25 People Share Their Hotel Hacks And Traveling Might Never Be The Same Again
When you come to stay at a hotel, usually all that you want are the basics: to relax, watch a movie on TV, get a good night’s sleep, enjoy some delicious English breakfast in the morning, maybe get some advice about what interesting sites there are to see nearby. The last thing that should be on your mind is how uncomfortable you are.
It shouldn’t take 5 stars for a hotel to provide the basics and make you feel welcome. However, the sad reality is that far from every hotel you stay at will be up to your standards. Luckily, people have come up with plenty of life hacks while you stay at hotels, especially bad ones. And one person’s hotel hack to get rid of the annoying gap between the curtains inspired others to share their own tips and tricks.
We here at Bored Panda have compiled a list of hotel hacks to improve your stay and help you circumnavigate bad experiences as best you can. So scroll down, upvote your fave hacks, and share them with your friends. And be sure to leave us a comment with any hotel hacks that you might know as well.
This post may include affiliate links.
When Rick Klau shared the hack where you can use a hanger to close the blackout curtains in your hotel room, the internet’s response was phenomenal. The hack was liked 396,700 times and retweeted 71,500 times. Klau’s post inspired other social media users to share their own hotel hacks, and some of them are brilliant in their simplicity.
I always carry individually wrapped antiseptic wipes. As a dog owner I've found them to be a very good idea just generally.. The packaging can be recyled on these. EDIT: and the wipes are as well with the ones I use. I only mentioned packaging as I was looking at that large plastic container in the photo.
I've never been in a hotel where you had to turn on the electricity in the room. Where does this happen?
Bored Panda interviewed Dr. Gabor Forgacs from Ryerson University about the hotel industry, as well as the challenges it faces in the 21st century.
“Technology is offered as an option for convenience but not as a replacement for service. Automated check-ins and wake up calls etc. are fine, however, it is a guest preference to choose them as a lot of guests appreciate the human interaction instead. Technology is used to expedite service (curbside check-in, messaging, digital coupons, etc.) not replacing it.”
Literally anything is a bottle opener of you try hard enough, and if you're even careful enough you can open a beer with a beer? Plot twist
Detailed instructions for the lighter and lipstick please!
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Swiss army knives are even more useful. Just remember to pack them in your checked luggage if you're taking a flight.
I always pay for a hotel room so I can have a place to sit around getting drunk.
If you are tall enough, enjoy your beer. If you are short, just keep throwing it at the door closer then eventually you will realise you can actually open it with your car key. (Hint, it is the gap where the key attaches on the key ring...but don't tell anyone!!!! Oh and if you have one of those whizzbang electronic keys? Enjoy looking at your beer for the rest of your stay.)
And this might bend the thing and therefor break it... So don't you're not at home..
Only good for tall people, short people call the front desk to have an opener brought up to them ✌🏻✨
If the room has a desk then the bottle opener is usually on the side of it. It’s to stop people ruining the room or damaging things (like door hinges)
Always pack a pair of thongs with an inbuilt bottle opener or you could just use a key.
some less expensive hotels don't offer things like that. your sarcasm isn't needed or wanted.
“How we leverage our data is important for hoteliers. We have a data-rich operational environment and we have to walk a fine line in terms of using our data sources for improving service without invading guest privacy and respecting sensitivities," Dr. Forgacs said.
“The philosophy of old school hoteliers, and I am one, still rules: we see everything, we know anything about our guests but never disclose anything, never reveal what we know and keep all that to ourselves. Best hoteliers are unassuming, discreet and highly knowledgeable.”
They always throw away any of the small soaps that remain so you might as well take those. Hotels need to stop providing these things in mini plastic containers for the sake of the planet.
In what fucking universe is that easier than just using the cup normally?
And also, one where the outlets fit the configuration of the plugs that you use (American, European, whatever). Better than having to depend on getting multiple adapters for each of your devices. If the plug on the strip doesn't fit the wall outlet, you can get just one adapter at the front desk.
