BY JESSICA GRESKO

Associated Press

Room upgrades. Free movies. Late checkouts. Jacob Tomsky promises readers the keys to the hotel industry kingdom in his tell-all book, “Heads in Beds.” The one-time philosophy major has spent more than a decade working in the industry and, like room service, he delivers the goods.

Take those extra charges for movies and the minibar. Tomsky tells readers they’re the most frequently disputed charges on guests’ bills. Just deny you ever watched it or ate it and it’ll come right off the bill. Going to incur a same-day cancellation charge? No worries, ask to move the reservation to another date without penalty, then cancel the new reservation later. Want to get upgraded to a nicer room? Try tipping the check-in agent $20 up-front.

But Tomsky also gives readers good reasons to be on their best behavior at hotels. Raise your voice and you may get “key bombed.” That’s where Tomsky, a front desk agent, programs your room key in a way that virtually ensures you will be locked out at some point in your stay.

Give the front desk agent attitude and you may get stuck in a room where the phone rings incessantly, the result of guests forgetting to dial 9 when using their room phones to call out.

Beyond tips, Tomsky has packed his book with outrageous anecdotes about guests, like the group that built a fire under their suite’s claw foot bathtub, hoping to turn it into a deep fryer.


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