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It seems like you never sleep as well as you do in your bed, but some hotels get pretty darn close with what they offer. However, in between counting sheep, some of us still have that nagging feeling that something might be off. Whether it’s some paranoia about when the sheets were last cleaned or if the glasses have been washed, odds are that many of you Pandas have worried about (real and metaphorical) bed bugs before.
Well, today, we’re featuring some great tips to keep in mind during your next stay away from home, as shared by current and former hotel industry workers in these two r/AskReddit threads right here and over here. They revealed some of the biggest red flags to look out for, spilled the tea about some great hotel hacks, and even hinted at some secrets that are definitely useful for guests to know.
As you’re scrolling down, remember to upvote the posts that you found the most useful, Pandas. When you’re done, tell us about the best and worst hotel stays you’ve ever had. And if you’ve got any fun or useful hotel tips and tricks to share with the crowd, go right ahead. After all, everyone deserves to sleep as soundly as they do in their beds.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
I used to work in a hotel kitchen preparing and cleaning after the breakfast buffet.
Tip 1: If there is anything missing or anything extra you would like, I`d be happy to bring it to you. As long as you ask for it nicely and respect that it might take some time if its really busy. If you are demanding anything, or being rude, I will probably claim that we`re out, and ignore the dirty plates on your table until you leave.
Tip 2: if you have any allergies, don`t eat the food in the buffet, most guests are pigs, and will use the same serving spoon in different dishes. I usually prepared special plates using unopened food for people with allergies, they usually got a bit extra too.
Tip 3: Even though I`m paid to be there, it does not mean I`m your personal slave, there are 200 other guests to take care of too, and my pay is not high enough to for me to care about your special needs.
One more thing, kids..While I`m working I don`t give a s**t about your kids. I do not think its cute when people`s barefooted kids are left to roam around the dining room or kitchen, bumping into me while I`m carrying boiling water or sharp knives. I will not watch them, I`m a stranger and you should not trust me.
$cagsy 2 years ago
I grew up in a pub and worked for years in hospitality. Some parents treat pubs, restaurants and hotels as if paedophiles don't ever drink, eat or go on holiday. Monitor your offspring because somebody else might be.
Daniel O'Neal 2 years ago
I mean, that's certainly one scenario, but I think it's a lot more likely they'll get hurt, break something, or cause someone else to have an accident.
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Andrei Caldararu 2 years ago
I don't get why the last paragraph still needs to be said to some people
Mrs. Jan Glass 2 years ago
The argument I've heard from people who do this is that they have the right to decide if a venue is appropriate for their child, and their child has the right to be there. Combine that with the attitude that they view a server or employee as lesser than them, and whose job it is to make them happy, and you've got a recipe for a bunch of brats running and screaming and parents who think that's perfectly normal.
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Fall F. 2 years ago
I'm just confused, how are getting children or any guest in the kitchen? Not even the wait-staff is allowed in, especially, when is service-time.
Ana Benham 2 years ago
I've worked cooking in 3 different countries and yes kids will sneak in the kitchen at some point and it is a nightmare. Everybody knows that inside a kitchen is aways a pressure and hurry, imagine the parents laughing at the situation while you are running around with a huge pan of boiling soup. I am a mom so I do know that kids knows no limits but that's exactly the parent's job!!!
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ace axolotl (she/her) 2 years ago
i have nut and seed allergies (they're really bad), and i always need to check what dishes are next to each other at a buffet. tip for people with allergies eating at buffets- inquire about your allergies and don't eat food that's next to things you're allergic to.
Fall F. 2 years ago
Better tip. Let the hotel staff know about your allergies. You will get stuff whatever-free, even at a breakfast-büffet, when there are 200 other guests. Source: I'm working as a chef in a hotel. Gluten- or lactose-free stuffs are already normal. When sometimes we have vegan-guests, they get specially for them prepared breakfast-stuff, like vegetable-tortillas, avocado-cream, different potato-small-dishes, porridge with almond-milk/chia pudding with cocos-milk is already on büffet. So, if you are allergic to nuts and seeds really bad, let the staff know. Because the kitchen will not recommend you even some kind of cold cuts, which are not obviously with nuts and seeds, but are not really recommended, like fleischkase.
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Carie Bosch Thompson 2 years ago
To the people who don't understand the last one: you are the reason the world is the way it is!!!!!!
Lily Francis 2 years ago
I'm going to tell you what the third one one means as both a victim and a child advocate! First she has a job to do and can't watch your children, that's your responsibility! Second she's reminding you that this is a very dangerous world for children especially, she is a stranger and you are supposed to teach your children NOT TO TALK TO STRANGERS! I'm a Survivor of child rape and she's telling you that's what can happen to your children and it happens every single day, all over the world! And I get to deal with those children! And it destroys me! PLEASE DON'T LET IT BE YOUR CHILD THAT I HAVE TO DEAL WITH! Listen to and heed her warning! Please!
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Cathy Hurd 2 years ago
I'm always horrified when I see children running loose or climbing onto tables in restaurants. I've actually gotten up and left.
Christina Gomez 2 years ago
Why the h-e-double hockey sticks do people think that staff anywhere is free childcare?
Mrs. Jan Glass 2 years ago
I used to work in the children's section of a bookstore. The number of times a DAY that I was informed that some parent "needed" me to watch their kids, or who would just LEAVE them there, was astronomical. Combine that with the little destructos who would then destroy entire sections of bookshelves, and you now understand why working retail made me never want to breed.
