You think you know hotels. Maybe you’ve traveled all over the world and consider yourself a savvy guest. But there are some things you will only find out if you’re actually working in a hotel: everything from how to get freebies, what not to say and who gets the best rooms, as well as what’s really been cleaned and what’s the best way to avoid a cancellation fee. Take a look at these insider confessions:

1.     Staying for just one night? Many hotels book at 110% of the total room capacity because 10% of the bookings never show up and they want to fill every room. However, what happens when the hotel is actually full and you show up with a reservation? If you’re only staying one night, you may get “walked.” That means the hotel will find you a room at another location. Most likely this happens to the guest who’s only staying for one night, booked online at a discount, and is unlikely to visit this city again.

2.     Smart complainers win. When something needs to be fixed or addressed, guests who calmly explain and ask “who should I contact about this” are those who win. If you ask for the name of the person who is helping you, you will more likely get what you need because now someone is directly responsible.

3.     Discount bookings get the worst rooms. It really does pay to call the hotel directly. When you book from a discount site, hotels make less profit and assume you will likely only book with them again when there is another discount. It makes more sense for the best rooms to go to guests who book with the hotel at current rates.

4.     Don’t EVER threaten the front desk agent. They can and will move a guest from a gorgeous corner room with a view simply because he/she has a bad attitude and feels entitled. The desk agent also knows which rooms have faulty light switches, jamming curtains, and bright morning sun that makes it hard to sleep in.

5.     Avoid the same-day cancellation fee. This “move” will only work on reservations booked directly at the hotel and are not pre-paid online. Call and ask the front desk and request that your reservation be moved to the following week due to a change in your schedule… the same confirmation number, just a new date. The next day, call and cancel that reservation that is now a week away and there’s no fee for “same-day” cancellation.

6.     Celebrities really are “different.” At high-end hotels that regularly host celebrities, you have to expect some “rare” behavior. Some of them bring their own sheets and of course, have special requirements to stock their rooms and minibars with certain brands and items. Usually, the Duty Manager will escort them via the VIP elevator so they aren’t spotted by the paparazzi. We are never surprised to find them having a “food fight” in the kitchen at 2 am. They do whatever they want.

7.     Those glasses in your room smell lemony fresh. Most housekeepers know the secret of using lemon pledge to make all the mirrors shine – no streaks. Keeping those minibar glasses gleaming is also part of the job. Next time you fill the glass with water and take a sip, that “lemon-fresh” flavor might be a shot of pledge.

8.     Don’t be a victim of the “key bomb.” When guests check in, the electronic keys are reset to open the door to your room and will deactivate all previous settings. When the guest is being a jerk at check-in, the front desk agent might deliver some karma in the form of a key bomb where one key is set correctly and the second is different. As soon as the guest uses the second key, the first key will be invalid. The guest will never know if it might have been intentional.

9.     Get an upgrade, every time. It’s almost never true that “all the rooms are basically the same.” If you grease the wheels at check-in and politely ask what the front desk agent can do for you, chances are there might be a room with a better view, more space, or a larger bath. If not, you’re likely to receive other upgrades such as free movies, room service, late checkout, etc. Desk agents will often take care of you in order to earn a good tip.

10.   Never pay for the minibar. Most people are horrified by the prices of the minibar. You can definitely avoid paying for those items at check out because the accounting process for those charges is inexact and messy. There can be delays in re-stocking, errors in keystrokes, and many other missteps that often result in voiding the charges. So don’t spend a lot of energy explaining that you didn’t use them, the hotel is used to removing the charges.