1. STAY FOR A LONG TIME
Erin Bender from Travel with Bender says that if you have to stay somewhere for more than a week, you can call the hotel in advance and ask for discounts. Apparently, it’s much better to keep one guest for longer, than to get a new one.
2. COMPLETE DARKNESS
When you are in an unfamiliar place, you might have trouble sleeping, especially if the lights of this new city are too bright. Most of the time, you won’t be able to arrange the curtains so there is no gap in between. However, you just need to grab the pants hangers from the closet and press the drapes with the clips to keep them shut.
3. ASK THE FRONT DESK
Some people might panic while packing, but you don’t need to worry if you forgot something. Many hotels have everything you could possibly need, and it’s not just free soap or shampoo. Many establishments have hair straighteners, and some even have some video game consoles for children.
4. NEVER PUT YOUR BAGS ON THE BED
Unfortunately, bed bugs are one of those things that come along with constant travelings. These critters are even worse than mosquitoes, and they can catch a ride back to your house through your luggage. Therefore, it’s best to keep them by the bathroom. Then, check out the bed, the chairs, or the couch in the room. Do it even if you’re at a 5-star hotel.
5. CALL IN ADVANCE
Even if you don't know the general manager because you are trying out a hotel for the first time, it’s always a good idea to call in advance. Professional traveler Mick Richard is the founder of Vagabondish.com, and he explained, "This works especially well with mom-and-pop hotels or smaller chains."
6. DISCOVER A SECRET HOTEL ROOM
You might be wondering what a secret hotel room is. Well, they are rooms sold at lower prices because the establishment doesn’t want them to be empty. However, the catch is that you won’t know which hotel you would like to stay in. These places offer discounts from 20% to 50%. You can check out LastMinute.com’s secret hotels and Hotwire’s hidden offers.
7. THE PHONE POCKET
There are many hotels that don’t have nightstands for some weird reasons, but you don’t have to leave your stuff on the floor in this situation. You can just make a little pocket with the sheets from your bed. This might not work at home because most people use fitted sheets. This hack only works in hotels.
8. DON’T ABUSE ROOM SERVICE
It might be nice to get room service every once in a while, but unfortunately, it can be very expensive in the long run. It would be better to pack things like ramen for your room if you don’t want to eat out. You would be able to boil water in the coffee maker easily. Also, carrying some portable appliances is helpful too.
9. ACCUMULATE STATUS FOR A LATE CHECK-IN
We have already recommended using points to get a better status at the hotel. You might get a bunch of perks with that. Additionally, if you have great status at the hotel, you might be able to check-in late. Some hotels could end up giving your room away after a certain time, but people with more points get to keep their reservations.
10. TRANSFER THE MILES FOR YOUR REGULAR CREDIT CARD
Kepnes signs up for the bonuses at hotels, but he also recommends universal miles, especially travel rewards credit cards. That way, you can move your accumulated points to airline and hotel systems. "You can transfer those points to hotel loyalty programs and redeem them for free rooms."
11. ADDING SOME HUMIDITY
While some people might hate humidity during their travels, anyone who has spent time in a hotel room probably knows how it feels to be dry. However, you can fix this easily by using a suitcase rack and putting a damp towel on top. Now, just put the rack by the radiator so that you won’t shrivel like a raisin in the sun.
12. TIP WITH A $20
This might not be a great hack for saving money, but sometimes, you have to slip someone a bit of money to get a better service. People that travel all the time recommend giving the front desk a $20 when you give them your driver’s license and you will probably be given an upgrade. Sometimes, they might reject the tip, but no harm no foul.
13. FIND PRICE GUARANTEES
Deia Bong, travel and contributor to Nomad Wallet, explained the benefits of price guarantees. the hotel directly, you can start accumulating loyalty points. "Some hotel chains like Marriott and Hilton will match the lowest price you can find and give you freebies or further discounts on top of it."
14. GIVING THEM NOTICE OF A SPECIAL OCCASION
Some people are traveling for a special occasion like a honeymoon, birthday, a bar mitzvah or even a christening. Well, it’s always better to let the hotel know in advance, as they will most likely offer you a deal for your event. You might even get an unexpected upgrade. All you need to do is be polite to the staff, and they’ll take care of you.
15. PLACING YOUR TOOTHBRUSH
Unfortunately, hotels won’t give you a cup for your toothbrush and placing it on the vanity does not seem hygienic. Even if they clean the place all the time, you can never know. Luckily, you can just grab a paper cup, cut it in the middle and put your toothbrush through the hole. Now, it won’t be touching any surfaces.
16. FILE A COMPLAINT
People make mistakes, but sometimes, some services are simply unsatisfactory. Your room might not have hot water, or the front desk might have forgotten your wake-up call. Some folks might hesitate to complain, but you have to do it. Just remember to be respectful even with your criticism, and the manager will most likely give you a discount to compensate.
17. THE SHOWER CAP IS IMPORTANT
Although not everyone uses a shower cap, you can actually use the one provided by the hotel for other things. If you forgot to bring bags, you can keep your dirty shoes inside them to avoid damaging your clothes. They can also be used to cover the remote control if you’re afraid that it might be too dirty.
18. NEVER USE THE BEDDING
We have already discussed the horrors of bed bugs, but you should always be wary of the bedding in the room. While a hotel will wash and change sheets regularly, the same cannot be said for this one. Bedspreads that have no stains might not get washed ever. So, we recommend just putting it in the corner of the room.
19. GET A BETTER STATUS WITH YOUR CARD
Al-Nawaz Rajan normally stays at great hotels for the prices of 2-star places, and he recommends using platinum cards to get upgrades at hotels. these systems have expensive fees, but he says it’s worth it.
20. THE FOGGY MIRROR
You might also try this hack at home, especially men that need to shave in the morning. Some people wait for the fog in the mirror to clear or wipe it with a towel, but all you really need to do to clear it is rub a bar of soap in the mirror. Then, you use a dry cloth to buff the entire mirror. This will stop it from getting foggy ever again.
21. THE DO NOT DISTURB SIGN
If you think that the hotel you’re staying at is not the best ever, or accidentally argued with the cleaning staff, you might be better off leaving the sign in place. That way, no one will enter your room, and you won’t have to worry about stolen items. When the sign is on the door, people assume you’re in the room anyway too.