What hotel has doors like that? I never seen a gap between doors and the floor
This is exactly what the hotel chains want you to do. Usually, it means thta you do not pick by quality and price andmore but by brand. Maximizing a hotel program usually is only worth it if you stay in hotels A LOT and/or if you can status match with other loyality programs, like that of airlines. Which again make only sense if you travel a lot. From my experience, there is little sense below 25 nights a year.
Small point but it will take you longer to get out when the fire alarm goes off (happened twice in hotels I've stayed in).
"Please be careful not to cover any air holes so you don't disable the detector. Please remove the tape in the morning so maintenance can inspect the detector."
I can't believe how germaphobic people are...
You can be reasonably clean, but thinking too much about germs can suck all the fun out of any trip and holliday.
e
I agree. People think that if you touch something that someone else has, you're going to get the plague. What actually happens is you go on as normal with no side effects.
As someone who travels about half the year, I can tell you I never check for bed bugs, I don't sanitize anything, and I sleep in the buff knowing full well others have probably done the same thing. I've had my job for 4 years now and the only time I get sick is when I'm at home and my daughter has something. Hotel rooms are clean because the hotel doesn't want the liability of bad press.
I think people tend to false estimate what is unhygenic and what not. The dirtiest place in an airplane, for example, is the small table that you have. Still, most people will readily put nuts and the like there...
I can understand how someone with a compromised or weak immune system could benefit from this, but I would think they would already carry around disinfectant and the likes.
I can't believe how much time and effort they waste on it. Carry hand sanitizer or sanitizing spray..like Lysol. I also find it funny that they're such germaphobes. If they knew how infrequently the sheets are changed in your typical hotel, they'd run screaming from the room. One reason we only stay at hotels that advertise that the sheets are changed after every stay.
just wash your hands and shower regularly..
You don't think sick people use hotel rooms? Two Christmases ago we were visiting relatives in San Diego and every single person in the family got the nasty flu bug that was going around in the States (and that killed a lot of people). Because the relatives' house wasn't big enough for everyone, we volunteered to sleep in a hotel nearby. Christmas morning my son and I both woke up super sick. Even with our best efforts to not spread our Christmas gift to the next folks, you know we had to have left flu germs everywhere. If the hotel staff didn't clean well, the people who got the room after us were definitely exposed. Same thing with the airplane we took to get home the next day. I'm sure we unintentionally smeared germs all over everything. So you'd better believe I wipe down all the surfaces in the hotel rooms I stay in, and the trays and armrests of airplanes. And use sanitizing spray in public bathrooms. Not everyone is the kind who never gets sick.
Im sorry but a 4-5 star hotel and the previous person left a dead hair lice on the pillow. The horrooooor 😱
Maybe its those who dont vaccinate 🤔🤣🤣
This is somewhat disappointing. Some hacks are rather dumb, some are really selfish, and many would be mitigated by using 5-10 USD or EUR more a night to book a hotel that cares for its customers.
Even the top-rated hotels' cleaning staffs don't always do a top-rated job. I've read a number of articles where it's been proven that cleaning staff take shortcuts and don't do all the things we would expect them to do (like sanitizing bathroom counters).
Mostly because they’re not given the time. During my college days I work for a Holiday Inn as a chambermaid. I tried my best to cover every surface but when you had 13 rooms to do sometimes you would forget or not be able to finish to your own standards.
I've never done any of these and I somehow survived all the hotels I've stayed in.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Well, then, thank God for your good genes and super immune system. Not everyone is that healthy.
In which country do hotels provide irons and ironing boards? I have been to a lot of countries and never seen one.
All the hotels I've been in the EU, ALL have ironing boards & heaps of other services as standard :-)
Korea and Japan, for example. Open the closet and you may find the ironing board alongside other useful equipment.
Most hotels in USA I've stayed at did. A few of the more-basic ones didn't. In a fairly but not extravagantly nice hotel Paris, my girlfriend had to call the front desk to get an iron and ironing board. I can't remember off-hand about other EU hotels to be honest.
