Get Premium
Dark mode theme is available exclusively for premium users. Learn more about the benefits of subscribing.
No fees, cancel anytime.
Dark Mode 
No fees, cancel anytime 
“Full Of Free Water”: 38 Hotel Hacks People Swear By That Others Don’t Know
Typically, what you pay for is what you get, a concept that remains true for accommodation when you’re traveling. But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t a few more ways to make yourself comfortable at a hotel, hostel or even an AirBnB.
So we’ve gathered the best hotel tips, tricks and hacks from travelers all across the internet and, presumably, the world. Get comfortable as you read through, take some notes, no, you won’t just remember the best ones, upvote your favorites and be sure to share your own examples in the comments down below.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Hotel manager pro tip - always ask the front desk if they have any vouchers for local events. Oftentimes we have stacks of free passes to hand out for various things. Doesn’t need to be a formal concierge, ask a desk agent.
RELATED:
#2
Idk if this is a hack but check every bed for bedbugs. Also don’t put your luggage on the floor or bed until you confirm it’s bug free. They latch on to anything.
#3
Collect the extra amenities and donate them to a homeless it turn it battered women’s shelter!
#4
One thing I do in every hotel I stay at: make sure everything works and check for any damage or dirtiness before you unpack. For me this includes lights, faucets, plumbing, electronics and appliances, bedding.
If anything’s not working it’s easier to switch rooms if you have to, before you unpack all of your belongings.
#5
Do not use their drinking glasses for water unless they are disposable cups. They are never properly cleaned.
#6
-Use the plastic laundry bag for your dirty clothes to keep them separate in your luggage
-Steam your clothes in the bathroom by running the shower on hot for 15 minutes, then keeping the door closed for an hour or more.
#7
I bring my Dohm (white noise machine) on every trip with me to drown out a lot of hotel noise.
#9
Also, don't buy expensive bottled water in the hotel. Just head down to the gym and take as many as you like from there. They usually have a refrigerator stocked full of free water in most hotel gyms.
#10
I take a dry sponge and put dish soap on it and then let it dry out. I cut it into smaller pieces and then use them to clean my travel mug in the hotel sink. It is almost a single use soap sponge.
#11
I do a lot of international travel for work and end up staying in hotels in different countries. Along the way I discovered or picked up a few tricks. As I am sitting here awake with jetlag in Seoul at 5:30am, I figured I'd share some with you.
Turn your tea kettle into a humidifier. Open the lid and let it run. In the winter rooms get dry and this helps to add some humidity to the room. Bonus points for adding white noise with gentle boiling water sounds.
While you're at it with the tea kettle, you can quickly pass your pants through the rising steam and use it like a steam iron to get out small wrinkles. Just hang them up as they dry and cool down.
Bring several binder clips to secure your blackout curtains. Often there are gaps in the middle where they meet and sun streams in. This is especially important if you are changing time zones and need to sleep while the sun is out.
Bring a power strip or extension cord with multiple outlets. Rooms often have adapters built in, but not always more than one and they may not be conveniently located. You can plug into your own cable that is plugged into the adapter. *Bonus for airports: You can't always find a good power source or an unused power source and this will help you to power your devices without disconnecting someone else and you don't have to sit next to the power source.
Bring an HDMI cable so you can plug your laptop into the TV. Sure you can sign in to the hotel TV with your streaming account, but it's so much easier (and safer) to just sign in on your own device. You can also watch anything you've got on your computer as well.
Get a hotel-branded credit card to boost your status level at the hotel. You'll get access to the Business Center which despite it's name, isn't just a room with a PC and printer. I have been eating all my meals and taking meetings in the Business Center this week because it includes breakfast, "tea time", and dinner. It looks like I am buying dinner and drinks for my guests while it is all included because of my membership level. The added bonus is that I get a per diem for food which I get to keep 100% of because all my meals are free. When I venture out to get real food outside the hotel, I don't mind spending a little more to get something special because I know I've already saved so much on all my other meals.
This isn't a hack as much as common sense, but if you get a hotel breakfast, make sure you grab things to take with you for later in the day if you are out and about like yogurt, fruit, etc. If you are paying for something that is all you can eat, make sure you are getting enough. Fill up a travel mug with coffee before you leave for the day too. Traveling across town between meetings can be exhausting and stopping to find a snack while you are hungry just adds to the stress level.
That's all I could come up with off the top of my head as I watch the sun rise. I hope at least one of these will help you if you are travelling in the future.
#12
I travel domestically a lot and I actually bring my own tiny coffee pot and coffee whether flying or driving. Loving waking up in the morning to a coffee without going out to buy a 6 dollar cup of hotel coffee. Find out ahead of your hotel rooms amenities, especially a fridge or microwave. Instant oatmeal packets are my morning routine along with coffee packed along. I’ve also gotten into a water bottle with the filter built in. If you don’t want to spend $15 a day on bottled waters, get yourself one, or if your hotel has a gym, raid it for bottled waters or use their jug to fill up your bottle.
Chich the witch 59 minutes ago
After that 'hack' where the woman used the coffee maker to clean her panties, taking your own coffee maker makes a whole new world of sense.
#13
That HDMI cable is coming everywhere from now on.
