21 secrets hotels won’t tell you

Hotel receptionists spill their best secrets – from how to score a discounted room to how to get that Wi-Fi charge waived from your bill!

The 1-800 reservations number will probably send you to a central office with set rates. If you call the hotel directly instead, you can negotiate.

Hotels can pay a commission of up to 30 percent to online hotel booking sites. So offer me 20 percent less than the online price, and we both come out ahead.

Independently owned hotels are far more likely to give you a discount. Some chains baulk at dropping the rate.

If you show up at 11 a.m. and check-in time is 2 p.m., please don’t be upset if your room isn’t ready. I can’t make the housekeepers go any faster. And you don’t want them to rush.

Don’t ask me for an upgrade when other guests are within earshot. Want a more spacious room without paying more? Request a corner room.

Some concierges get kickbacks for sending you to pricey tourist traps. If you want an unbiased recommendation, ask me.

Sometimes my boss makes me lie, like when the elevator’s not working and I tell you someone is coming to fix it soon. I know it won’t be fixed until Monday, because the manager doesn’t want to pay the repairman’s weekend rate.

Don’t call between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. with a special request. Chances are I’ll have a long line of guests waiting to check out or in and will just want to get you off the phone.

My official job description: errand runner, toilet plunger, bow-tie tier, towel deliverer and chef (that free continental breakfast doesn’t appear from above). I’ve also sprinkled rooms with rose petals and dealt with dead bodies. All for about a minimum wage.