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A. 2 years ago
Thank you for paying attention to food sensitivities & allergies! If not for my EpiPen, I'd have been in serious trouble at restaurants a few times.
Lily Francis 2 years ago
Agreed, I'm right there with you and I didn't know they would do that. It's greatly appreciated!
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Isabelle Lamarque 2 years ago
I make it such a point of being genuinely friendly to anyone at hotels/bars whatever. They are working while I'm having my holiday or break and if they make it better 🤷🏻♀️ always grateful and if you smile they'll smile and everybody's day will be a little bit better ☺️
Lily Francis 2 years ago
Being polite and friendly goes a long way and I tip well, especially in poor countries. I'm often told it's greatly appreciated and needed. I always received stellar service and very friendly servers who went out of their way to help with whatever I needed, especially with my extensive allergies. And I've made a lot of friends while traveling. It makes everything much more fun and pleasant.
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Channo Sagara 2 years ago
That fact that these need to be said, made me lost my faith in humanity. This is the bare minimum, people.
Exotic Butters 2 years ago
I totally agree except for the last. Even if parent is lame af be careful around a little kid
Lily Francis 2 years ago
The problem is, if someone is carrying a pot of boiling soup, they may not see a small child and serious harm can be done! I don't like the way she said that either! It was quite tactless and uncaring towards children and depending on their age and parents, they don't any better yet, so it's not the child's fault yet, it's the parent's! But sometimes accidents can't be helped, that's why they're called accidents. Parents need to WATCH THEIR OWN CHILDREN!
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Milan 2 years ago
Has to be fun with you. I know what did you mean, but rude are just you, stop working in service if you do not like work in service…
Izzy 2 years ago
it's nobody's job to be enjoying the work they do. people in the service industry are doing you a favour, taking on jobs that you're not doing which enable you to enjoy the service and facilitate your food/holiday/retreats etc. they are completely within their right to complain about overbearing, entitled, arrogant a*****e parents trying to dump their responsibilities on random strangers trying to do their work and get on with the shift. you'd be the loudest to complain if your food was delayed or whatever bc the servers have to deal with kids in the kitchen and running around the restaurant floor while they're handling trays of hot food and boiling drinks and glassware. how about have some gratitude that the world is being held up by the service industry, understand what they're complaining about and do ur darnedest to not be the annoying shits they complain about. if u don't like it, either go do their job without a grimace or complaint or don't use the service industry
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yelplow 2 years ago
The last one cannot agree more my house is part shop part home so I have a lock on one of the rooms but I work at the shop so it usually goes something like this 🐱(Me): Are those kids / 🐶(boss): yeah why? / 🐱: Can't explain now I'm leaving early you don't have to pay me for today / 🐶: There is only a hour left! / 🐱: I don't care / 👦(kid): hi / 🐱: F*realises*fffffun bye! / And then I have to open 5 locks to get out the backdoor
RELATED:
#2
I used to be hotel valet. The people that tip the most are the ones driving regular cars, not the nice Porche.
The Silly Stellar Jay 2 years ago
Probably cause people with regular cars know what it is to work a service job and respect the hustle.
#3
Ask the hotel to remove such fees as Wifi, newspaper, gym and pool. These are often included but they will remove if requested.
Also, if you need to cancel but are too close to reservation date call and change to a date a few months out. There's usually no charge for this. Then, call back and cancel that reservation.
Bored Panda previously spoke about the hotel industry and hoteliers, and what makes hotels stand out from the crowd, with Dr. Gabor Forgacs from Ryerson University.
He was very candid that being unique is a pretty complex thing and hoteliers have to “master a lot of moving parts in order to achieve that distinction.” He stressed that alongside all of the physical questions like the locations, size, architecture, design, and furniture, all of the “intangibles need to fall into place seamlessly.” And that’s a tall order to fill.
“The colors, sounds, scents plus the ambiance are all perfectly lined up: what background music is playing, what designer aroma is in the air and have toiletries scented with; the choice of fabric for carpet, curtains and upholstery; the tone and level of voice of staff as they greet guests and communicate without judging requests or behaviors, etc.,” the professor explained just some of the things that hotel owners have to keep in mind when it comes to providing a top-notch experience for guests.
#4
A front desk employee here. If we are at low occupancy at my hotel, we will often upgrade, if requested. But don't be a d**k about it.
Do: "Is it possible to have an upgrade?"
Don't: "Hey hook me up with the Prez suite! Haha JUST KIDDING. But, no, really, is there an upgrade for free?"
Often times, if you are just really nice to the front desk... without saying anything we will upgrade you.
Also, don't be afraid to ask for extra tolietries, towels, linens, or coffee. We don't care how much you take, all you have to do is ask.
#6
The thinness of the sheets and roughness of the towels from being washed too many times. My family has owned two hotels since the 60's and about every decade we hire some consultant to come and tell us what we are doing wrong because we aren't managing owners. Without fail every single one will tell us we are scrapping our worn linens too early, that we can get another six months out of them and without fail it is the one piece of advice we always ignore. We did a cost analysis and it is worth the cost of having happy guests rather than saving a marginal amount by having sheets you can read a newspaper through or towels scratchy enough to sand paint.
“Great hotels provide intuitive and highly personalized service, which cannot be done over 250 rooms capacity. If a guest meets 3-5 different faces behind the front desk each time versus always the same two, that makes a huge difference. You can only do this if your hotel is not larger than that,” Dr. Gorgacs said.
According to the hotel industry specialist, the main reasons why guests return to hotels are good memories of the place. In other words, if the service and stay were extraordinary, the loyalty of the customer is almost assured.
