More and more hotels seem to be offering concierge services, but when is a concierge not really a concierge?

The next time you call up a hotel’s concierge, you should be aware that at some hotels, the concierges actually work for outside companies like Expedia and Travelocity.

Travel companies like these are actually paying hotels “rental fees” to set up shop in lobbies around the country, which means that when you book services through this kind of concierge, you’re probably being steered toward particular offerings that are promoted by the company.

This can result in both limited choices and higher costs.

Even worse, it’s often hard to tell if a concierge has been outsourced, because they’ll often wear a hotel uniform exactly like that of actual hotel employees.

And since they’re set up in the lobby like a normal concierge, they’re extra hard to spot.

So next time, be sure to find out whose best interest the concierge has in mind.

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