With the summer travel season here, I thought I would share some of the wisdom gleaned from Reddit and the people who work in hotels. If you’re hungry now, you won’t be at the end of this read.

“Just to clear this up, duvets are NOT meant to be slept on. I know many people are grossed out that they aren’t always changed but again they are not meant to be used as a blanket. There is a large warm blanket underneath with the sheets that are supposed to be used. Every single person who travels knows the horror stories accompanied with bed covers, so the right thing to do is to fold it and place it on the floor or chair."

- hotel employee in CNN article;

"Always use the disposable cups in the rooms. The glasses/mugs are usually just rinsed in hot water in your bathroom sink."

"Hotels, even nice ones, attract the worst kind of people. Don’t let your kids run around at night, make sure your door is closed properly … Don’t be an idiot!"

"Yes, always use the deadbolt and/or door chain when in your room."

Another writes; “"I’m a bellman and valet at a resort. I can give you free water bottles, tampons, valet parking, tours, shuttle rides, reservations, dry cleaning, hell even an upgrade to a better room if you just ASK ME. But no one ever does because they think I’m just a doorman. Oh and room service isn’t open all night so the kitchen cooks meals (like sandwiches and dessert and what not) and leaves them in a fridge near the front desk in case a guest checks in at like three in the morning and wants food. Anyways in the morning there’s just free food sitting there, every morning I get a free cheesecake if I want, but the guest could have it if he or she asked."

"We give free toothbrushes, deodorant, slippers and rubber ducks to anyone who asks. If you go to the front desk late at night when the auditor is working and ask, "can I have some free stuff?" They will probably give you something."

 

Redditor Roslagen wrote; I've worked in several nicer hotels (in Sweden) and here are some tips:

The glasses for toothbrushes are not always washed since the cleaners are in a hurry, often they are just held under the tap and rinsed (if even that). Check for lip prints.

The remotes for the TV are rarely cleaned.

Many things such as fans, heaters and even bathrobes might be something stored in one place in the hotel, if you need something you should ask for it, it's not always in every room.

Check the seals on the things in the minibar. I once had a guest who had drunk the whiskey and then peed in the bottle, closed it, and put it back. I've also seen candy three month past the exp date.

Maybe everyone knows this, but if you want fresh towels you should put the towels on the floor. If you hang them they will not be changed and you'll have to ask for new ones.

If you book a jacuzzi, be warned, the jet system is often completely clogged up with really nasty gunk.

Use a towel or sheet on the chairs or sofa, a LOT of people sit on them naked. It's nasty but there is often a brown streak on the desk chair that no one think about.

If you book a room with a tub, don't check underneath, that's a place some personnel miss to clean.

If the cleaning is bad or you don't like the room, tell the staff right away. Check for things that are important before unpacking. That way you can often get a different room since little cleaning is required.

Don’t trust rollaways, cribs, or pull out couches to be cleaned well.

Bed bugs are more common than you think.

Oh, and if you think up-scale hotels are immune to bedbugs, know that they love to travel on luggage, and the wealthier tend to travel more and their exposure is greater.

Fox News says  “Tests show that airplane water is sometimes full of bacteria that could sicken you, and this has been confirmed in tests by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Wall Street Journal. That goes for onboard coffee and tea as well. Water is better than it used to be thanks to airline-mandated tests, but the big tanks that hold water on a plane are a breeding ground for gunk you don't want in your cup. The EPA even warns people with at-risk immune systems (including children and adults over 50) to avoid airplane water. Buy a bottle! "Scary scale"? 5!

Airplane cabin air is filtered and often tests cleaner than hospital air. However, just about everything else onboard should be considered a mile-high petri dish. In fact, your tray table may have been used to change a baby. Yeah, that's right. E coli bacteria are regularly found on airplane tray tables. What can you do about that? Travel with sanitizing wipes to clean off surfaces you or your loved ones may touch during the flight, and to clean your hands. On a "scary scale," the cabin air gets a 0 and the tray table gets, uh, number 2?

THOSE PILLOWS, BLANKETS, AND HEADPHONES ARE CLEANED OR CHANGED AFTER EVERY FLIGHT, RIGHT?

Cue Aerosmith and dream on. Flight crews are busy, budgets are tight, and you've probably witnessed the onboard scramble that occurs between flights. If your blanket is neatly folded and your headphones are in a plastic bag, congrats! That's about the best you can hope for these days. On our "scary scale," I give that a 3 or 4.

 

 

Have a good time on your summer vacation, just don’t touch any thing…..

 

Be careful out there.

 

BTW: Expedia, Hotels.com, and Hotwire are the same company. Travelocity and Orbitz are two separate companies.

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