The hotel industry is full of tiny little secrets that they don’t want you to know about when you come to stay overnight while traveling. They might not have literal skeletons in their closets, but the metaphorical ones can barely fit! We’re talking about insider knowledge about how often the duvets and covers on the beds get cleaned, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg!
Of course, there are some positive secrets as well, and ex-hotel employee Janessa Richard spilled the beans in a series of fun and candid TikTok videos. Keep in mind, though, Janessa noted that this is her personal experience working at just one hotel and we really shouldn’t assume that all hotels function this way. (Though most are sure to have their own shady secrets that nobody should know about.)
Check out some of Janessa’s best insights below, upvote the ones that you found useful and entertaining, and let us know what hotel secrets you’ve uncovered if you’ve ever worked in the industry, dear Pandas.
@janessarichard Spilling some 🍵 as an ex hotel employee! ##fyp ##pregnant ##pregnancy ##canadianmamas ##momlife ##toddlermom ##hotelsecrets
♬ Stuck in the Middle - Tai Verdes
Image credits: janessarichard
This post may include affiliate links.
We are legally not allowed to say your room number out loud, which is why we will usually write it on an envelope, pass it to you and tell you "this is your room number".
If you are very nice and we like you, we can upgrade you to a better room or a suite at no extra cost, if there's any available.
Different hotel brands have different policies when it comes to upgrading their guests. The hotel I worked at didn't really care, as long as we had the availability we were allowed to.
I did have some guests who asked for free upgrades, if they were nice I'd give it to them, if they weren't I'd lie and tell them we didn't have any suites available.
That is good but what if a new guest comes in and would like to pay for that upgrade room?
California mom Janessa focuses on videos about hotels, as well as her motherhood journey. She has over 53k followers on TikTok and appears to highly value honesty both in her content and in how she engages with her fandom.
Running a hotel well isn’t as easy as washing the sheets between every customer and smiling at everybody all day long. In a previous interview, Dr. Gabor Forgacs from Ryerson University told Bored Panda about some other aspects of maintaining quality at hotels and how hoteliers can ensure that their businesses prosper.
Dr. Forgacs noted that the main reason why guests return to hotels is simple: they had good memories of staying there. “Not necessarily a gold plated doorknob or the extra skirt hangers in the closet; best memories are created through interaction with people. If service excellence exceeds expectations, guests always remember that,” he told Bored Panda earlier.
If your breakfast is included in your stay but you're leaving before breakfast start time, you can always ask the staff if they can make a little "to-go" bag with a few items in it.
Most hotels do not wash their duvets/comforters in between guests. They wash them maybe once a year which is really freaking gross.
So, the first thing you wanna do when you walk into your room - don't go lay down on your bed, take the duvet off!
Meanwhile, struggling businesses need to reinvent themselves and up their standards. But none of that can happen without some honest appraisal of where the hotel stands at the moment. “Languishing hotels need to take an honest look at themselves to understand the reasons why they can't create special memories,” he explained.
Almost every standard room that you book comes with a water bottle and drinking glasses. I would not recommend drinking from those glasses as most of the time they're not changed in between guests as long as they look "clean".
When I stayed in hotels, I always washed the glasses and cups before I used them.
We ALWAYS recommend booking through the hotel directly. If you book through a 3rd party, your room and room type are not actually guaranteed.
Here in Korea, there's many respectable 3rd party apps and sites for booking hotels at cheaper prices, and we've never had problems with it. You check-in, they confirm your identity, find you in their database and give you the keys. You may make extensions and pay extra for additional services you decided for on the spot.
That really is for the most part, the same routine here in the US. I would imagine that there are certain times when expectations aren't completely met. But I don't see those as the norm.
Load More Replies...
Not entirely true. Lot of places sell most of their rooms through third party like the Bookin. This kind of place is dependant on good reviews, so they will do their best to offer the guest with what they booked. Also, sometimes the third party offers cheeper prices than the accomodation facility itself. I'm a former hostel / hotel worker.
I always look at booking then contact the hotel directly. They always make me the same price and often upgrade my room because they don't have to involve the third party who takes them 15% of the money. Win/win.
Load More Replies...
I'm not sure if this is true! You always get a confirmation email that is from the hotel itself and there are hotels that work almost exclusively with these platforms even though you can book straight through them...I work in such hotel and 90% of reservations is through booking!
I have witnessed this many times. Guest - "I have the confirmation through the budget site." Hotel clerk-"We never received that reservation and we are fully booked" then guest gets mad and the clerk can only say "You need to call the site and work with them" which never goes over well. I always book through the hotel.
depends on the site, respectable sites not only will help you find a new place but can actually compensate you if something goes wrong and the room is different from the one you booked
Load More Replies...
I've used 3rd party sites all over the US and Canada for almost a decade and never had a single problem.
the third party sites are a great way to learn about availability and rates, but then go to the hotel site or call them to actually book
Booking.com has never done me wrong, all these years. I have NEVER not gotten the exact room type that I thought I was getting. They are ACES, in my book.
that is not true. We are obligated to provide the room type booked. But sometimes the third party puts up a rate for a run-of-house room which means anything that is available. Bed requests are then also subject to availability when it's requested. For direct bookings we can block the rooms immediately, for 3rd party we need to wait for the booking confirmation to come in.
My brother who travels for business books through third part sites, but unless I am using a travel agent (as I do for my Disney trips), I book directly with the hotel. Often they will have an offer that just shows up on their site or in your email if you have subscribed, and my AAA/AARP cards get me a discount of some kind almost everywhere.
