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.
#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.
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.
462points
#2
I used to be hotel valet. The people that tip the most are the ones driving regular cars, not the nice Porche.
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383points
#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.
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346points
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?"
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.
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342points
#5
You're not the first person to sit naked on that chair.
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324points
#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.
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317points
“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.
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282points
#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!
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270points
#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.
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262points
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.
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250points
#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!
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244points
#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;
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.
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.
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.
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
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213points
#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.
185points
#14
No longer a hotel worker but: do not use the provided glasses. Or, if you need to, wash them yourself first.
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178points
#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.
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172points
#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.
162points
#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.
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157points
#18
Well for starters:
Don't ask us to bring you your wine because we haven't had that spirit here since 1969
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155points
#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?
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150points
#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.
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135points