Dr. Forgacs told Bored Panda that it’s not just about gold-plated door knobs or extra skirt hangers in the closet. “The best memories are created through interaction with people. If service excellence exceeds expectations, guests always remember that,” he said.
#7
If you need a phone charger go to the front desk and say you lost yours, they have a box full of them from past visitors.
#8
Don't put a Do Not Disturb sign on your door all day and then expect your room to be cleaned after 3pm when all the housekeepers are gone. Front desk workers are not housekeepers, sorry!
#9
If you ask politely for fresh milk instead of those shitty plastic cup ones that taste like cheese-water, I am more than happy to personally bring a jug of fresh milk from the kitchen to your room. I've even done this at midnight because the person asked so nicely. Basically if you are polite about requesting a little bit extra, you'll almost always get it.
The expert shared some of his thoughts about what hoteliers can do if they’re having trouble with their business.
“Languishing hotels need to take an honest look at themselves to understand the reasons why they can't create special memories. Service culture is not built overnight; the way you hire, you train, and conduct yourself is crucial. Mistakes are made all the time; how you recover and show genuine care would make a difference,” he told us.
“Following up is a secret weapon. Comping, offering a discount, or an upgrade for a mishap is what a typical hotel would do. The better ones will always follow up with the guest and on top of a remedy, tell their plan how the mistake will be prevented from happening again.”
#10
if you have medicine that needs to be refrigerated, don't show up and assume all the rooms have fridges. Also, don't get all bitchy at the staff for not being responsible for your insulin/allergies/ etc. A lot of hotels have rooms without fridges ( Holiday Inns, Hampton Inn, Ramada, etc.) and will typically have several to rent out. Call ahead and be responsible with your condition.
#11
Been working in a big-name chain hotel for a year. Biggest piece of advice is to just be polite to the front desk person, and we will go the extra mile every time. Bottle of wine, freshly baked cookies in your room, late check-in, hints of the best local eateries, whatever.
Also, don't be afraid to try and talk the front desk person down a little for a lower rate. Don't be obnoxious about it, as we'll lie and say it can't go any lower!
Juan Ghote 2 years ago
Why just the front desk person - why not be kind to everyone? Saying Please and Thank You cost you nothing.
#12
Wow, after browsing this thread and seeing other housekeepers comments/warnings I'm shocked. Especially about using windex/dirty rags/guest towels to clean coffe cups and such.
I am a housekeeper/head housekeeper (laundry and room checks) at a fairly small 3star independently owned hotel. We take pride in our work and strive for customer satisfaction. And this is probably because we arent involved in a corporation and don't have to deal with BS because of it.
Here's a run down of what gets done in your room at our establishment;
Every bed is completely stripped once the guests check out and we wash all the sheets that are stripped everyday. Even if it seems like only one out of two beds was slept in, we still check them for hair/dirt ect and strip sheets if anything looks "dirty"
Blankets aren't washed everyday but still often enough to not be dirty.
All towels and rags are washed daily.
For "stay overs" (guests staying multiple nights) housekeepers are required to remove all used towels as replace with fresh ones, and to generally clean the room as if it were a "checkout". So that means we clean your bathroom, give you a new roll of TP if needed, clean your vanitys, dust vaccum and straighten up your bed. We also rinse out used coffee pots, REPLACE used cups with clean ones ( all dishes get run through dishwasher) and stock any amenities you use up. We take out your trash and turn off your lights. Then the head housekeeper checks these rooms later for thoroughness.
We never use guest towels to clean things and use a few different rags in every room, so that we always have a fresh one. Once a guest towel is stained or even just worn out we use it as a rag. We are required to clean such small details you wouldn't even think of those things as being dirty.
We serve a hot breakfast everyday and have a hot tub/steam room that gets cleaned an maintained regularly. We are the only hotel on our side of town that is staffed 24/7 at the front desk so there is always someone to help you.
Of course all of these perks and guarantees are possible because the hotel is independently owned and small ( about 40 rooms)
We take pride in our jobs and our hotel and it shows. Our guests are very happy. It has a "home-y; comfortable" feel. We are familiar with the motels across and on either side of us; as trust me, their quality is significantly lower; but you get what you pay for I suppose.
So for those of you that have the chance to stay at an independent hotel on your travels, I can almost guarantee it is a better value than a fancier, corporate establishment.
Edit: oh, and we don't charge you for any "extra services". Everything is included in your price of the room; regardless of if you need extra attention or not. The only things we DO charge you for are for stupid things people do, like smoking cigarettes In the room ( you can't hide it!), or lying about having pets (it's much cheaper to be honest about it and pay the extra fee to have them to be charged later for "excess cleaning"). And if you trash the room or puke/p**s on our s**t, or break/steal ANYTHING you will receive a hefty fee. And we have had some very angry parents/card owners complain because things like this happened on thier dime. So be respectful
Kathryn Baylis 2 years ago (edited)
What hotel and where? Because I would love to stay there. I worked in the travel industry, including hotel front desk and night audit, in everything from roadside HoJo’s to 4 Star 4 Diamond independently owned luxury hotels. Though I hate to tell you, the quality of an independently owned hotel really depends on the owners. If they’re good hotel people who really know their stuff, the quality will be high. If they’re not good hotel people, if they’re not hotel people at all, if they’re skinflints, if they’re assholes, if they’re only in it for “the investment” and will sell with the first good offer, then the quality will be s**t. Good people give good quality, s**t people give s**t quality.