And they might not tell you, just hand you a key. My daughter boked a suite for the night before her wedding. The place was gonna be ful the next day with bridesmaids, photographer, videographer, hair and makeup, and sundry assistants. It was only when we reached the door, that we found ourselves in a single room. It took a lot of sweet talking to get the suite she'd paid for.
I found this out the hard way when when the Texas snow storm happened. I showed up to check in and they'd sold the room to somebody else . Luckily we found another hotel with a room left .
If you travel to a (remote area in a) country where you don’t speak the language (and they don’t speak yours), a booking site is really helpful though. But indeed, if you’re travelling to a reliable looking hotel, and you speak the language, I’d book via the hotel directly too: you pay the same, but the hotel doesn’t have to pay commission to the booking site.
wow! is that true....not with most agencies I have booked through....
This happened to us in April when we booked through Hotels.com luckily the room type we wanted was available and they, Marriott, gave it to us at a discount. Going straight through the hotel site from now on. If it wasn't for the pandemic that hotel probably would have been full.
Always. I despise needless middlemen who just cost you more. Same thing will travel sites - never found a cheaper flight than I did booking myself.
That's the contrary (at least in France, way cheaper than paying directly) I had to stay for two month in hostels, and most of the time the night was 100-160€, and online I paid around 60 !
Load More Replies...
“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,” Dr. Forgacs said.
Never EVER walk barefoot on the carpets. They are unbelievingly gross. They get vacuumed between guests but are rarely ever washed and deep cleaned.
There are a lot of shady things that happen in hotels. We once had an "escort company" rent out a room and bring men in. We had to call the cops, things got crazy.
When I worked at a hotel (major chain) cleaning rooms we were told to mind our own business, even if we witnessed something illegal or drugs, etc. We were told the only exception is anything involving children or if someone asked for help.
An extra ounce of care for your customers goes a long way. The more you genuinely care about them, the more likely they are to return. “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,” he said.
Some hotels have a "100% satisfaction guarantee" policy, which means if you find even one little thing that you're not satisfied with, and bring it up to the manager, they might be able to compensate your entire stay.
They do not change the toilet paper rolls in between guests. If there's paper left on the roll, they'll leave it and fold the end to make it look pretty.
Most of these sound like some people are allergic to anything that isn't themselves.
True. I've stayed in hundreds of hotels for work and as long as it looks and smells clean which it always does in a hotel I sleep quite happily
Load More Replies... *me writing article about the secrets of the tents that all people should know*😅😅😅
Load More Replies...
I'm very intrigued to write an article about the secrets of spas! Oh boy! You don't want to know!
we're staying in a hotel next week, and this article didn't dissuade me from enjoying myself. OMG! what if there is no brand new roll of toilet paper? what ever will we do!
Nice, but most of the hotel's I've been at tell me otherwise. Hence the disclaimer.
You really expected any of the hotels to say "yes, the carpet is gross, we don't wash the duvet and we don't change the glasses"...like...really..?
Load More Replies...
I wouldn't expect a fresh roll of tp every time the room is cleaned that's extremely wasteful and who cares?
All a bit dramatic, if they put a fresh toilet roll out every time what effect would that have on the environment? Do you wash your carpets more than once a year? Most glasses in hotels I've stayed are wrapped. Heres an idea if theyre not,wadh it before you use it.
stayed in more than 3000 hotel rooms ---drank the water, used the glasses, etc ... still alive----
If I am the princess and the pea I should rather stay at home in my own bubble - what a surprise....
This is all old, well known, common knowledge that has been written about hundreds of times.
I work on app development for a hotel chain. The apps have really useful features - you can check in and check out with them, make room requests right through the app, you can cast to the TV from your phone once paired with the app, and you can unlock your door with it. It only works if you're a member and have booked directly though. Our website also accurately lists prices from online travel agents right in its results, and it does price match, so it's really worth it to book through the web or app directly.
Put the remote control in a zip lock bag, it still works and you won't need to clean it.
Most of these sound like some people are allergic to anything that isn't themselves.
True. I've stayed in hundreds of hotels for work and as long as it looks and smells clean which it always does in a hotel I sleep quite happily
Load More Replies... *me writing article about the secrets of the tents that all people should know*😅😅😅
Load More Replies... I'm very intrigued to write an article about the secrets of spas! Oh boy! You don't want to know!
we're staying in a hotel next week, and this article didn't dissuade me from enjoying myself. OMG! what if there is no brand new roll of toilet paper? what ever will we do!
Nice, but most of the hotel's I've been at tell me otherwise. Hence the disclaimer.
You really expected any of the hotels to say "yes, the carpet is gross, we don't wash the duvet and we don't change the glasses"...like...really..?
Load More Replies... I wouldn't expect a fresh roll of tp every time the room is cleaned that's extremely wasteful and who cares?
All a bit dramatic, if they put a fresh toilet roll out every time what effect would that have on the environment? Do you wash your carpets more than once a year? Most glasses in hotels I've stayed are wrapped. Heres an idea if theyre not,wadh it before you use it.
stayed in more than 3000 hotel rooms ---drank the water, used the glasses, etc ... still alive----
If I am the princess and the pea I should rather stay at home in my own bubble - what a surprise....
This is all old, well known, common knowledge that has been written about hundreds of times.
I work on app development for a hotel chain. The apps have really useful features - you can check in and check out with them, make room requests right through the app, you can cast to the TV from your phone once paired with the app, and you can unlock your door with it. It only works if you're a member and have booked directly though. Our website also accurately lists prices from online travel agents right in its results, and it does price match, so it's really worth it to book through the web or app directly.
Put the remote control in a zip lock bag, it still works and you won't need to clean it.
