Would you forgo housekeeping in a hotel to save money?

I recently came across this article from The New York Times, and it got me to thinking. How far am I willing to go to save money on a hotel stay? Part of me says that if I am constantly thinking about how I can save money on a hotel stay, then perhaps I shouldn’t be staying in a hotel at all. But another part of me, the “I love a good deal” part, is willing to do a lot of things to save money on a hotel stay. Maybe even make my own bed (gasp!) Interestingly, this “make your own bed” deal is not advertised on the Marmara’s website (from what I can tell, at least), so perhaps it is no longer available. Or perhaps this is something that they advertise only in the rooms like most hotels do about saving water with towels. In my opinion, this is the sort of thing that should not be kept a secret – advertising this option would snag more customers, including myself.

To me, a $20 per night discount to forgo housekeeping is a great deal. I rarely need housekeeping when I travel – is it really necessary to have my bed made every day? Nope. I don’t always make my bed at home, and I certainly don’t need it made when I travel. Especially when I could save almost $100 on a 4-night stay.

Would you do this?

I guess it comes down to the fact that normally, I stay in hotels simply because I’m away from home, not because I want to pamper myself. Vacations are often expensive enough as it is, and I detest spending money on things I don’t have to. I do have friends who like to go all out on vacations and “do it right.” But these are often times the same friends who have large credit card bills and general financial woes. It seems to make more sense to me to cut costs wherever I can on vacation so that I can spend the money elsewhere, such as an interesting cultural attraction or even a nice meal at a restaurant I would normally never go to.

Definitely some food for thought.

Photo: prayitno