The Right Way to Stay at a Hotel
Checking into your hotel always feels a little exciting; after all, it marks the start of your trip. But before you get too comfortable in your home away from home, there are a few things you might want to keep in mind—and some you should avoid touching (like the kettle). To ensure a pleasant stay, here are 10 things you should never do at a hotel and 10 things you should.
1. Stealing Items That Aren't Free
While the toiletries are there for you to use and take home, not everything in your hotel room is free. Don't try to take the glass cups, towels, bathrobes, or anything else unless the hotel has explicitly said you can. You also want to be careful with the minibar—those items might look like they're free, but opening them means they'll get tacked onto your bill.
2. Leaving Your Valuables Out in the Open
Even though your hotel room locks out other guests, you can never be too trusting. Don't leave your valuables, such as your passport, wallet, laptop, phone, or jewellery, out in the open. These things may get misplaced and you won't have any way of knowing if someone stole something or an item simply slipped under the mattress.
3. Using Towels on Your Face
No matter how clean hotel towels may seem on the surface and at first glance, it's impossible to tell how hygienic they really are. Still, it might be inconvenient to have to pack your own towels, so we aren't saying you shouldn't use hotel towels at all. Use them for your body—just never as a face cloth.
4. Using the Throw Pillows
For similar reasons as hotel towels, you probably shouldn't use the throw pillows, either. Check whether the outside sleeve can be washed; if not, you should toss them aside. There's no telling where they have been, and they've likely been everywhere—on the floor, under the bed, or even at the bottom of a dirty housekeeping cart.
5. Dyeing Your Hair
While you might suddenly be inspired to change up your look while on vacation, don't dye your hair in your hotel room. The permanent color can end up staining counters, towels, bathrobes, bed sheets, and carpets. If that happens, you can end up with a pretty hefty bill.
6. Sneaking in Pets
Unless your hotel allows pets, don't try to sneak your fuzzy one in. Even if you make it past the front desk, staff will find out about it in no time, given how much your furry friends can shed and make a mess. (And on this note, don't try to sneak in human friends, either.)
7. Breaking Items & Lying About It
Oops! You've just broken a glass. What should you do? No, don't sweep the evidence under the rug and pretend it didn't happen. Be honest and call the front desk so they can send someone up and make sure it's taken care of. Even if you might have to pay for the item, it's better than lying and trying to get away with it.
8. Drinking the Tap Water
Hotels often set out complimentary water bottles for a reason. If you've drunk them all, simply ask for more. Don't take matters into your own hands and drink straight from the tap. Who knows what could be lurking in the tank?
9. Using the Kettle
We don't want to gross you out, but if you've used a hotel kettle without first washing it out thoroughly or giving it a quick boil for sanitation reasons, you may or may not have consumed some... not-so-great bacteria. Even if you're a considerate guest, others might have used the kettle for less-than-hygienic purposes—like rinsing towels, washing dirty underwear, or even as a makeshift urinal.
10. Don't Leave a Mess
Before you check out, try to leave your room relatively tidy. You don't need to make it spotless, but try to be respectful and considerate and don't create a huge mess for the housekeeping staff to clean up. You may see extra charges on your credit card if you leave the room particularly dirty.
Now that we've covered some things you should never do at a hotel, let's jump into 10 things you should do.
1. Check for Bed Bugs
One of the first things you should do after you check into your hotel room is to check your bed for bed bugs. Peel back the covers and inspect the mattress and sheets for any potential creepy crawlies. If you find any, make sure to take photos and report it right away.
2. Make Sure Your Door Locks
This might sound silly, but you might be surprised how often doors malfunction without you—or the staff—knowing. Test that the door fully locks and can't be opened without the room key, and whenever you're in the room, make sure to deadbolt it.
3. Check for Hidden Cameras
You may have heard about hidden cameras being hidden in obscure places and can only be detected by a thorough search with a flashlight in the dark. While this might be more common in Airbnbs and other rental properties, it's better to be safe than sorry.
4. Clean the Drink Glasses
Before you pour your favorite soda or whiskey into the drink glasses or use them for your nightly routine, wash them. We don't mean a quick rinse, either. If you have dish soap handy somehow, use it, but if you don't, run it under scalding water for a good few minutes. Or better yet, don't use the glasses at all.
5. Inspect for Stains and Broken Equipment
Once you've checked into your room, don't go straight to unpacking—inspect the space first. Make sure there aren't any stains on the towels or bed sheets, and that there are no broken tables, chairs, lights, glasses, or equipment. If you don't do this step, you may be blamed for damaged items should the staff find any after your stay.
6. Wipe Down the TV Remote
This may or may not come as a surprise, but the TV remote is one of the dirtiest items in a hotel room. Most of the time, it's dusty and forgotten, so there's no telling when it was last cleaned. Before you grab it to switch on the tube, disinfect it with a sanitizing cloth, or soak a towel in warm, soapy water, wring it out, and wipe it down.
7. Use Slippers
A hotel room is already pretty infested with bacteria, so don't make it worse by stepping everywhere and on beds with your shoes on. If you're given slippers, use them, or bring your own. This will at least prevent you from tracking dirt onto the carpet or other spaces.
8. Toss a Shoe in the Safe
If you have an extra pair of shoes with you, toss it in the safe along with your valuables. This way, when check-out day comes, you'll be reminded to retrieve these important items because you have a shoe missing.
9. Be Respectful to Staff
No matter how bad your stay is, unless you've been treated rudely by the staff, stay respectful. Don't be a deliberately bad guest by shouting at the workers, making a mess, and acting as if everyone else is a bug under your shoe. Be polite, be kind, and others will reflect that attitude back.
10. Leave a Tip for Housekeeping
Housekeeping staff are often overworked, understaffed, and underpaid. If you find that they've done a particularly wonderful job at cleaning your room and keeping your things arranged, or if they remembered something you requested, leave them a tip as a token of your appreciation.
