The Ricker loves a good deal - I don't think I can write that enough.

He hardly goes anywhere--a restaurant, a hotel, someone's house--without some sort of angle. Most recently, he was in Arizona for Thanksgiving, enjoying the sun and some time with his kids. He always stays in weird, old school hotels, the ones that have been open since he started visiting Scottsdale in the 1980s.

Surprisingly, other than a smokin' low rate (I think he received the 1997 rate), the Ricker did not have another apparent angle this trip. Well, not until he checked out, that is. Right before checking out, he looked at the hotel's in-room magazine and saw a coupon advertising a $200 per day hotel credit (good on food, drinks, gifts) for hotel stays during the first three weeks of December. The Ricker was checking out on November 26, but that didn't stop him from trying to squeeze out a deal.

Sure enough, when I talked to him later that week, he told me he convinced them to accept the coupon, even though he was clearly checking out five days before it was valid. The hotel comped all of his lunches and drinks at the hotel, taking about 50% off the bill. He even made another reservation for his next trip--I'm sure the front desk is looking forward to his check-in.