Travelling is always exciting, tiring, and creates a lot of expectations. After a long flight or an exhausting journey, the normal thing is to enter the hotel room and relax. However, travel experts agree on checking the room before you get comfortable. This simple step is helpful to avoid any unpleasant surprise, hygiene issue, and even safety risks.
Now, we are going to tell you the expert-approved checklist every traveler should follow upon arrival. So, let’s see how you can have a nice hotel stay!
1. Check the room is really empty
How could it be possible that the room you booked is not empty? It can be possible because key mix-ups and registration errors do happen. Some travelers have already said they have experienced when they entered a room and there were people there. So, once you open the door, check if there are any clothes, suitcases, or any other sign showing there are other guests.
2. The door and the safe
This is very important when you stay in a hotel room. Before relaxing, you should close the door several times to make sure it’s properly locked. If your room has a safe, use it immediately to check it works. This way your valuable belongings will be safe and you can be calm about them.
3. Basic appliances
Part of the comfort of your journey is basic appliances in the hotel room functioning properly. so, as soon as you arrive:
- Switch on the television.
- Adjust the thermostat or air conditioning/heating unit.
- Use the room’s telephone to call the front desk and try dialing an outside number.
Try everything right after you enter the room to make sure nothing is broken, and if this happens you can call the staff to solve it.
4. Cleaning
Hygiene of a hotel room is something travelers value the most. That’s why it’s recommended that you spend a few minutes checking:
- Is the carpet clean or stained?
- Does the bathroom and shower look fresh or neglected?
- Does the bedding smell clean and appear freshly laundered?
Experts remind us that there are particularly dirty objects like the control remote of the tv, light switches, and the bedside phones. These are high-touch surfaces that are not always cleaned thoroughly. Bringing disinfectant wipes is an easy way to handle this.
As for the room’s kettle, online forums warn against using it at all. Some travelers have shared shocking stories about unsanitary uses, making it better to avoid entirely.
5. Bed bugs
A crucial but often overlooked step is looking out for bed bugs. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency describes them as small brown insects, about the size of an apple seed, that come out at night to feed on human blood.
They can hide in tiny spaces — if a crack can hold a credit card, it can hold a bed bug. Inspect around the mattress seams, box spring, headboard, and bed frame.
In popular tourist destinations, outbreaks have been reported in recent years, and surveys show that a significant percentage of travelers have encountered them in hotels or rentals. Spotting them early helps you avoid an uncomfortable and stressful situation.
Travel tips
These simple steps only take a few minutes, but they ensure a safer, cleaner, and more comfortable hotel stay. With that peace of mind, you can focus on what really matters: enjoying your destination, resting well, and making the most of your travel experience.
Nobody likes negative experiences on their trips, right? We hope you put these tips into practice on your next journey to make the most of it. Have you ever experienced anything like we previously mentioned?