#13
Often you can find "treasures" left behind by former guests. Rip the room apart! Look under mattress and box spring. In vents. move the night stand and dressers. just be sure to put it back together before you leave. If you stay in enought hotels and do this you will find something left behind. House keepers generally have 10-15 min to clean each room.
Dont forget to tip!
former housekeeper here.
Juan Ghote 2 years ago
Generally, don't tip in Australia, it's not a cultural thing for Aussies.
#14
No longer a hotel worker but: do not use the provided glasses. Or, if you need to, wash them yourself first.
#15
Stayed at a Four Seasons over seas in North Africa. Recently opened. While the male housekeeper was cleaning my bathroom, I cold see him as I sat on the bed. He wiped the toilet, windows, and then cleaned out my drinking glasses with the same towel- FOUR SEASONS hotel.
#16
if a hotel is "smoke free", and you smoke there, you are liable to get pinned with a $150 or more damages fee. happened at the hotel that i worked at every time someone smoked inside.
Isidien Gudmundsdottir 2 years ago (edited)
Yes I smoke but I also had parents who taught me better because, If you have to smoke, go where it is allowed even if you have to go outside and bring one of those closeble ashtrays with you in case there's not a place to put your cigarette out but put that ashtray in your vehicle better yet, smoke in your car. You are a guest there behave like one and not as if you rented a room and everyone is you servant.
#17
A room can have bedbugs even if you see no evidence of them on the mattress itself. If it's not attached to the wall, looking on the backside of the headboard is always a good idea.
#18
Well for starters:
Don't ask us to bring you your wine because we haven't had that spirit here since 1969
#19
As a person who stays in hotels and... well... I'm Canadian... I wonder if there's anything we can do to make it easier on the housekeeping staff?
I always tear the sheets and blankets off the bed and leave them in a bundle at the foot, with the pillowcases. I also throw all used towels in the tub/shower, as requested.
I never touch the extra stuff, like the cups, so they never have to replace any of that s**t, but I always take the shampoo for future traveling that may not include a hotel.
I leave between two to ten bucks (depending on the length of my stay) on the nightstand with a thank you note, and I always make sure to take care of any of the bending - for example, if I've put anything in the trash can, I will take the bag out myself, or leave the trash can on the desk/table. I have a bad back, so I know how much it can suck to have to bend over constantly, every day.
Is there anything else I could be doing?
#20
If you have a pet and are looking to stay inexpensively, try a La Quinta. I do not have any affiliation with them, but they've never charged me a pet fee or for trumped-up damages after checkout. They also allow more than one pet per room. May vary based on location, but it is a general rule on their corporate website that they accept animals.
#21
If anything in the restroom is dirty or seems 'off' to you, it means housekeeping is slacking and/or their morale is low. This is likely the result of negligent management, owners, etc.: The place is rotten to the core, and other rooms aren't likely to be any better.
#23
I have held many hotel positions, all in luxury locations. Tip the front desk agent as soon as you walk up. They often keep the best rooms in their back pocket for problem/super awesome guests. Most of the time these room don't cost more (think corner room with more windows). The valet/bellman will run to the store for you to buy cigarettes/booze/anything else. A$k nicely. Ask the valets/doormen about nightlife/restaurants. They are often the ones who actually go out frequently and enjoy the scene. Many concierges will only recommend places that they receive incentives for. And pleasepleaseplease fill out comment cards and use hotel employees names who were good at their job. You have no idea how large of a positive impact this has for the employee.
Fwart Deydweg 2 years ago
Tip the front desk!? You have to be kidding. I'm guessing you are American.
#24
Don't bother leaving negative reviews on Trip Advisor. It's hard to change an issue and make your stay better after the fact, and especially when you're bitching online and not directly to the hotel. Let the front desk and/or management know about the issues with your stay WHEN THE ISSUES HAPPEN. It's so difficult to help people or solve what is going on when they let you know as they're leaving or when they leave a shitty online review! If the front desk and/or management genuinely refuse to help you and are just generally shitty unhelpful people, then sure. Let it all out on Trip Advisor. I once had a lady who came in telling her daughter she was ugly, proceeded to scream at me because the person on the 1-800 number she called quoted her a lower rate than what showed up on my screen. She told me I was shitty at my job and pathetic for not knowing what was going on with "my company" .. when she called some call centre in god knows where. This bitch was so rude that she made me cry.. I can't say a lot of guests have made me cry. We take a lot of shit at the front desk. I gave the woman like a 20% discount lower than what was quoted to her on the phone and she still called me pathetic, bitched about our continental breakfast, and wrote a Trip Advisor review stating that I (she mentioned my name!) had the worst customer service she's ever experienced and she is outraged by our terrible breakfast and it's a lie that our internet is free. I had even gone to this woman's room to help her type in the password for our FREE wifi, so I don't even know what crevice of her ass this was pulled out of. But yeah. Just.. don't be a raging asshole.
Wang Zhuang 2 years ago
You really, really have to have a thick skin to work in the hospitality industry. I can't imagine what those people go through each day.
#25
The smell of smoke is a red flag. If you can smell smoke, it's one of those hotels who says they don't allow it, but do.
dream of delusion 2 years ago
i don’t understand how some people can smoke indoors.. the smell usually makes me want to gag, and most of the time that’s me smelling it outside
#26
If something did not meet your expectations (slow internet, cold water, dirty room), complain about it (NICELY). You might get free points for the inconvenience (sometimes as many as the value of one night stay). If you are staying at a hotel of a chain, and the front desk offers only an apology, call the hotel brand (e.g. reservations/customer care). Hotels of the popular chains are typically franchises, and the management company loves to receive feedback, because a sub-par hotel can affect the reputation of the brand.
