I do the same as Ira and get a quote for cash payment. I almost always get an immediate discount of 5%, except for the larger chains which I very rarely stay in.

I like to know these things up front and not wait until I arrive. At that point, they have your business guaranteed.

As for RS, I don't read his books so cannot comment.

Thanks everyone for your opinion.

I went ahead and and asked the Residenza Cellini about the cash and RS book discount when I made the reservation and he gave me a quote of 185E. Not sure if that's good or what.

I agree with Jen; I've asked when making the reservation, and especially when it is for more than one night, the answer has always been a 5-10% discount.

JennyP: To see whether you got a good deal or not, have a look at their regular rates at:

http://www.romeby.com/cellini/pages/booking.htm

I'm not sure it matters that much whether you negotiate a discount prior to your stay or not....even if I'd agreed to a price, the hotel still has the option of honoring that price and accepting my credit card or discounting that price for cash.

I had a hotel in Venice offer, when quoting me rates, a 5% discount for cash payment, and they clearly stated that we needed to tell the clerk upon check-in that we planned to pay in cash if we wanted this discount.

A Rome hotel offered the rate in the current Rick Steves book, but only after I had said I read about them in that book. I didn't specifically ask for the RS "discount," but they offered it upon my mention of the book.

I can't see the harm of asking about cash discounts at the very latest upon check-in. If you don't ask, you probably won't get! And, if you wait until check-out, they may have paperwork issues they don't want to bother changing....

I think it can depend on which card you plan to use : some card issuers charge the retailer a higher fee than others.

Before our recent stay at La Calcina I saw a poster on this board had got a discount for paying cash there. So part way through our stay we asked if there would be any advantage in paying cash. (Thought that was a politer way of putting it !) They then asked which card, & when we showed them my husband's Visa Electron card, said no. I daresay the answer might have been different for Amex.