While bathroom counters are one of the first things that hotel maids sanitize after every checkout, you still don’t want to trust it enough to lay your toothbrush on it, unprotected. If you don’t have a toothbrush holder, you can still make sure it stays safe and free of germs by using this hack.
Just unwrap one of the paper coffee cups, flip it upside down, poke a hole through the center, and jam the toothbrush through. It will work perfectly as a holder for a day or two. And, if it starts to bend out of shape you can always just make another in a few seconds!
Tip Your Staff
Tipping on services is customary in the United States, although it’s easier to remember to tip some service providers than others. For instance, everyone knows you’re supposed to tip a pizza delivery driver or a server in a restaurant, but some may not think about tipping a hairstylist, etc. And, while the person working at the front desk of your hotel is probably making a great hourly rate, if you want them to really go above and beyond to accommodate you during your stay – slip them a $50 or so when you check-in.
In many cases, they will upgrade you, and in the best cases – they’ll upgrade you and won’t accept your tip (although most will.)
Let Them Know
If you’re traveling for a special occasion, like a honeymoon, anniversary, or birthday, make sure you let the hotel know when you’re booking the stay. There are likely to be discount packages that come along with some really cool extras. Sure, it’s possible you’ll simply end up with a free dessert voucher, but you could also wind up in the honeymoon suite if you’re really lucky.
In other cases, you may end up with free meals or tickets to special events being hosted by the hotel. And on the day that you check-in, make sure to mention it again to whoever you speak to at the desk.
Speak Up
Hotels are a part of the hospitality and service industry. It is literally their main job to keep customers comfortable and satisfied, just like they would be if they were in their own home. So, if you’re ever on a trip and something happens to disrupt that comfort and satisfaction – make sure you say something to a manager.
If your room isn’t up to par or if something is broken, or if they didn’t have something that was advertised in their materials, or anything else – call the front desk, or better yet, go up there and ask to speak directly to management. Just remember to keep a level head and a cool tone when you do so. You will always catch more flies with honey…
Ask for Options
When you book a hotel room, you often look for the best-priced rooms – which can end up being the worst that they have to offer. A hotel could be pushing one price and showing pictures of beautiful rooms, but it may end up being that the low price is for the rooms that the hotel still hasn’t renovated, while the pictures are of the newer ones.
You can always flat out ask for an upgrade to make sure you wind up with one of the nicer suites, or you simply ask if they have any other options for you to see before they stick you with one room in particular.