Seonag Udell 2 years ago
Me my husband and two other couples went to Alton Towers in England. It was my friends 30th birthday so we stayed the night, before visiting the park, in those cute little hobbit cabins. In the morning turns out the other couple we had gone with had no hot water. We complained politely and all 6 of us got VIP passes so we didn't have to wait in any of the lines for the big rollercoaster 's. It was one of my favourite days ever
#27
Currently work Front Desk for a little over 3 years.
--Don't be a d**k. I can make your stay pretty shitty.
--If you watch a movie and say that you didn't, I can see how long you watched it and what you watched so be careful if you're trying to get some free movies, expecially if it's on a work account. I will fax that s**t straight to your boss.
--If you have your Do Not Disturb sign up all day and take it down at 7:30 pm, don't expect to have your room cleaned. Call the desk and we will give you the extra linens, toiletries etc.
--At least speak a little bit of the language of the country you're in. It's really f*****g frustrating to use hand signals and draw pictures while trying to get your information
--If you have a problem with your room, don't wait until the morning to complain and try to get a discount. If you didn't call the desk for help, then obviously it wasn't a big deal and you're just being cheap.
--If you book through a third party site and you don't specify what type of room you want, you will get whatever is leftover. It will most likely be a smoking room or handicapped accessible. Can't blame us, blame the third party site. If you want the proper room at least call the hotel to verify your reservation information.
EDIT**
Wear sandals in the showers. PLEASE. And bring your own pillows and blankets. You'll feel better.
Front desk staff are people too, don't treat us like animals. We also accepts tips.
#28
A little tip from someone who runs a hotel:
It's fine if you find hotels through sites like expedia, priceline or hotels.com but once narrowed down you should try and call the hotel and get a better rate. I pay a commission for every room booked through a travel agency and I pass that cost down to you by raising rates on those sites. I know most of the hotels in my area do this and if they won't offer you a cheaper they'll often times give you an upgrade.
I don't really do this for big holiday weekends like July 4th so YMMV then.
#29
Worked night shift at a lower-end chain hotel for a while. If you're going to check in very, very late/early (2-4am), try to call to let us know a couple hours ahead of time. Many hotels do the night audit around 3am which effectively turns the day over, so checking in around then can be inconvenient and irritating for both of us, and I can pretty much do whatever I want in that case.
For instance, you come in at 2am Saturday morning, but I haven't run the audit yet, so to the computer it's still Friday. Technically, I'm supposed to check you in, charge you the regular daily rate, and you have to be out in 9 hours for check out Saturday morning (again, to the computer you're just checking in very late on Friday).
However, I'm happy to give you a room key, let you get settled, then have you come back in half an hour after I've run audit to officially check you in then, so instead of 9 hours, you pay the same for 33 hours. There's also an early check-in fee that - providing we're not booked solid - I'm happy to "forget" to key in as well.
Faye Przepioski 2 years ago
Yup. I've done this and that's what the front desk has me do. Super awesome.
#30
Do not use the ice bucket without a liner. It may have been used as a puke receptacle.
#31
A lot of those competing hotel websites are actually owned by the same people.
#32
Don't try to screw over a hotel. Don't skip out on paying, or refuse to leave a room. If you have property in a rented room and you do not pay your rent, the hotel is under almost no obligation to let you retrieve your things out of said room. Most hotels have a shit list, and sometimes we share them. If you are a big enough prick there could be dozens if not more hotels that wont rent to you.
Kathryn Baylis 2 years ago
Also, don’t go back into your room after checking out (if the code hasn’t changed or they’re still on a key system) to clean up after going to the beach or whatever—-the room is no longer yours at that time! Because you have just undone the cleaning of the room, and it will have to be torn apart and re-cleaned—-AND you will definitely be charged the full price of the second cleaning.
#33
Learn how Debit cards work for Christ sake people! It doesn't work the same as a Credit card and will get taken right out of your account so the hotel knows they will get paid. You also get authorized for more money on top in case of incidentals and no they will not take it off, they don't know you and are not going to take that chance. Also if you want to pay with cash expect to put a $100 deposit down for the room. All of this is management rules. Not the desk you are not going to gain anything by yelling at them.
Bec 2 years ago
I teach some basic finance and I have so many students who say they will never get a credit card, probably because their parents had bad experience, but it makes me sad because that will also make it really hard for them to ever travel. I teach them how to avoid the fees and interest and explain that I actually come out ahead because I never pay interest but get money back from points.
#34
When you book with a website (not the hotel's), you often can't change your reservation with the hotel because your contract is actually with whatever site you used. Cancellations, refunds and the like are out of our hands. It usually doesn't matter, but it's always good to know. Prices can also vary, you won't always get a better deal on the travel site. You essentially now have two people making money off of you instead of one. It really depends on availability and nightly rates, which change all the time.
#35
Immediately check under the bed for trash
Wang Zhuang 2 years ago
Yep. Although there will certainly be times you wish you hadn't checked.
#36
Know what services the hotel has before you arrive. I work at a limited service hotel where our 3 major perks are free internet, free breakfast, and free local calls.. it's pretty basic and gets really annoying when guests are outraged by the fact that we don't have a pool or a restaurant or a gym. It takes a two second Google search to figure this out and saves you from looking like an idiot when you're angry about something you should have known in the first place.
