Readers are recommended to read the prior post first, "Rule #1: Any Quote Is Negotiable!"
Continued conversation between me and the hotel reservation desk.
He asked what rate "my friend" (which is really me) saw on the hotel's website, and I took some courage and decided to bluff a little. I said, "$130."
OK, if you want to bluff, make it look real. The lowest rate I saw on the website was $145, and me uttering any amount much lower than this would sound very suspicious. I thought $130 was a good balance between saving extra money and sounding serious, and I was right. He bought it.
He said, "Hold on sir, let me check again."
After 20 seconds he came back and told me they did have one last room at the rate of $130 and I must pay with my credit card so they could reserve it for me right away. I didn't believe they only had one room left at this rate, but I didn't care, as long as I saved an extra $15. I called it a "win-win" - They got my business, and I got a good bargain at this decent hotel.
By they way, this is a hotel near the LaGuardia airport of New York City. For those of you who know anything about New York, $130 is heck of a bargain!
I love New York, and I always feel emotionally attached to the city. I'm posting a picture that I took from the top of the World Trade Center. This view only lives in my memories now.
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