Hotels are your home away from home while on vacation. It’s your turn to be the guest and rest while the staff takes care of you. Still, visitors are responsible for taking care of themselves and others. You’re not on the hook for chores but should be mindful of hotel etiquette. Here are seven ways to master it and make everyone’s life easier.
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1. Adhere to Your Checkout Time
The first tip of hotel etiquette is to follow the rules — specifically, your checkout time. Be mindful and check out before the scheduled time. This is crucial for the hotel because staff must clean and prepare you room for the next round of guests.
For example, say your checkout time is 11 a.m. Typically, the cleaning staff only has until 3 p.m. to clean all the rooms before it’s time for new guests to check-in. Hotels rely on a well-organized schedule to keep operations running smoothly, so be kind and check out on time.
2. Remember to Tip
Hotel employees are in the service industry, just like restaurant waitstaff. That means they also deserve tips from guests. Tip room service staff 18%-20% as you would at the steakhouse.
Other employees to tip at the hotel include parking attendants and housekeeping. You don’t have to leave a $100 bill on the bed, but at least $5 each night should suffice for the cleaning staff. Feel free to tip even more if the housekeeper goes the extra mile to make your room feel clean and inviting.
3. Responsibly Use Resources
You don’t have to pay the water or electricity bills at the hotel, so can you leave the lights on all night and take an hour-long shower? You can, but that wouldn’t be proper hotel etiquette. Be conscious of your resource usage as you would at home. Little things go a long way, such as shutting off the lights when leaving the room and turning off the faucet when brushing your teeth.
Being a sustainable traveler helps the environment and lowers hotel guests’ costs. Find establishments with LEED certification because they have systems to conserve water and energy. They typically have recycling programs and terrific indoor air quality.
4. Turn in Your Keys and Cards
Imagine you only have five minutes until checkout time. You overslept, and now you’re rushing to gather your belongings and leave the hotel. You beat the clock and make it to your car. A sense of relief arrives as you drive out of the parking lot. You have all your bags but forgot to turn in your key card. Show hotel etiquette by remembering to turn in your key every time.
Hotels used to rely on physical master key systems that gave them the ability to unlock every door should customers lose individual keys. Now, many have switched over to key card systems, though the cards are easy to forget. They look like a gift card you’d slide into your wallet or purse. Key cards are cheaper and easier to replace, though some hotels still use physical keys due to security concerns. Either way, be mindful and remember to return them as you leave.
5. Respect Quiet Time
Vacations are about fun, and there’s no set bedtime for you and your friends. However, not everybody is on vacation. Some people are there for work or other reasons. Regardless, when it gets dark, many people are trying to sleep. Respect quiet time at night and keep the noise levels down.
The expectations vary by city. For example, your hotel in Las Vegas may keep the parties going all night. However, a small town will likely be quiet once the sun sets. Respect other guests by keeping the TV and music volume low and refraining from making loud noises.
6. Watch Your Children
Bringing kids to see Mickey Mouse at Disney World makes for a magical vacation. Your children may be mature enough to wander around by themselves. Still, kids will be kids. It’s imperative to watch them and ensure they don’t get into mischief.
You don’t need to watch your children every second of your stay. However, you should stay with them if they want to go to the pool or hotel restaurant. The last thing you want is for your kids to cause chaos by playing rough at the pool or entering rooms they’re not supposed to. Teach them the importance of inside voices when walking through the hallways and other public spaces in the hotel.
7. Clean Before Leaving
Over the years, musicians like Keith Richards and Keith Moon gave rockstars a lousy reputation by trashing hotel rooms. Don’t be like these guys. Show courtesy to the housekeeping staff by tidying up before leaving.
You don’t have to scrub the shower and dust the cabinets. However, you should do small things like throw away your trash and straighten up your belongings. If you stay multiple nights, make it easy for housekeeping to navigate your personal items and determine what you consider garbage.
Being a Courteous Guest
On vacation, it’s time for relaxation. You need a break from reality to have fun in Paris, Miami or Las Vegas. Regardless of your destination, practice being a courteous guest. After all, hotel employees work hard to ensure your satisfaction. Use these seven tips to master hotel etiquette.
