Staying in hotels can either be exciting and relaxing or pretty stressful. Whether you’re staying in a luxury suite or a casual motel on the side of the highway, here are some hotel hacks that will help you take your stay to the next level…
Clothespins To The Rescue
If you don’t have a place to sanitarily store your toothbrush during your stay, just pack a clothespin in your bag. If you attach it to the head of the brush, you can keep it elevated enough so as to not touch any of the bathroom surfaces.
Painter’s Tape Hack
Painters tape or duct tape comes in handy when traveling with children. You can easily create tracks for toy cars and trains, a game board for some tic-tac-toe, or whatever else you can think up. The possibilities are endless and your young kids will have a good time coming up with their own ideas, too!
Email Upgrade
“According to financial advice website Wise Bread, traveler Elizabeth Houck is now consistently upgraded to the king suite at a particular hotel, all thanks to a simple e-mail to the GM regarding her first hotel stay that led to many future advantages and upgrades,” explains Travel Awaits. Try shooting the GM an email ahead of your stay–it might just land you an upgrade!
Book Through The Hotel
Instead of using booking sites like Expedia or Hotels.com, try using the hotel’s direct website or calling the hotel. They have the ability to offer “off the book” discounts and better deals are available during the off-season.
Shower Steamer
If your clothes are wrinkly after unpacking your bags, just hang the items as close to the shower as possible without getting them wet. Take a hot shower or just put it on and let it run for a bit to create a steamy bathroom. The wrinkles will release after just a few minutes.
Charging Secret
If you forgot to pack the little cube for your iPhone, just take a peek behind the room’s TV. Most have USB ports now, and you can charge your phone on it without the wall charger.
Curtain Gap
Blackout curtains in hotels are totally clutch, of course, until you notice the gap between them that for some reason only allows the sun to shine directly into your eyes when you’re trying to sleep. Grab a hanger with the pant clips in from the closet and use them to keep the curtains closed. Problem solved!
Late Check-In
Checking in later in the day can serve two purposes. First, you get to avoid the crowds which makes traveling with little ones less stressful and also, if the hotel has upgraded rooms still available at that time, they’re more inclined to give you a room upgrade.
Social Media Freebies
Do a quick scan of the hotel’s social media pages before you check-in. Sometimes a post or the use of a specific hashtag can get you a discount or unlock certain perks.
Overstuffed Pillows
If your hotel pillow is too stuffed or large for your liking, you’re not alone. Take the pillow out of the pillowcase and use some towels to re-stuff it or some comfortable extra clothing like a sweatshirt or sweater.
Try at Your Own Risk
Alright, we’ll admit this one is a little strange, but the MacGyver in you might want to give it a whirl. Place a piece of tin foil over the hot clothing iron and use it to cook up simple foods like eggs or sausage patties. It also comes in handy for reheating toasted sandwiches.
Take the Bag
The plastic laundry bag that rooms often provide is a handy little size. Even if you don’t use it during your stay, it’s useful for using in the car for collecting trash or storing some snacks for the ride.
Trashy Step
Hotels aren’t exactly “child-friendly” for the most part. If you’re on the shorter side or your young child needs a boost for teeth-brushing and hand-washing, flip over an empty room trashcan and double it as a step stool to help them out.
No Charger Left Behind
If you totally blanked on bringing along your phone charger, the front desk is a great resource before spending money on a replacement. Sometimes people leave theirs behind during their stay and the employees have a few on hand to loan out.
DIY Clothing Dryer
If you need to dry some clothes during your stay and your room is equipped with a heated towel rack, use it to dry the couple of unavoidable hand-washed items you encountered on your stay.
Sanitize the Room
An easy travel hack to avoid sharing germs with the other guests is to bring along a pack of alcohol wipes. These come in handy for wiping down just about any surface, ie: remotes, hairdryers, doorknobs, drawer pulls, room phones etc.
Power Splitter
Hotel rooms NEVER have enough outlets. Packing a power splitter is a super useful tactic when it comes to traveling because then you don’t have to choose between plugging in the lamp or charging your phone.
Bottle Opener Hack
If you grabbed a cold six-pack to enjoy on your trip but forgot to pack a bottle opener, have no fear. Use the joints in the door for leverage and voila… bottle opened.
A/C Blast
A lot of times, the bed is placed directly next to the A/C unit in the room, so even on a hot day, it feels like the Arctic when you get into bed as you’re blasted with the cold air. to avoid this, take the desk chair and prop it in front of the unit to stop it from blowing directly on you.