Your girlfriend should have asked them to do the ironing for her. I'll be blunt - expensive hotels will provide a valet or ironing service. Cheap ones provide an ironing board and you have to do it yourself.
@ Liam, it's not free to have the hotel do it. Most hotels charge $4 or more to iron a shirt.
The U.S. does. I've been to Europe and the hotels we stayed at had them. Also in the Caribbean.
Most Premiere Inns / Holiday Inns in the UK have irons and ironing boards.
Yeah - they're not exactly quality hotels though.
I was thinking the same. And imagine carrying your own ironing board from home, and into plane. That would be the day!
I found it on some 4 star hotel in Singapore. In Dubai and Indonesia I only found the iron, not the board. But still, it could be differ between hotels
Some of the nicer ones in South Africa do it too.
In quite a few, depending on the hotel, not necessarily the country, and there will be an iron in a holder on the wardrobe wall, too. Very convenient.
Every hotel in the UK, hotels in Istanbul had it, some hotels in Rome have it, Portugal is mandatory in every single one of them, as so does Spain. You just have to call reception and they will bring it. And also cottages, apartments and other sorts of accommodations have that option. Just call reception or whoever is in charge and they'll most certainly provide it.
None of the hotels I've stayed in the UK and Europe - it might depend on the quality of the hotel.
TIL that everyone is obsessed with hotel TV remotes...
This is probably one of the worst articles I've ever read on bored panda.
I knew this would be bullcrap when I read "hacks". It's always the same, "life hacks" are a mixture of tips on how to be selfish and stuff you get by thinking about your "problem" for three to five seconds.
Yes, I may be revealing myself as an old fart but I refuse to call them 'hacks'. It's just jargon. How about "tips" or "shortcuts"?
Thankd god every single hotel is exactly the same!
Best hotel hack, don't use the public WiFi and if you do, pay for a VPN to keep your device secure. Hackers can sit outside a hotel and read the traffic on public WiFi.
Got excited -> read the post -> got disappointed . Useless hacks
Well I think I've learned that lots of people select really crappy hotels. Off course understanding if you are on a budget, better to rent an apartment for a couple of days & do some of the 'hotel-services' yourself? :-)
Lame
Want an upgrade? Book it. Want a phone charger? Bring it. Want to store your bags? TIP THE BELLMAN. And for fvcks sake.. put down your fvking cell phone during check in... or we will give you the absolute worst room available.
I have been travelling with my roku or Amazon fire stick! As long as they have wifi and a hdmi slot, you can watch apps instead of the limited channels they offer!
Some nicer hotels now allow you to log into Netflix, Hulu and other services right from the channel. It also automatically logs you out when you check out.
what to do when travelling to the UK or a country that uses 220 volt ac power and your laptop uses a 120 vac US power transformer? The best solution is to buy a second power adapter that is set up with the funky UK plug for use in the UK or Africa... The step up/down cheap outlet adapter they sell can burn out your power transformer and/or laptop
I always bring my own pillow and toiletries because most hotels use horrid scented detergent in the laundry and perfumed soap and shampoo. The last time the smell was so overwhelming, this year I'm taking a sleep sack for the bed and throwing the hotel sheets on the floor.
What is the purpose of sticking tape on the smoke detector? I don't get that one.
My daughter made an OUT OF ORDER sign and put it on the ice machine that was right next to our room because whenever anyone got ice it made a huge racket. Genius
My daughter made an "OUT OF ORDER" sign and put it on the ice machine that was right next to our room because whenever anyone got ice it made a huge racket. Genius
This is probably the most pointless link I’ve clicked on for this site so far.
I think I'll stay home, it's safer and cleaner.
Note on the remotes from someone who used to work in hospitality... just because you can’t see anything on it or just because it’s not sticky doesn’t mean someone has cleaned it well. All it takes is one guest who had the flu, or pinkeye, or who drooled on it after they fell asleep watching tv in bed. It’s not a matter of being a germaphobe; it’s a matter of knowing what places in hotels (at any price level) are most likely to get skipped or barely cleaned enough to kill the bacteria on them. Places like this are the remote, the mini-fridge door handle and front/top, the closet, nightstand, and desk drawer handles, the lamp switches and wall light switches...