#14
I always booked a double Queen so that I can take the blankets/pillows from the second bed and double up. Makes the bed cozy like home.
#15
I bring my own set of chopstick and spoon as I get takeout a lot and eat in my room and most place don't give utensils anymore unless you request it and I'm too lazy to go back down and ask one from the hotel.
#16
I travel 95% of the year for work, mostly domestic. Don’t go anywhere without a travel router, it’s great because all my devices connect to it and then I only have one connection to the hotel wifi. It is also added security with a built in VPN. Tricky devices like Roku and game systems that are fussy with wifi splash pages are no longer an issue using a travel router.
#17
Another one, the switch that you put your room key just has a physical switch, do anything that can fit in there will keep the power on. So, carry an old plastic card and leave that in the switch if you go out and want to keep the air conditioning on.
#18
If you forget your phone charger and there is not a USB port on the nightstand lamp, you can usually find one on the back of the TV. Helpful if you are in older hotels that haven't really updated the rooms much.
#20
>If the elevator is far, when you take off your shoes point them towards the direction of the elevator.
I've tried this one and it doesn't work... I pointed my shoes in several directions, yet the elevator was no closer....
#21
Never buy a breakfast rate when it’s not included. The breakfast might suck. Or there might be a great diner right across the street. Or you might want to sleep late and skip it.
Why pay for 4-5 meals in advance when you can just pay normally on the days you want breakfast?
#22
If your hotel tv won’t let you change inputs to run a fire stick or Roku, google the tv model, or if you can’t find it the hotel chain, and look up its service code. It’s a key combo on the remote. You can turn input selection on, administer all sorts of functions.
#23
Whenever I leave my room for the first time I use the stairs to get to the lobby/outside. This way if I need to evacuate I already know the way out.
#24
Use the ironing board as an extra shelf/table. If I’m in a room with a connecting door, I put the ironing board in front of it after checking the door is locked. Just in case.
#25
If you can’t find a usb outlet, there often times will be one on the back of the tv. I‘ve charged my phone there in a pinch.
#26
When booking a hotel you aren't familiar with, pull it up on Google Maps to see if one side of the hotel has a better view. You can then use the Requests portion of the booking process to ask for a room facing North/South or on the river or pool or non-highway side.
Some hotels will also have property map with room numbers, and you can request an even or odd-number room to get a better view. For hotels I might use again, I note the numbers/number range for the better rooms. For instance, high numbered rooms are often further from the elevators or common areas.
It's usually a good idea for smaller hotels to request a room on a higher floor. It's no fun to open your windows and realize that everyone in the parking lot can see you. You are also less likely to be awakened by people loading or unloading or idling a vehicel 30 feet from your bed late at night or early in the morning.
#27
Never use 3rd party websites for booking. I only use them for flight+hotel+car packages and even then it is a risk. Hotels will often match or discount your room if you ask: they would rather you book with them directly and you will thank them later.
-Former Chariot and Milton.
#28
If there is tea and coffee in your room, just hide the tea bags and coffee sachets from the room cleaning. They will refill it and you will have more in the evening.
#29
These are excellent tips!
I used to travel a lot and would always bring:
- a stainless water bottle
- stainless thermos
- small electric kettle
- coffee fixins
- small knife and thin cutting board
- spork
- power strip
- roku w HDMI
spending 2-3 weeks at a time living in a hotel room gets old pretty quickly.
being able to make prep your own coffee and tea and snacks makes life just a little bit better
best travel card if you actually travel a lot: chase sapphire.
#30
I saw someone on here post a tip:
He brings his own powerful shower head and a wrench, so he never had to deal with poor shower pressure anywhere he goes.
Probably not the best advice for vacations, but for frequent work travelers.
#31
If you’re worried about someone opening your door at night wrap your belt around the auto-closer arm at the top of the door. It needs to expand to open the door.
#32
Do not use the electric kettle to make coffee or tea there are strange travelers that wash their socks and underwear in the actual kettle as it gets hot and sanitizes their clothes. Unless you're into that sort of thing.
#33
When you go out for dinner, close the door on the do not disturb card, trapping it in the door. It looks like it’s just got jammed but it shows you if anyone has been in whilst you’re out.
#34
If someone near by is making a lot of noise. Phone their room and say you are reception and requesting they turn the noise down.
#35
Don’t put your key card in the same pocket as your mobile phone
It wipes that card.
#36
Carry a bit of black tape wrapped onto a ballpoint pen to tear off little squares to cover all the annoying little lights on TVs, phones, smoke detectors, etc. if you need a dark room to sleep well.
#37
I know, this isn't hotel.... When I sit down in the airplane I count the number of rows both in front of me, and in back of me to the exits. If the plane is filled with smoke I know exactly where that exit row will be.
#38
My best hack for staying in hotels as a single woman is to travel with a small rubber door jam- put it under door so no one can get in - with or without a cardkey.
Explore more of these tags
What do you think ?
You SaidIt 1 hour ago
For all posts about securing the door so no one can get in… It’s great until you have a medical emergency or there is a fire in the hotel etc. and they cannot get into your room to help/save you.
You SaidIt 1 hour ago
For all posts about securing the door so no one can get in… It’s great until you have a medical emergency or there is a fire in the hotel etc. and they cannot get into your room to help/save you.
Related on Bored Panda
