Happy New Year, friends!

An unexpected first episode of Gentle Power to kick off 2026 (YouTube | Spotify | Apple): we’re currently visiting Gerta’s family in Albania for the holidays, and we both ended up getting COVID.

However, we take pride in not having missed a single week of publishing an episode of Gentle Power since we started the show last March, and we weren’t going to start off 2026 having broken our streak. So we recorded an episode anyway, audio-only, while laying in bed sick. Even if the conditions weren’t ideal, we felt it was more important to maintain consistency than perfection.

For this week, we covered tips and tactics for a different type of negotiation scenario than we usually cover, one that most people face outside of the job context: negotiating with hotels, airlines, or other services. This was very top of mind for us because Gerta was invited to give a negotiations masterclass at her alma mater, MIT, and she had to get a bit creative with her hotel logistics.

Here are some takeaways from the episode.

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Negotiations in an everyday situation

This episode was sparked by a very ordinary situation: a hotel booking.

As part of MIT’s invitation for Gerta to give a masterclass to 200+ master’s students, the school is covering the cost of hotel accommodations. She had to extend her trip though for personal reasons, as her mom is traveling to Boston with her and Gerta wanted to avoid switching hotels in the middle of New England winter.

So she called the hotel and politely made a simple ask: Could they match the MIT rate for the personal portion of her stay?

That was it. No elaborate setup, no aggressive push; just a reasonable request framed in a kind and cordial way.

After a short call with one of the hotel’s customer service reps, they said yes. She then asked if they would be able to upgrade the room to one with two beds, one for her and one for her mom. They were happy to do that as well.

Here are some things Gerta did to help seal the deal:

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Prepare lightly, not rigidly

Gerta typically doesn’t script negotiations or rehearse exact phrasing. She goes in knowing what she wants and a few directions she can take things in if the first ask doesn’t land. We’ve seen the opposite of this backfire. The more people rehearse, the more mechanical they can sound. Negotiation isn’t a performance, but rather an interaction where genuinely listening and engaging with the other side will get you a lot further than regurgitating your prepared scripts.

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Asking for someone’s name changes the dynamic

One habit Alex noticed that Gerta often does when speaking with customer service is to ask for the person’s name. Names humanize conversations and make them more personal. Asking it in a neutral or appreciative moment shifts the tone and brings top of mind that this is a conversation between two real people, not some automated system.

Gerta was also reflecting that she asks for people’s names as a way to bond even further, especially if they happen to speak one of the 7 languages she speaks.

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Creativity often looks like generosity

After the hotel’s customer service rep agreed to the lower rate and a room upgrade even without Gerta having had to offer anything in return, Gerta asked one more question: “What can I do for you as a thank you?” She offered to email a manager, mention the employee in a survey, and/or leave a public positive review (also why it was helpful to ask for their name). None of this was required to get the deal done, but this is where negotiations quietly become creative. You’re not looking for ways to extract value, but rather ways to make the other person better off at a low cost to you and high value to them.

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Nothing about this situation was high stakes. It was just a hotel booking.

But having a clear ask, genuinely engaging with the other side as a human, and offering a bit of generosity will often take you further than rehearsed arguments or clever tactics.

That is as true for hotel bookings as it is for anything else.

Full episode here: YouTube | Spotify | Apple​

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Best,

Gerta & Alex
​Co-founders, YourNegotiations.com

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P.S. Are you job searching or have upcoming negotiations?

Book a free call with us, where we’ll learn more about your situation, offer some free tips, and explore if we’re a good fit to work together: https://calendly.com/alexhapki/call​

P.P.S. Know someone who could use our help?

Refer them and earn $500.

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Simply send an intro email to alex@yournegotiations.com and your friend.

See all the details of our referral program on our website here.