Terrified of the remote, but no problem sleeping in probably unwashed bed sheets
Some day, in the distant future, Bored Panda will make the links in the notification emails actually FUNCTIONAL, rather than just leading us to some random position on the page.
Who are these people covering everything in plastic, have they all got problems with their immune systems...?
I always check the bathroom vents for dust. A dusty vent probably means no hidden camera!!
So many people who don't know how germs or hotel cleaning work.
To be honest.. i didnt enjoy seeing these hacks. On a brighter note the comments from our fellow Bored Pandas were exquisite !! I will arrow up this article for that 😆
I always travel with an extra large rubber door stop. Extra security.
so many points about remote controls for the TV
All these Pandas packing clips and cords... I'm doing well if I remember both my shoes.
I always travel with my own toiletries in refillable travel bottles. Then I don't need to use the hotel's tiny bottles! I also use a weighted sleep mask. It keeps the light out of my eyes, and the gentle weight is calming, stress reducing.
More like hack jobs
I'll share my own hack... always brings a stack of post-it notes: you can attach them to the inside of the room door covering the peep hole
Good one. Also (not specific to hotels) put a scrap of tape over your laptop's camera unless you're sure you want to be video-ing.
Take a blacklight bulb with you if you want to see some body fluids left in your room. They only cost around $2 at Walmart and most places that sell light bulbs. But, if you are going to use one, do it before you unpack - you may be moving to another room...or hotel.
This comment has been deleted.
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Here in the US I always carry a clear garbage bag with me. I fill it with my recyclable items while I'm staying in the hotel. When I check out, I make certain to show the staff all of the recyclable items I've collected from my own use. I'm taking them home with me, for proper recycling. I point out that they are being very irresponsible by not providing recycling facilities to their guests. This is usually site-specific, not brand specific. I might stay at three different hotels in the same chain, two with recycling bins, but one without them. I've had staff ask to take pictures of my recyclables to show to their corporate offices. I've had staff ask me to fill out a guest survey for their local management.
Not sure what shit holes your staying at. Every single Marriott hotel I have stayed at has both a trash can and recycling can in every room. Also, you can take those soaps and shampoos you don't use and give them to shelters.
I can't believe how germaphobic people are...
You can be reasonably clean, but thinking too much about germs can suck all the fun out of any trip and holliday.
e
I agree. People think that if you touch something that someone else has, you're going to get the plague. What actually happens is you go on as normal with no side effects.
As someone who travels about half the year, I can tell you I never check for bed bugs, I don't sanitize anything, and I sleep in the buff knowing full well others have probably done the same thing. I've had my job for 4 years now and the only time I get sick is when I'm at home and my daughter has something. Hotel rooms are clean because the hotel doesn't want the liability of bad press.
I think people tend to false estimate what is unhygenic and what not. The dirtiest place in an airplane, for example, is the small table that you have. Still, most people will readily put nuts and the like there...
I can understand how someone with a compromised or weak immune system could benefit from this, but I would think they would already carry around disinfectant and the likes.
I can't believe how much time and effort they waste on it. Carry hand sanitizer or sanitizing spray..like Lysol. I also find it funny that they're such germaphobes. If they knew how infrequently the sheets are changed in your typical hotel, they'd run screaming from the room. One reason we only stay at hotels that advertise that the sheets are changed after every stay.
just wash your hands and shower regularly..
You don't think sick people use hotel rooms? Two Christmases ago we were visiting relatives in San Diego and every single person in the family got the nasty flu bug that was going around in the States (and that killed a lot of people). Because the relatives' house wasn't big enough for everyone, we volunteered to sleep in a hotel nearby. Christmas morning my son and I both woke up super sick. Even with our best efforts to not spread our Christmas gift to the next folks, you know we had to have left flu germs everywhere. If the hotel staff didn't clean well, the people who got the room after us were definitely exposed. Same thing with the airplane we took to get home the next day. I'm sure we unintentionally smeared germs all over everything. So you'd better believe I wipe down all the surfaces in the hotel rooms I stay in, and the trays and armrests of airplanes. And use sanitizing spray in public bathrooms. Not everyone is the kind who never gets sick.
