ask front desk staff about occupancy rates during the week and on weekends. If they're running 85% or higher, you're ability to negotiate decent rates get slimmer and slimmer....
A lot of times, look for a hotel that just opened. Their occupancy rates are typically pretty low because nobody knows about them (yet).
Steve