HotelChatter

Some more of his suggestions include:

· Placing a towel on the vanity table in the bath to maintain cleanliness. Here he places all of his toiletries. As he says, "Who knows how efficient the housekeeper was after the last guest?"
· Dressing well when you check-in might lead to preferential treatment. Similarly, if you are unhappy with your room assignment, ask to speak to the GM but "don't threaten, yell, use vulgar language or attract undue attention to yourself as a foreigner!"
· Don't forget to send the hotel a Christmas card. Seriously. Cowie says establishing a relationship with the hotel's GM will help you get special treatment the next time you arrive. His special hotel? The Hotel Bel-Air. (Can he makeover the dining room please?)

Cowie also has a helpful mini-section on who you tip in hotels, something we still struggle with at every hotel stay. His musts for tips include the hotel's concierge (Cowie says $20 a day!), restaurant maitre d', the pool attendant, waiter and the housekeeping staff.

The "it's not necessary" categories include the hotel owner, the GM, the airline reservations clerk, the chef and the busboy. Interestingly he doesn't say the bellmen who bring your bags to your room.

Cowie's tips are definitely helpful if you want to be treated well and you have the cash to drop at your hotel. They are also good hints for anyone looking to do business with hotels, like party and wedding planners.

But a lot of his tips seem like the guest should bend over backwards making nice with everyone in a hotel. If we are paying $400 a night, it would nice if the hotel would just pamper us outright instead of waiting for a $20 tip.

Colin Cowie Chic: The Guide to Life As It Should Be is available online at Amazon.com