#37
As a frequent business traveler and a frequent drinker, I have found out that the bottom of the ironing board can usually be used as a bottle opener.
#38
"When the towels and linens smell mostly like bleach — red flag."
gie 2 years ago
A woman in the UK ended up with bleach burns from a hotels face cloths that weren't rinsed out properly. Hotel linen services use use industrial cleaners, so do the extra packing and bring your own face and wash cloth at least. I bring a Korean style wash cloth bc they dry fast, inexpensive, and durable.
#39
We give free toothbrushes, deodorant, slippers and rubber ducks to anyone who asks. If you go to the front desk late at night when the auditor is working and ask, "can I have some free stuff?" They will probably give you something.
#40
Perhaps a little late to the party, but I'd **strongly** suggest you carefully read where you're making your reservation. Most hotels now have their own website and, more importantly, imitators. You're not (very) likely to get your credit card stolen, but you are likely to be getting overcharged and/or have your reservation bungled. I've had probably hundreds of bizarre requests offered to people which we physically cannot fulfill -- by third-party agencies that would claim to be working for the hotel.
TLDR: Make sure you're checking the website for the hotel, not an advertisement that looks like their hotel.
Katherine Boag 2 years ago
Clicked through to a hotel website once from a major 3rd party booking site and got 100 pop ups, and awkwardly it was on a work pc. Had to shut down and call IT and they had to fix it after hours as it was right on 5pm :s
#41
Look at the bathroom in the pictures on their site. If it is super nice, usually the rest of the hotel is, too. If it’s just a standard looking bathroom, dig deeper before booking
21stCenturyLesbian 2 years ago
I've stayed in many an exemplary holiday inn without a special bathroom. I think it's got more to do with choosing your hotel wisely
#42
If you need a crib, call ahead. At our hotel, we only have eight cribs, and it isn't all too uncommon for them all to be lent out on our busiest days. Call ahead and see if we have any available or if we can set one aside for you
RandomFrog 2 years ago
When my lil brother was still young ( were talking 1-3yrs) would do this all the time and they always had cribs.
#43
Be nice to concierges, seriously. We can help you make it one of the best nights you have in our city, impress your SO or generally hook it up for you. Be a jerk and I will drag my feet to do anything for you.
Gaya Knust 2 years ago
How about being nice to everyone (unless that person deserved it)? I find it a tad depressing that in those types of posts people have to "remind" everyone else to be nice to the employees responsible for your room, food, etc, and that reflects on the number of people who must behave like complete arseholes to staff.
#44
Not a hotel worker, but I have some advice:
Wipe down parts of your room when you get there with some Clorox wipes.
You have no idea how many people don't wash their hands after going to the bathroom and touch that handle you just touched before you started eating your food.
Do you want someones shitness on your sandwich?
#45
I've worked in 2 different hotels. In both, the coffee was never changed between about 11 am and 4:30-5 am the next day. If you want a cup of coffee between those times, ask. I'll be more than happy to brew a fresh pot for you.
#46
My friend and I stayed at 9 different hotels in 10 days, and we always asked the price and discussed it between us before agreeing to stay - every single person said "this is the last available room for tonight"
It truly made us wonder if this was a universal trick for all hotels
#47
If you encounter a problem, do not deal with it all night and then demand a discount in the morning. We want to fix problems, not compensate for them. Plus, if you stayed the whole night with, as you say, the loudest heater in the world, then to me, it couldn't have been that bad; otherwise you would have wanted it fixed right away. Waiting until the next morning tells me the problem was either not a problem at all, or just enough of a problem to leverage for a discount. Either way I won't take it seriously. However, call me as soon as you notice something unsatisfactory (this is why it helps to check everything you intend to use in the room before unpacking) and I WILL fix it for you, often upgrading you to a nicer room because I feel bad.
Brandon Walker 2 years ago
Some people don't want to move rooms at 3 in the morning just because a front desk person would rather do that than compensate for it the next day, we know you have to be awake because it's your shift, that doesn't mean we should need to stay awake, also, it's not really about how YOU want to solve SOMEONE ELSES problem, they are the one with the problem, it's about what they find satisfactory, don't get me wrong, they should be polite, but this one's on here like three times as if people actually think it's reasonable for someone who has to be out early in the morning for a meeting, or a drive, or whatever else, to stay up at midnight to talk to front desk, wait on maint to try and fix the issue, and then move all their stuff to a new room in the middle of the night, and now it's 345 am, and they have to wake up in 2 hrs, all because that's a little favorable to the guy who has to be up all those hours anyway for their scheduled work shift .
#48
Maybe everyone knows this, but if you want fresh towels you should put the towels on the floor. If you hang them they will not be changed and you'll have to ask for new ones.
Mitchell 2 years ago
I have the opposite experience and it annoys me. The hotel has a little card saying they are environmentally friendly and will only change towels that aren’t hung, yet they change mine daily even if they are hung. That’s not environmentally friendly. Neither is throwing out the little bar of soap that I used ONCE and replacing it with a new one.
#49
Anything left in the rooms that is taken to the lost amd found is considered up for grabs after a week.
FreshGanesh 2 years ago
Again, this speaks to type of hotel and quality. Our HK dept catalogues all finds and it goes to guest services and is mailed to the guest once we’ve contacted them. It doesn’t matter if it’s an earbud or tennis bracelet. Recently had a guest who left a metal golf tee. It initially looked like it may be unworthy to claim, but it was actually a vintage Tiffany’s trinket worth more than most items left behind. You just never know. Best to return if possible v
#50
THEY DON'T WASH THE DUVETS.
