In general for freelancers and others it can be easier to form personal contacts with small or medium sized hosting companies vs. large companies where you may sometimes struggle to get to talk with someone who is in charge of things or who has the authority to make decisions. What Im referring to is the "canned" responses everyone has came across to when dealing with some companies.

I believe especially web designers who bring a lot of business to a hosting company (and possibly vice versa) can benefit from good personal contacts with the hosting provider.

One thing I would make sure though is to be dealing with a real hosting provider with real interest and focus in web hosting. Sometimes it's shocking to see how many resell-based providers there are who are ready to sell their customers overnight when they get another day time job or are busy in school. Sometimes there isn't even a registered business behind. Naturally, not all resellers are "bad", there are many good ones as well with serious business approach.