Paul James, global brand leader at St. Regis Hotels and Resorts, estimates that he spends no less than 150 nights a year in hotel rooms. His experience goes well beyond his own company's brand; he often checks out the competition by staying at other hotels.

Over time, Mr. James has developed a number of tricks to make sure his hotel stays are comfortable. For instance, after booking a room online, he immediately follows up with a phone call to the hotel's concierge. His aim: to request a room that will suit him.

'Unless you're at an airport hotel, you'll find that there are a vast number of shapes and designs of rooms within the raft of standard or deluxe rooms,' he says. Sometimes he wants to ensure there's a large work table; occasionally, he wants extra room with a crib for his son. And because he's over six feet tall, he always makes sure to ask for a king-sized bed.

'It never hurts to ask' if you have a special need in mind while checking in, whether it's a specific view, a larger sofa, a mini refrigerator (not all hotels provide them), or a room on the executive floor -- 'even if it's just a bowl of fruit,' Mr. James says. 'It's surprising how much a hotel generally can do and can provide for you once you get there,' he says.

One key to getting what you want is making a convincing argument for it. 'It's those people who tend to have a good reason who get what they want -- whether it's getting a larger room because you're going to be meeting some people in your room or you're celebrating a birthday or an anniversary,' he says.

When Mr. James is checking into a hotel, he always makes sure he's nicely dressed. Typically he'll show up in a suit or slacks and a jacket. 'If you look the part, you'll tend to get looked after a little bit better,' he says. But he notes that some guests can look like they 'just walked off the tennis court' and still get five-star treatment if they 'talk and communicate' well. It helps if a guest 'engages with the person that they're talking to as a human being, being pleasant and engaging and not overly demanding or difficult or obtuse or overly distracted,' he explains.

He doesn't usually request an upgrade unless something is very wrong with the room, noting that members of good loyalty programs can get regular upgrades without having to ask.

Throughout his stay, Mr. James goes out of his way to be nice to the concierge. 'That's rule No. 1,' he says, noting that he'll often stop at the concierge desk to thank the staff after a recommendation has paid off.

Such positive reinforcement typically results in the concierge staff offering better service and sightseeing advice over the course of a trip, he says. 'If you reward them with a, 'That was great -- more like that, please,' it could help open up a whole raft of new access points to the city,' he says. Your feedback will also give them more clues to what you're looking for.

If the concierge has performed a significant task for you, it's nice to tip him or her that day, he says, but tipping at the end of the stay is perfectly acceptable, too.

When Mr. James is staying in a U.S. hotel, he generally tips the concierge $10 to $20 a day, depending on how much he has used the service. Bellhops who carry his luggage get $2 to $5, and he always leaves $2 to $4 a day in an envelope for housekeeping.

Mr. James leaves the total tip for housekeeping in the room just before he checks out, rather than leaving it out as a daily amount. At the end, he says, 'you just have a better idea of how you've been looked after.'

瑞吉酒店及度假村（St. Regis Hotels and Resorts）全球品牌主管保罗•詹姆斯（Paul James）估计自己一年住酒店的时间不会少于150天，他入住的不仅仅是自己公司旗下的酒店，还经常入住竞争对手的酒店以打探敌情。

久而久之，詹姆斯摸索出了很多确保自己住得舒服的窍门。比如，在网上订好房之后，他会马上给酒店前台打电话，目的就是：请对方安排一个适合自己的房间。

他说，“只要不是机场的酒店，你会发现不管是标准间还是豪华间都会有很多种不同的房型和设计风格。”像他有时候会需要一张特别大的办公桌，偶尔又会需要一个额外的房间来放儿子的小床。因为他身高超过6英尺，所以每次都会要求酒店给自己安排有特大号床的房间。

詹姆斯表示，如果你在办理入住手续时想到什么特殊的需要了，“问问总是没坏处的，”比如希望能看到特定的景致、希望房间里有个大号沙发或是迷你冰箱（不是所有的酒店客房都有冰箱的）、或者想要一个行政楼层的房间，“甚或只是想要一个果盘。”他表示，“入住之后，你会发现酒店能做的事情、能提供的服务超乎你的想象。”

要让自己的需要得到满足，提出有说服力的理由是关键。詹姆斯表示，“那些能说出充份理由的人能够让自己的需要得到满足──你想要一个大房间，理由可以是你要会见一些人，也可以是你要庆祝生日或者纪念日。”

在办理入住手续时，詹姆斯总是衣冠楚楚，通常他会穿一套西服或者是休闲裤配夹克衫。他说，“如果你看起来气质高雅，就更可能得到更好的关照。”不过他指出，有些客人看起来好像“刚刚从网球场下来”，不过如果他们“谈吐和沟通”很好，也能得到五星级的待遇。他表示，如果客人“跟人交谈时表现出应有的尊重，态度友善专注，不提过份的要求，不是太难伺候也不是太迟钝或者特别心不在焉，”都能有所助益。

若非房间糟糕得很离谱，他通常是不会要求升级的，他指出，酒店常住优惠计划的会员不需要主动提出要求就能得到升级。

在住店期间，詹姆斯对前台人员非常地友善。他说，“这是最重要的原则。”他表示自己经常会在前台停留，对他们提供的有用建议表示感谢。

他表示，这些积极的举措通常会鼓舞前台人员为你提供更好的服务，并会针对你此行的观光活动给出建议。他说，“如果你对他们表示赞赏，对他们说‘那个提议太好了──请给我更多的建议吧。’也许就能因此得以了解到这个城市全新的一面。”你的反馈可以让他们进一步了解你的需求。

他说，如果前台人员帮了你一个大忙，不妨在当天就给对方小费，当然最后离店时给小费也没有任何问题。

詹姆斯在美国入住酒店时，一般每天给前台10至20美元的小费，具体数额取决于他享受到了多少服务。帮他拿行李的行李员小费是2至5美元。每天他还会在一个信封里放2 至4美元，这是给客房服务员的小费。

给客房服务员的小费他不是每天都给，而是在办理退房手续之前，把全部小费一起留在房间里。他表示，到最后，“你对自己享受到了怎样的关照心里就更有数了。”