Im sorry but a 4-5 star hotel and the previous person left a dead hair lice on the pillow. The horrooooor 😱
Maybe its those who dont vaccinate 🤔🤣🤣
This is somewhat disappointing. Some hacks are rather dumb, some are really selfish, and many would be mitigated by using 5-10 USD or EUR more a night to book a hotel that cares for its customers.
Even the top-rated hotels' cleaning staffs don't always do a top-rated job. I've read a number of articles where it's been proven that cleaning staff take shortcuts and don't do all the things we would expect them to do (like sanitizing bathroom counters).
Mostly because they’re not given the time. During my college days I work for a Holiday Inn as a chambermaid. I tried my best to cover every surface but when you had 13 rooms to do sometimes you would forget or not be able to finish to your own standards.
I've never done any of these and I somehow survived all the hotels I've stayed in.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Well, then, thank God for your good genes and super immune system. Not everyone is that healthy.
In which country do hotels provide irons and ironing boards? I have been to a lot of countries and never seen one.
All the hotels I've been in the EU, ALL have ironing boards & heaps of other services as standard :-)
Korea and Japan, for example. Open the closet and you may find the ironing board alongside other useful equipment.
Most hotels in USA I've stayed at did. A few of the more-basic ones didn't. In a fairly but not extravagantly nice hotel Paris, my girlfriend had to call the front desk to get an iron and ironing board. I can't remember off-hand about other EU hotels to be honest.
Your girlfriend should have asked them to do the ironing for her. I'll be blunt - expensive hotels will provide a valet or ironing service. Cheap ones provide an ironing board and you have to do it yourself.
@ Liam, it's not free to have the hotel do it. Most hotels charge $4 or more to iron a shirt.
The U.S. does. I've been to Europe and the hotels we stayed at had them. Also in the Caribbean.
Most Premiere Inns / Holiday Inns in the UK have irons and ironing boards.
Yeah - they're not exactly quality hotels though.
I was thinking the same. And imagine carrying your own ironing board from home, and into plane. That would be the day!
I found it on some 4 star hotel in Singapore. In Dubai and Indonesia I only found the iron, not the board. But still, it could be differ between hotels
Some of the nicer ones in South Africa do it too.
In quite a few, depending on the hotel, not necessarily the country, and there will be an iron in a holder on the wardrobe wall, too. Very convenient.
Every hotel in the UK, hotels in Istanbul had it, some hotels in Rome have it, Portugal is mandatory in every single one of them, as so does Spain. You just have to call reception and they will bring it. And also cottages, apartments and other sorts of accommodations have that option. Just call reception or whoever is in charge and they'll most certainly provide it.
None of the hotels I've stayed in the UK and Europe - it might depend on the quality of the hotel.
TIL that everyone is obsessed with hotel TV remotes...
This is probably one of the worst articles I've ever read on bored panda.
I knew this would be bullcrap when I read "hacks". It's always the same, "life hacks" are a mixture of tips on how to be selfish and stuff you get by thinking about your "problem" for three to five seconds.
Yes, I may be revealing myself as an old fart but I refuse to call them 'hacks'. It's just jargon. How about "tips" or "shortcuts"?
Thankd god every single hotel is exactly the same!
Best hotel hack, don't use the public WiFi and if you do, pay for a VPN to keep your device secure. Hackers can sit outside a hotel and read the traffic on public WiFi.
Got excited -> read the post -> got disappointed . Useless hacks
Well I think I've learned that lots of people select really crappy hotels. Off course understanding if you are on a budget, better to rent an apartment for a couple of days & do some of the 'hotel-services' yourself? :-)
Lame
Want an upgrade? Book it. Want a phone charger? Bring it. Want to store your bags? TIP THE BELLMAN. And for fvcks sake.. put down your fvking cell phone during check in... or we will give you the absolute worst room available.
