In support of the current “Country Means Business” promotion, Road Warriorette will be featuring a weekly sponsored post on behalf of Country Inns & Suites and has been compensated by Country Inns & Suites for her contribution.
We want our hotel rooms to feel like home, right? That’s part of the deal with hotels. You travel, you’re away from home, and you want to feel comfortable. I get that, but it’s still important to remember that not only are you a guest, you are not the only guest. Be cognizant that your actions can affect the stay of others. Road warriors have to look out for each other! Some things to remember:
Be ready to check in. When you reach the front desk, try to have your credit card and ID ready, especially if there is a line. Often by the time you get to the hotel you have been traveling or working for a long time. It can be very frustrating to wait for someone to remove all of the contents of their purse, wallet or briefcase to find their itinerary.
Watch your noise level. Most of us know this one, but sometimes we can be loud without realizing it. Be aware of this whether you are on a work conference call or catching up with friends or family. I was guilty of this myself once. I was in a room next to a coworker, and she could hear my alarm through the wall. It wouldn’t have been a problem, except that I am a “snoozer.” I set my alarm 30 minutes early, and it goes off every five minutes. This could be very irritating for guests in rooms nearby.
Don’t slam the door. I am pretty sure that most people’s parents taught them not to slam doors in the house. Why should a hotel door be any different? I know these doors are very heavy, which makes it even more important to close them quietly.
Share the common areas. You’re not in your own living room. Spreading your stuff all over every available space is rude, but too common. Once, I came downstairs to the hotel lobby to get some work done, and found one person using three armchairs- one for him, one for his briefcase and one for his papers, with his laptop taking over the ottoman! It’s true that common areas are typically designed to be very comfortable (check out the lobby at Country Inns & Suites-many have fireplaces, oversized chairs, freshly baked cookies and even a lending library!) but don’t forget to allow others to share the space with you.
Clean up after yourself. Leave your room in a reasonable fashion. Towels on the floor are one thing, since this often signals your desire for laundry service. But don’t leave trash lying around, and make sure to call room service to pick up your tray when you finish eating. This extends to the common areas as well! If you are enjoying breakfast at a busy time, clean up after yourself and throw items in either the trash or appropriate recycling containers so that someone else can use your table quickly. No need to wait for housekeeping.
Tipping. The tricky question: To tip or not? It is never required, and should be thought of as a reward for excellent service. There are many different rules for tipping, so check out this great guide from Cheapflights. Tipping etiquette varies between countries, so be sure to research local customs when tipping internationally.
Remember that while traveling, you are in a shared environment – whether you’re borrowing space on a plane seat, in the restaurant booth, or yes, even the hotel room. So share nicely!
Readers, what are your favorite hotel etiquette rules?
About the towels on the floor/indicating the desire for laundry service…
I LOVE the policy of hang it up vs. leave on the floor that most hotels have adopted in an effort to conserve water. However, I’ve noticed that pretty much everywhere doesn’t really adhere to this on the room attendants side.
Just this past weekend I was in Orlando at a very nice resort that had 8 towels in a 2 person room upon arrival (heaven!). Anyway, after showers day 1, we each hung our towels up on the appropriate towel hook. After a long day playing in the magic kingdom, we came back and all the towels were back in 2 neat stacks of 4.
I guess one is to assume that the top 2 towels were the ones we used and that they just refolded them – but is that really happening or is it just easier for the staff to scoop up everything, throw it in the hamper and move on?
I’d like to participate in the water conservation initiative but am disheartened EVERY TIME! Do you know the inside details?
all this crap on this website could only be written by Americans. You people are like a bunch of kids who never made it as a milk monitor at school. You all think everyone should be just like you, know all the rules before getting out of bed and complain at every little thing. Try looking at yourselves for once, You are nearly all too fat, insist on driving huge vehicles that burn too much fuel, which you refuse to do anything about and go out your way to cause wars over your ever growing need for oil. You have diets that are controlled by food producers who pay your government to stay in power and let them keep fattening you all up. Oh and you have some of the worst airlines in the world with most miserable crews and dont get me started on your awful hotels with guaranteed mould in every bathroom.
Dave,
I am sorry you feel that way. So please do not visit our great country anymore. And if Europe is ever taken over by a madman again, perhaps we will just let you be, next time (assuming you are in Europe).