Live and learn: over hundreds of hotel stays I've developed some hotel habits, some to do with safety, others simply for a more pleasant and restful stay. I figured I'd share them, and am curious how many readers have similar (or wildly different) hotel habits:
1. Let the Hotel Know If I'll Be Checking in Late
It's not just good form or polite to let the hotel know your time of arrival or if you'll be checking in late: it's also important in order to avoid the possibility of the hotel giving your room away, and walking you to another property. The last thing I need when arriving late is to find the hotel has given my room away, so I always let the hotel know if I'm scheduled to arrive late, and to save my room for me.
2. Take My Own Luggage to the Room
I try to travel light anyway, so there's really no need to enlist the bellman's help for my carry-on luggage. But back when my son was a baby and we were traveling with more baggage, we made the mistake of once or twice letting the bellman bring the luggage, and we were frustrated by the amount of time it took for it to get to us, especially when one of the items was a portable crib and our son was cranky and needed a nap. Lesson learned–just take everything with you, instead of putting yourself at the mercy of the bellman's schedule.
Another reason you may want to do this is to reduce the risk of theft or loss. And I don't necessarily mean from the bellstaff–in a very large hotel, it could be possible for someone to walk off with your luggage, or at least for it to get misdelivered or misplaced. Why take the risk?
3. Ask (Politely) for an Upgrade
The worst the front desk can say is no, so I find it's always worth asking if a complimentary upgrade may be available. I always make sure to note in advance any birthday, anniversary or special occasion we're celebrating. Also see Top Hotel Upgrade Tips.
4. Request a Quiet Room on a High Floor Away from the Elevator, Ice Machine, Construction, etc.
There's no getting around it–some hotel rooms are perenially noisy because of their location near the elevators, the ice machine, or street noise outside (especially on lower levels of the hotel). Ever since having my son I've been a light sleeper (night feedings might have something to do with that) so I always request a quiet room on a high floor away from elevators, ice machines, street noise, and any construction noise.
5. Knock Before Entering the Room
While fortunately I've never walked in on another guest, I've learned from others' experiences that it can and does happen. And I've also noticed that when hotel staff show me a few different rooms, they typically knock before inserting a room key. It's a good precaution, and while it won't prevent everything (for example, if the guest is in the bathroom and can't hear or can't respond in time to the knock) it's still a useful precaution.
6. Dead Bolt the Door and Use the “Do Not Disturb” or Privacy Button When I'm in the Room
Conversely, once I'm in the room, I always deadbolt the door to prevent someone walking in on me, whether housekeeping or a guest who's received the wrong key.
While the dead bolt prevents entry, I prefer not to have the noise of someone trying to enter the room, so I always put the “Do Not Disturb” sign up when I'm in the room. I especially like the hotels, such as Le Burgundy in Paris, InterContinental Boston and the Grand Hyatt Seattle, to name a few, that have a privacy button you can press, which provides a “do not disturb” indicator light outside the room. Since it's built in, you never have to worry about whether the prior guest or you has misplaced the “do not disturb” sign.
7. Take Photos and Notes of the Hotel Room
Since my TravelSort Hotels clients and readers often rely on my hotel reviews, before I settle into a hotel room it's time to take photos and notes of the room. Here are some of my recent Hotel Reviews.
8. Do a Quick Inspection to Ensure the Room is Clean and Everything Works
It's never fun to discover something is dirty or doesn't work just as you're about to use it (think especially bed, toilet, shower). So I like to do a quick check before I unpack. And on a few occasions, when the room was lacking in this regard, I received an upgrade after bringing it to the attention of the front desk, in one case to Club Level at the Ritz-Carlton.
9. Check the Alarm Clock
A huge pet peeve of mine are alarm clarks that go off at ungodly hours. You can't rely on housekeeping to check this, so the onus is on you to ensure that the alarm clock in the room isn't set. Now, if only all alarm clocks were similar in terms of how they're set!
10. Wipe Down Germy Surfaces with Hibistat Wipes
The last thing you need is to come down with a severe illness while traveling for work or while on vacation. I've taken to traveling with Hibistat wipes (which I also mentioned come in handy when wiping down airplane surfaces, in Tips for Staying Healthy When Flying on Long Plane Flights) and I use them on the TV remotes (one of the germiest surfaces in hotel rooms) and in the bathroom. Just be careful to keep them away from your face and away from young children–these are powerful, heavy duty wipes of the kind used by hospital personnel to clean up blood, etc., so you want to treat them with care.
What are your hotel habits?
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