Sleep Soundly
Sometimes the light on the smoke detectors is shining and blinking directly over your bed, and if you’re a light sleeper, this is annoying. Just take a small piece of tape and cover the blinking light, paying careful attention to not blocking any of the sensors.
WiFi Hotspot
If your hotel is old school and charges for WiFi use, use your smartphone as a Wi-Fi hotspot for Internet access. First, make sure your provider includes this service, or add it on before traveling.
Scent Savers
If you’re packing up a bunch of dirty clothes from your trip, pack a few dryer sheets in your bag to keep odors at bay. They also come in handy for eliminating room odors and stinky diaper bags.
Leak Prevention
It’s always frustrating when one of your toiletries leaks in your bag when you’re traveling. Next time you’re staying in a hotel, though, use the plastic covering they put on the drinking glasses on top of the bottles and screw the caps back on and you won’t have another leak.
Cooler On-The-Go
Staying in a hotel and don’t have a cooler to bring out a few drinks to the pool? Just grab the room’s trashcan, fill a fresh bag with us, and plop the beers inside.
Weird Hotel Smell
If your room smells a little funky when you arrive, just take a clip-on car air freshener and connect it to the heater or A/C vent in your room.
Nothing Left Behind
The best way to not leave your valuables behind is to make sure they’re secured to other important items. Take your keys and attach them to your phone and charger so everything is all in one place when it’s time to go.
Enjoy a Little Jam Sesh
If you didn’t pack a Bluetooth speaker, you can create a little makeshift amplifier with a ceramic coffee mug. Drop your phone inside and play some tunes and it will amplify the music just enough for you to enjoy.
Toothbrush Holder
You never want to leave your toothbrush just sitting on the counter in a hotel room, no matter how clean it appears to be. To make a quick toothbrush holder, just poke a hole in the bottom of a paper cup and place it upside-down with your toothbrush inside!
Hot File
If your room doesn’t come with a disposable nail file, the next best thing you can grab is a matchbook. Use the little strip where you would typically strike the match to take care of an annoying hangnail.
Continental Breakfast
Continental breakfasts are typically included in many hotel stays, but the annoying part of a hotel breakfast is the silly butter in those foil packets that are always frozen and impossible to spread. A quick little hack for this is to place them on the warm toaster to thaw a bit to make it spread much easier on your morning toast.
Fill ‘Er Up
If the hotel gym or lobby has a water dispenser, make sure you fill up a reusable bottle to take with you on the go. It’ll save you a couple of dollars in your travels and it’s better for the environment.
Makeshift Nightstand
If your side of the bed doesn’t have a nightstand, just use the folded corner of the fitted sheet to keep the essentials close by. It’s the perfect spot for your glasses, cell phone, remote control, etc.
Easy Access
To prop the heavy hotel room door open while you bring in your things, use a hanger and latch it onto the top lock to hold it ajar when you’re unloading.
Avoid the Mini-Bar
Instead of caving to the temptation of the mini-bar that is very overpriced, restock the mini-fridge with snacks from a local convenience store so you’re all set when the late-night cravings hit.
Germ-Free
If you’re a germaphobe, or you just really need to avoid falling victim to cold and flu season, wrap the room’s remote control in the ice bucket bag to avoid the germs.
Noise Control
If the noise or lighting from the hotel’s hallways is bothering you, use a spare towel to cover the opening at the bottom of the door. It’s not totally soundproof, but it will help a ton.
Party On
If your room didn’t come with a mini-fridge, simply make use of the ice machine and fill up your sink to keep your beverages cold. It’s also handy because as the ice melts, it’ll go right down the drain.
Always Powered
Many new hotels require that the key-card be kept in a slot to keep the power on while you’re in the room. If you want to come back to a nice warm or cool room after a long day, simply slip any card into the slot to keep it going while you’re gone.
Juice Cup Level-Up
At the juice machines in most hotels, they only offer tiny little plastic cups. So instead of using them and having to get multiple refills, grab the coffee cup from your room to use at the juice machine. Rebellious!
Soup On the Fly
If you need a quick and easy bite to eat when you’re in the confines of a hotel or motel room, use the coffee maker to make hot water for an easy little Ramen Noodles meal.
Makeshift Humidifier
If the air in your room is particularly dry, just run a towel under hot water and drape it over the luggage stand next to the fan or A/C unit for a DIY humidifier.