What do you think ?
JuniorCJ82 2 years ago
How are any of these red flags? This article was poorly titled. It's about hotel tips for guests, not gross/illegal things hotels do.
Sean The Sheep 2 years ago
"red flag" is a lovely phrase for search engine optimisation getting the clickbait out there. The headlines are written by those charged with getting maximum potential advertising readers.
Load More Replies...
Brenda 2 years ago
When my kids were young, we always tried to drive straight through from Houston, TX to Nashville, TN when visiting my parents. Once we had to stay at a hotel but didn't have credit cards and a limited amount of cash. Hotel manager was awesome! We explained our situation and he worked with us. Put a temporary hold on our debit card, and waited until Saturday/Sunday midnight to do it so we wouldn't get an overdraft fee. Gave us a bigger room than we could really afford, and at a discounted rate of the smaller room. He also provided snacks, drinks and sandwiches for us (it was like 10 or so). We came down early while he was still there. He reversed the hold, let us pay cash and we didn't have to leave until 11am. He literally saved us that night. The next time we traveled, guess where we stayed
Angie Cameron 2 years ago
Basically all the same kinda stuff. Be polite, don't be a d**k and yeah.
Nitka Tsar 2 years ago
I think some of this is nice to know but it is probably different from country to country, maybe state to state and for sure hotel to hotel. I do hope that higher hotel chains have their standards, even in countries without inspectors for these things. I've only been in a Hotel/ Motel/ Hostel a hand full of times and always in my own country, once in my country of birth and once on a vacation and have never felt as if I should watch out for unclean things around them. I think it has to do with peoples mentality in each country as well. For example: I think we might agree to expect perfectly clean rooms in Japan.
TheDivineMsM 2 years ago
Former hotel worker here: if the comforter or blanket on the bed is thick or really huge, it likely only gets dry cleaned every month or so. Which means tons of people have slept under that blanket without it being washed. Always look for newer hotels that have thin blankets , they can be washed regularly and are much cleaner and more sanitary.
Hannah Hudson-Lee 2 years ago
The bit about not waiting until the morning to tell them about a problem is good advice. I was staying in a hotel in Dublin. Nice place, but we had a small budget room with a stunning view of the bins. No complaints on that score, it's all we could afford at the time. In the middle of the night, the whole room suddenly vibrated in a weird way for about a minute and then stopped. A short time later it happened again. It definitely wasn't a minor earthquake (I have experienced a couple). When it woke me a third time, I went to investigate and realised it was happening whenever one of the lifts (near our room) was being used. So I went and told the front desk before heading back to bed in the other lift. The next morning when we went to breakfast there was an engineer working on the lift with a worried look on their face. I don't know what was up with the lift, but I got profusely thanked by the manager for alerting them, moved to a top suite with a view of the river, and a free dinner!
Hannah Hudson-Lee 2 years ago
The best part was, I didn't complain or ask to be moved room. I just said, "I think there may be a problem with lift A. It has started making our room vibrate when its in use, and it wasn't doing that earlier. You might want to stop people using it and call the engineer to be safe."
Load More Replies...
Ashley Kelly 2 years ago
Some good tips but a lot of generalizations, too. Large chains that aren't franchised can often have a better rate on an outside website.
Kandrea's World 2 years ago
Part 2. The sheets and towels were washed in industrial machines. We were instructed to pack them in as tight as cement. We would often bloody our knuckles pounding them in. So they barely even got wet during the wash. When they came out, we would spread them out on a table and pick all the hair and pubic hair off of them and then fold them. I quit after a week because this was all beyond disgusting. Also your tip rarely goes to the people "cleaning" the room unless they steal it.. We were supposed to give all money left behind to the housekeeping manager. Honestly, none of these people deserved a tip because your room wasn't actually being cleaned.
Kandrea's World 2 years ago
I used to work housekeeping in a high end hotel. The president of the USA even stayed there during one of his visits. Let me tell you how the rooms are cleaned. The staff was trained to use the johnny mop on the toilet and then to clean the sink. I refused to do this. The tub was never cleaned unless there was a visible ring. It was rinsed out to remove hair and that was all. The toilet seat was never wiped unless visibly dirty. The bathroom floor was never mopped, just swept. The sweeper was only run if the carpet was visibly dirty. Nothing in the room was ever wiped down. If the bed wasn't used, it was not stripped. The duvet was never washed. Several members of the staff would remake the beds with the same dirty sheets and throw the clean sheets down the shoot just to make things easier on themselves. Any unused towels are not changed out. The ice bucket was never washed.
Stannous Flouride 2 years ago
I always say hello to any of the cleaning staff I encounter and if I'm going to there for more than one night, I ask their name and address them by it. I've often been rewarded for it in small ways but that's not why I do it. I do it because we're both human and both deserve respect.
Annie Bieber 2 years ago (edited)
Best hotel I've ever stayed at is The El Dorado in Reno, Nevada. Service extraordinaire, amazing food, incredible perks; free concert tickets, suite upgrades, limo service etc...ask for a corner suite, the view is Amazing. As a bonus the El Dorado is connected to The Silver Legacy...same owners...and Circus Circus, three Hotels, no time on the street. Renos streets aren't pretty. It's great if you have kids, Circus Circus has arcades etc...Their security is the best I've seen anywhere.
Glasia van Duivels 2 years ago (edited)
Entering ads like that increases having a stroke within this year by 88%. I am smart enough not to fall for this kind of scam. Never click the link.
