I've been wondering lately, with my uber-expensive schoolies hotel booking just about paid off,
Is there any way you could successfully pay for a hotel room, stay in it, and leave, without using your own money and without it being traced back to you?

Seems pretty unlikely but even so, thoughts?

Just an idea: go tell a maid that you stayed in such and such a room* a couple nights ago and think you forgot your cellphone charger or whatever and that the guy at the counter told you to go ask her to let you look. When you're inside ask her to help you look around while you or a friend jams the door lock. Come back to the room later that night and hope that no one's rented it out yet.

*If you need to find an empty room, call the hotel and ask if room ### is booked yet, if it is, ask what the nearest unbooked one is, if not say you need to confirm with your wife before making a formal reservation and will call them back.

Another idea found in Evasion:

Also once actually in the hotel, a few other hotel related scams are also described here, and some tips on hotel safes are here

Watch/read Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

Good luck getting that shit to fly today, though.

ewwww schoolies

pay with a stolen credit card

Having worked in a Hotel, I can only recommend that you make an extreme claim about the staff/accommodations being so fucked up beyond belief that you are going to tell everyone you know about your stay if you are forced to pay for such a night of hell.

Most likely you would be refunded your money, and they would treat you like a king.

Best claims are: Walked in on 2 maids holding up a pair of my underwear laughing about a blood stain I had from a medical incidident. Found a condom and blood stain in my sheets.

Shut the FUCK up. For one, you are 15 and you've never even been to a hotel, get this "worked at one" bullshit outta here. Also, they wouldn't treat you like a king they'd make you pay and then ask you to leave. I don't think you could be more of a bitch if you tried.

You or someone in your family probably owns a hotel that gets this scam all the time and KNOW it works everytime. Would you REALLY check into a hotel that had some person standing outside yelling about condoms and shit in the beds? Loser, you probably would.

I worked at a 4 star hotel at night (11pm-7am).

The thing with the "let me check out a room" wouldn't really work, because someone would have to accompany you to the room.

Even if it was a group of 4-5, I would remember the number of people and notice if someone was hiding.

I can't think of any way to do it, other than to use a stolen credit card, or complain.

Making up a ridiculous complaint is NOT going to fly. Condoms in the bed? Please.

But if you look VERY respectable and you stay at a NICE hotel, small complaints can get you things (free drinks, breakfast or dinner, even a comped room.)

Someone got their Dolce and Gobanna bag ruined at my hotel, and they had to buy them another $500 or whatever purse.

Free rooms are handed out very seldom.

I worked both the night and day shifts. True, completely complimentary rooms are very seldom handed out, because if something was so bad that it needed to be free, then the guest would have complained during their stay, and either left the hotel or had the problem rectified.

Complaints are more geared towards extreme discounts, free meals etc, but if you complain to the right person, and make it a very serious matter, be professional about it, then you can get your stay for free.

My Hotel manager once gave a guest his stay for free, plus an additional 2 night weekend on us because when they complained that their room was too hot (no a/c) the front desk person offered to upgrade them to the best room in the resort for only $20/night more. Though yes it was a bargain, the guest felt like we were trying to gouge them, and take advantage of them, and the manager agreed.