Short tips & tricks: Coming, staying, and leaving the hotels

Tips & tricks I’ve learned during my traveling and staying in hotels. Suitable for accommodations of all types, from cheap hostels to 5* hotels.

What to pack for your stay – doesn’t matter the class of the hotel

• bottle opener (handy even for some non-alcoholic drinks)
• extra jacket in case the air-conditioning would be too strong
• cutlery – what if you will bring some takeaway with you to the room at 3 am?
• antibacterial tissues – if you are going to a country where you can’t be sure about the cleanliness
• charger, sometimes the cable is enough – many hotels have USB near their electric sockets
• adapter if traveling to a country with different electric sockets

Do you need help with packing in general? Check my DOWNLOADS and print the ultimate packing list!

COMING TO YOUR ROOM – FIRST THINGS FIRST

1. Check the cleanliness and bed bugs

• dust on the tops
• remote control = how many times did I have a sticky remote or with some unidentified pieces of food on top of it? A lot.
• bathroom = lipstick on the glass in the bathroom? Hair in the shower?
• bed bugs = grab the corner of the mattress and lift it. Check beneath. Check the corners of the headboard. If you don’t know what they look like and you find a bug in your room, compare it with pictures from Google.

What to do if something is wrong? Depends on the situation. You can take your wet wipes and clean the remote control. But I bet you can’t get rid of the bed bugs. That’s the time to call reception and ask for a new room.

2. Check the air-conditioning

Does it work? Is it possible to set the temperature?

3. Check the hot water in the shower.

4. Check if it is possible to lock the room

If it is possible, lock it. Especially when you are traveling alone. Better be safe, than sorry.

But! The classic lock, when you turn the knob is possible to unlock from the outside. If there is a chain or any other way to lock the door, it is great. If not, put something near the door, something which would make noise in case someone would enter your room at night. A chair or trash bin is fine.

Does it seem like too much? I stayed in hotels and hostels in more than 50 countries around the world. The ones which seemed safe and the ones which didn’t. I’ve seen bedbugs. I entered the hotel room and found out there are things all over the place – the receptionist gave me the wrong room, where there have been guests already. I’ve heard stories of people who woke up to the noise of someone opening their room in the middle of the night.

It isn’t too much. This is reality. I am not saying every hotel is unsafe, but you never know.

DURING YOUR STAY

• Use safe to keep your valuables out of reach. If you are afraid that you will forget it, place there something you can’t leave without. For example one of your shoes. Or write a note and leave it next to your cosmetics in the bathroom. You will see it when you will be packing.
• If your valuables are too big to be placed in a safe, lock them in your suitcase. There are cameras in the corridors of the hotels, so nobody will leave with your suitcase without being seen.
• Put ‘Do Not Disturb’ on the door. Housekeeping and maintenance work also during the day, not only in the mornings.

What hotels can offer when you ask

Depending on the class of the hotel of course. Do not expect any magic in hostels. 4* hotel is something different.

They almost surely have:

• cutlery
• ice
• toothbrush & toothpaste
• sanity pads & tampons
• comb or brush
• shaving kit
• extra towels, bathrobes 
• toiletries
• chargers & adapters
• cutlery
• bottle opener

LEAVING

How do not forget anything?

Pack all the things you can see. Then sit down and think about what have you been using during your stay. Is it all packed?