Load More Replies... JuniorCJ82 2 years ago
How are any of these red flags? This article was poorly titled. It's about hotel tips for guests, not gross/illegal things hotels do.
Sean The Sheep 2 years ago
"red flag" is a lovely phrase for search engine optimisation getting the clickbait out there. The headlines are written by those charged with getting maximum potential advertising readers.
Load More Replies... Brenda 2 years ago
When my kids were young, we always tried to drive straight through from Houston, TX to Nashville, TN when visiting my parents. Once we had to stay at a hotel but didn't have credit cards and a limited amount of cash. Hotel manager was awesome! We explained our situation and he worked with us. Put a temporary hold on our debit card, and waited until Saturday/Sunday midnight to do it so we wouldn't get an overdraft fee. Gave us a bigger room than we could really afford, and at a discounted rate of the smaller room. He also provided snacks, drinks and sandwiches for us (it was like 10 or so). We came down early while he was still there. He reversed the hold, let us pay cash and we didn't have to leave until 11am. He literally saved us that night. The next time we traveled, guess where we stayed
Angie Cameron 2 years ago
Basically all the same kinda stuff. Be polite, don't be a d**k and yeah.
Nitka Tsar 2 years ago
I think some of this is nice to know but it is probably different from country to country, maybe state to state and for sure hotel to hotel. I do hope that higher hotel chains have their standards, even in countries without inspectors for these things. I've only been in a Hotel/ Motel/ Hostel a hand full of times and always in my own country, once in my country of birth and once on a vacation and have never felt as if I should watch out for unclean things around them. I think it has to do with peoples mentality in each country as well. For example: I think we might agree to expect perfectly clean rooms in Japan.
TheDivineMsM 2 years ago
Former hotel worker here: if the comforter or blanket on the bed is thick or really huge, it likely only gets dry cleaned every month or so. Which means tons of people have slept under that blanket without it being washed. Always look for newer hotels that have thin blankets , they can be washed regularly and are much cleaner and more sanitary.
Hannah Hudson-Lee 2 years ago
The bit about not waiting until the morning to tell them about a problem is good advice. I was staying in a hotel in Dublin. Nice place, but we had a small budget room with a stunning view of the bins. No complaints on that score, it's all we could afford at the time. In the middle of the night, the whole room suddenly vibrated in a weird way for about a minute and then stopped. A short time later it happened again. It definitely wasn't a minor earthquake (I have experienced a couple). When it woke me a third time, I went to investigate and realised it was happening whenever one of the lifts (near our room) was being used. So I went and told the front desk before heading back to bed in the other lift. The next morning when we went to breakfast there was an engineer working on the lift with a worried look on their face. I don't know what was up with the lift, but I got profusely thanked by the manager for alerting them, moved to a top suite with a view of the river, and a free dinner!
Hannah Hudson-Lee 2 years ago
The best part was, I didn't complain or ask to be moved room. I just said, "I think there may be a problem with lift A. It has started making our room vibrate when its in use, and it wasn't doing that earlier. You might want to stop people using it and call the engineer to be safe."
Load More Replies... Ashley Kelly 2 years ago
Some good tips but a lot of generalizations, too. Large chains that aren't franchised can often have a better rate on an outside website.
Kandrea's World 2 years ago
Part 2. The sheets and towels were washed in industrial machines. We were instructed to pack them in as tight as cement. We would often bloody our knuckles pounding them in. So they barely even got wet during the wash. When they came out, we would spread them out on a table and pick all the hair and pubic hair off of them and then fold them. I quit after a week because this was all beyond disgusting. Also your tip rarely goes to the people "cleaning" the room unless they steal it.. We were supposed to give all money left behind to the housekeeping manager. Honestly, none of these people deserved a tip because your room wasn't actually being cleaned.
Kandrea's World 2 years ago
I used to work housekeeping in a high end hotel. The president of the USA even stayed there during one of his visits. Let me tell you how the rooms are cleaned. The staff was trained to use the johnny mop on the toilet and then to clean the sink. I refused to do this. The tub was never cleaned unless there was a visible ring. It was rinsed out to remove hair and that was all. The toilet seat was never wiped unless visibly dirty. The bathroom floor was never mopped, just swept. The sweeper was only run if the carpet was visibly dirty. Nothing in the room was ever wiped down. If the bed wasn't used, it was not stripped. The duvet was never washed. Several members of the staff would remake the beds with the same dirty sheets and throw the clean sheets down the shoot just to make things easier on themselves. Any unused towels are not changed out. The ice bucket was never washed.
Stannous Flouride 2 years ago
I always say hello to any of the cleaning staff I encounter and if I'm going to there for more than one night, I ask their name and address them by it. I've often been rewarded for it in small ways but that's not why I do it. I do it because we're both human and both deserve respect.
Annie Bieber 2 years ago (edited)
Best hotel I've ever stayed at is The El Dorado in Reno, Nevada. Service extraordinaire, amazing food, incredible perks; free concert tickets, suite upgrades, limo service etc...ask for a corner suite, the view is Amazing. As a bonus the El Dorado is connected to The Silver Legacy...same owners...and Circus Circus, three Hotels, no time on the street. Renos streets aren't pretty. It's great if you have kids, Circus Circus has arcades etc...Their security is the best I've seen anywhere.
Glasia van Duivels 2 years ago (edited)
Entering ads like that increases having a stroke within this year by 88%. I am smart enough not to fall for this kind of scam. Never click the link.
Load More Replies...
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