Hotel negotiating

Coming from the hospitality side of the business, I think haggling might be the wrong word. Many hotels, even small ones, will have a property management software system to help them with their prices, reservations, etc. You can ask them if they have any specials, like 3 nights for the price of 2, which is common here. Or weekday specials, or weekend specials or half pension prices where you get 2 meals a day, things like that. But haggling? That is better saved for those countries where it is a tradition and expected, not so much for Western Europe.

I don't know how it would work traveling high season but I have good success not making advance reservations during shoulder season.

I call ahead around 10am the day I arrive and ask what they have available for tonight (i.e. two nights for two people). They may be booked up or they may be sitting on rooms that will go vacant if they don't find a guest soon.

I'm not picky about ensuite and I try to know enough language to book a room if they don't speak English.

I often find at least a place or two that has nothing available but I always end up with something, generally for a better price than if I had booked ahead.

I don't really negotiate. I just tell them what I need and listen to what they have. If it sounds okay, I ask the price. If the price sounds right, I book and tell them when I will be in town. If I'm running late, I call again to tell them I'm still coming.

The only place I've haggled with hotel prices is in Prague for my upcoming June trip. Seems their hotel industry now has too many rooms so hotel prices are quite soft. Case in point: K+K Hotel Central Prague, the website's best deal was about 135 Euro per night. I emailed them about a better price I had found on a travel website. I asked them if they could beat that price, and they offered me 100 Euro per night.

Yes, you can haggle. But Switzerland is a different story. Swiss currency is strong and stable and the Swiss enjoy a high quality of life. The only successful haggling I've ever done in Switzerland was at a flea market in Luzern.

In Italy you can often get better rates by paying in cash instead of by credit card. On one occasion in Switzerland I asked our hotel if we could get a discount by paying in cash and the hostess was quite aghast...I guessed the answer was no :-)

I think that there are two very different positions from which you may attempt to haggle...Making reservations well ahead of the date....and making arrangements a few days to the day of the need. If making reservations well ahead of time, first consider what you offer. You will be strongest if your stay is extended (a week or so), are not a solo traveller, and have no special needs (a view, specific room, etc.) You probably will have the best luck with a larger hotel, in off-season, and if the market is off. Generally, the further out the date is, the less luck I have had in getting a better rate. As for showing up and haggling, the door is wide open, if they have availability, it is a buyers market. I do suggest though that if language is an issue, haggling must be done carefully, if at all, there is just too much opportunity for misunderstandings and for you to come across as impolite.

I usually look up the hotel's price on various web sites. If they are the same or lower than the hotel's own website, then I email the hotel directly. I ask them if they can give me a better rate, which they should be able to, since the booking agencies often charge maybe 20%. If you ask for a 10% discount, then they're still getting 10% more than they would if you booked through something like hotels.com. By directly contacting the hotel, everyone comes out ahead (except the 3rd pary booking agency.)

Thanks everyone for your help. Your insight confirmed my suspicions on the matter!