Perks: Hotel

I've already talked about the perks of the office supply store and now I get to talk about the perks of working for a hotel. I have to say this took some thinking because there aren't too many perks in working for a hotel. You have to look for your own perks and make the entire experience worthwhile...and dammit I am too old for this Easter Egg Hunt.

Discounts

Obviously working for a hotel means that when you travel you get an employee discount at other hotels. The problem here is that if you work for a hotel that isn't well known or a hotel with very few locations, you aren't getting a discount.

I just so happen to work for a hotel under a very large brand. The brand has 3 tiers:

1. First Tier (Exclusively named after the brand)
2. Second Tier (Has its own name that also includes the brand)
3. Third Tier (The brand name is nowhere in the main hotel name because most likely it is closer in similarity to a motel)

For every First and Second Tier hotel, there are 150 Third Tier hotels. When you go on vacation you don't really want to stay in a dumpy hotel/motel. I have only been able to find two hotels in my hotel chain to stay in that aren't in the third tier. I have been working in hospitality for nearly four years and have needed to stay in a hotel at least twice a year. That ratio is ridiculous.

When I have stayed in the two hotels, they were both very nice and I paid less than $100 each night for rooms that run for well over $100 each night due to my employee discount.

It is what it is.

FREE

There is no better word than free. I especially love it because I'm cheap. I'm not "frugal," "money-minded," or a "saver." I am cheap as shit. I hate to spend money and it just so happens that when you work for a hotel, different companies give you free stuff so that they can get discounts.

I have a thermos from, what seems like, every construction/engineering/software company in the Bay Area. I love them. They keep my tea so hot that it burns my tongue and I wouldn't have it any other way.

When I order Chinese food for our dinner at the hotel I always get a free lunch from the restaurant. I like Chinese food, specifically chicken fried rice, and she throws a Snapple in there for me. Bitch knows what's up.

Outside of that, I've gotten wine, coffee makers, gift certificates and skillets. I am the best gift giver at weddings and house warming parties.

Knowledge

This is probably the best perk of them all. I know exactly how to travel without going anywhere. I've gotten so many lessons in what not to do that I am now the smartest traveler. I know what to look for, I know how much to pay, I know the uncommon discounts, and I know not to ever book a hotel through a third party website (oh this will definitely be its own post).

I'm sure there are plenty more perks in working for a hotel, each hotel is different and therefore it brings a different culture and aspect to each employee working there. Hospitality is actually a very great career if you have patience but mine is definitely tested on a constant basis... and that shit is getting old.