True or False? Article Separates Facts from Travel Fiction
February 6, 2008. You may have heard this one from a friend who heard it from a friend. A friend of hers was flying to a luxury vacation rental when she uttered the secret code to the gate agent: "Code 240." Next thing she knew, she was upgraded to a better flight.
Such "urban travel legends" are common, according to an article on MSNBC.com.
There's the one about dressing up for an upgrade to first class. Sorry. Airlines can usually sell the upgrades at the last minute, or give them to frequent fliers if they have to.
The good news is that, contrary to rumor, electronic hotel room key-cards don't carry personal information such as your credit card information. Some travelers have been concerned that hotel clerks would later use the information to rip off unwitting customers. If you're really that concerned, you don't have to return the key.
The disgusting tales about unsanitary hotel rooms may be true, however. According to the article, several news reports have caught hotel maids cutting corners when it comes to cleaning rooms.
"And that's no surprise," the article read, "Noted lodging consultant Michael Matthews once estimated that the average hotel maid has just four seconds per square foot to clean a guest room and is paid half a cent per square foot for her labors."
Maybe travelers should stick with the luxury vacation rentals that have standards…