I have been travelling with my roku or Amazon fire stick! As long as they have wifi and a hdmi slot, you can watch apps instead of the limited channels they offer!
Some nicer hotels now allow you to log into Netflix, Hulu and other services right from the channel. It also automatically logs you out when you check out.
what to do when travelling to the UK or a country that uses 220 volt ac power and your laptop uses a 120 vac US power transformer? The best solution is to buy a second power adapter that is set up with the funky UK plug for use in the UK or Africa... The step up/down cheap outlet adapter they sell can burn out your power transformer and/or laptop
I always bring my own pillow and toiletries because most hotels use horrid scented detergent in the laundry and perfumed soap and shampoo. The last time the smell was so overwhelming, this year I'm taking a sleep sack for the bed and throwing the hotel sheets on the floor.
What is the purpose of sticking tape on the smoke detector? I don't get that one.
My daughter made an OUT OF ORDER sign and put it on the ice machine that was right next to our room because whenever anyone got ice it made a huge racket. Genius
My daughter made an "OUT OF ORDER" sign and put it on the ice machine that was right next to our room because whenever anyone got ice it made a huge racket. Genius
This is probably the most pointless link I’ve clicked on for this site so far.
I think I'll stay home, it's safer and cleaner.
Note on the remotes from someone who used to work in hospitality... just because you can’t see anything on it or just because it’s not sticky doesn’t mean someone has cleaned it well. All it takes is one guest who had the flu, or pinkeye, or who drooled on it after they fell asleep watching tv in bed. It’s not a matter of being a germaphobe; it’s a matter of knowing what places in hotels (at any price level) are most likely to get skipped or barely cleaned enough to kill the bacteria on them. Places like this are the remote, the mini-fridge door handle and front/top, the closet, nightstand, and desk drawer handles, the lamp switches and wall light switches...
Terrified of the remote, but no problem sleeping in probably unwashed bed sheets
Some day, in the distant future, Bored Panda will make the links in the notification emails actually FUNCTIONAL, rather than just leading us to some random position on the page.
Who are these people covering everything in plastic, have they all got problems with their immune systems...?
I always check the bathroom vents for dust. A dusty vent probably means no hidden camera!!
So many people who don't know how germs or hotel cleaning work.
To be honest.. i didnt enjoy seeing these hacks. On a brighter note the comments from our fellow Bored Pandas were exquisite !! I will arrow up this article for that 😆
I always travel with an extra large rubber door stop. Extra security.
so many points about remote controls for the TV
All these Pandas packing clips and cords... I'm doing well if I remember both my shoes.
I always travel with my own toiletries in refillable travel bottles. Then I don't need to use the hotel's tiny bottles! I also use a weighted sleep mask. It keeps the light out of my eyes, and the gentle weight is calming, stress reducing.
More like hack jobs
I'll share my own hack... always brings a stack of post-it notes: you can attach them to the inside of the room door covering the peep hole
Good one. Also (not specific to hotels) put a scrap of tape over your laptop's camera unless you're sure you want to be video-ing.
Take a blacklight bulb with you if you want to see some body fluids left in your room. They only cost around $2 at Walmart and most places that sell light bulbs. But, if you are going to use one, do it before you unpack - you may be moving to another room...or hotel.
This comment has been deleted.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Here in the US I always carry a clear garbage bag with me. I fill it with my recyclable items while I'm staying in the hotel. When I check out, I make certain to show the staff all of the recyclable items I've collected from my own use. I'm taking them home with me, for proper recycling. I point out that they are being very irresponsible by not providing recycling facilities to their guests. This is usually site-specific, not brand specific. I might stay at three different hotels in the same chain, two with recycling bins, but one without them. I've had staff ask to take pictures of my recyclables to show to their corporate offices. I've had staff ask me to fill out a guest survey for their local management.
Not sure what shit holes your staying at. Every single Marriott hotel I have stayed at has both a trash can and recycling can in every room. Also, you can take those soaps and shampoos you don't use and give them to shelters.