Easy Stream
Avoid paying for a movie rental in the hotel by bringing your Chromecast (or similar device) with you for your stay. As long as the room has Wi-Fi and the TV has an HDMI input, you can stream movies or shows from your tablet, phone, or laptop.
Hair Dry-Ironing
If steaming your clothes with the shower isn’t cutting it, use the hairdryer in the room to heat up the wrinkled places and use your other hand to smooth. Careful not to get too close to your clothing though so as to not burn/melt anything.
Duct Tape Safety
Duct tape is a handy thing to pack when traveling with kids. Just tape over exposed outlets, tape down loose wires/cords, or tape over sharp corners.
Wet Clothing Storage
A pool at the hotel is always fun, but if you’re leaving before your swimsuits dry all the way, toss them in the plastic bag that the hotel provides for the ice bucket to protect your other items from getting wet, too.
Capping Leftovers
If you didn’t quite finish your room service meal, use the shower cap in the room to cover it up and place it in the fridge to snack on later.
In A Bind
Conditioner is a handy little product supplied by most hotels and motels. It can also be used as a makeup remover, cuticle cream, and shaving cream.
Tipping Power
Ovolo Hotels says to “slip the front office staff your credit card together with a $20 note and ask if there are any ‘complimentary upgrades’ available and just wait for the magic to happen.” Hey, it’s worth a shot!
Grab & Go
Hotels typically charge a fee for room service. To avoid the fee, just order takeout from the hotel’s restaurant and run down and grab it!
Shower Shoes
Before packing up your shoes after a long weekend of traveling, place them into the provided shower cap to keep them away from your clothes and other items.
Sugar Spa
Even if you’re traveling on a budget you can “treat yourself” to a bit of a spa treatment by mixing a packet of brown sugar with moisturizer for a scrub/exfoliant. Your skin will feel soft without having to break the bank.
Take-Home Toiletries
The tiny bottles of shampoo and soaps in the room are always handy to use for other trips, plane travel, camping, etc. so even if you didn’t use them, take them home with you for future use.
Extra Necessities
The items provided in your room aren’t usually the only one the hotel has for you. If you forgot a toothbrush or need a sewing kit, just call the front desk. It doesn’t hurt to ask!
Special Occasions
Always let the hotel know about any special celebrations or. occasions you may be celebrating while staying. Sometimes they’ll offer an upgrade or leave you something small like chocolates or champagne.
Pillow Wall
Depending on how old they are, siblings don’t always love sharing a bed. To skip the arguments, build a wall out of pillows to keep them apart.
Self-Wash
If you really need clothes washed while you’re staying in a hotel, just wash them yourself in the bathtub. It’ll save you money and a trip to the laundromat.
Leave A Review
When you check into your hotel, ask them if they’re on TripAdvisor or other review sites so you can leave them a glowing review. Oftentimes they’ll upgrade you or give you a free breakfast voucher for the kindness.
Card Carrier
To get room upgrades for less, sign up for a credit card that offers room and flight upgrades. The annual fee is typically high, but if you’re a frequent traveler, it’s definitely worth the investment in the long run.
A Classy Meal
If you brought your own food and snacks, that doesn’t mean you have to eat from a takeout container–just call the front desk and ask for dishes and silverware.
Do Not Disturb
If you don’t want anyone disturbing you during your stay or entering your room when you’re not there, just leave the ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign up at all times.
Skip The Cleaning
If you’re staying in an unfamiliar area, or one that you just don’t feel very safe in, never use the “Service Room” sign. It lets potential thieves know you’re not there.
Homemade Meals
If you’re trying to travel on a budget, you can ask the restaurant for use of a slow cooker or bring your own to make easy meals in the room.
Bath Plug
If the drain plug is broken or nonexistent in your room, you can create one with a plastic bag and some coins. Take a plastic bag, place it in the drain, and then use some spare change to weigh it down. Then when you’re all finished, just lift the bag out and you’re good to go!
Ironing Board Table
If you’re sharing a room with the whole family, it’s usually pretty tight in there, especially come mealtime. There’s typically not an easy place to all enjoy a meal, but rooms usually have an ironing board. This proves to be pretty useful and can double as a table for the little ones to use for eating.
Diaper Duty
If you’re traveling with a small child, there’s not always somewhere convenient to dispose of soiled diapers. A good hack for this is to use the free laundry bag that’s provided, instead of trying to cram them all into the small hotel trash cans.