Make Your Hotel Room A Second Home

I don’t know about you, but I’ve had some real disasters with choosing hotel rooms. My experiences have shaped my personal policies and habits in how I obtain lodging and what I do with it when I get it. You can make your hotel room a home away from home by following some simple guidelines that I have developed over the years:

1. PREVIEW – Always, always, ask to see the room before you pay for it. I do this for several reasons, the most important being smell. Sometimes smoking rooms are converted to non-smoking rooms but still smell like smoke. My wife has a nose like a bloodhound. Some hotels allow dogs and there could be fleas in the room. A room might be right next to a noisy elevator or a snack area. Cleanliness and quiet are necessities for a relaxed night’s sleep.

2. BEWARE OF DISCOUNTS – Once, while visiting the theater district in the big apple, we couldn’t believe what a good price we got on our room. When we got there, the room was very nice. We had reserved it by phone and didn’t get a chance to see it ahead of time. That night we became very aware of why our room was priced so reasonably….it was next door to the fire station. Sirens sounded all night long. On another trip we didn’t check out the room in advance, we found that the room had a broken air unit (in Florida during the summer). Amazingly, the hotel refused a refund.

3. PAY EXTRA FOR THE VIEW – A great view will make an ordinary room extraordinary. As in other types of real estate the three most important things are location, location, and location. Sometimes the rooms with a view are an extra cost, so plan that into your budget.

4. NEVER TRUST INTERNET PHOTOS – A couple of years ago we booked a huge condo in Gatlinburg for a special Thanksgiving gathering that included extended family members with a total of 16 people staying in our unit. My wife booked the reservation and prepaid it months in advance based on some beautiful internet photos. We arrived a day in advance of the other family members on a snowy night about 9:00 p.m. The room was a wreck. Holes in doors, walls, and carpeting. Furniture that was so cheap it was like sitting on wood. In short, it was dirty and rundown. Of course, there was no one in the office that late. By the next day my daughter and wife were in tears, I was furious, and the hotel management refused a refund. I refused to leave the property without a refund. The maintenance guy cussed me out and threatened to “whoop” me and as the cops were being called, the maintenance man chimed in, “ask for Shorty.” Shorty didn’t come, another officer did, and they took my side. A refund was made and I didn’t spend the holiday in the Gatlinburg jail. I was having flashbacks of Rambo. Then we found an awesome 3 story cabin with a view, a pool table, and a jacuzzi. It was so nice that I didn’t want to go home.

5. DON’T LEG THE BEDBUGS BITE – Once, while staying in a name brand hotel on the interstate, we got into a room that was teeming with bugs. As it turned out, it was ran by a family whose religious beliefs included reincarnation and they didn’t believe in spraying for bugs. I don’t know how we could have avoided the bugs. They came out in the dark after the lights were shut off and we felt things run across us.

6. UNPACK AND USE THE DRESSER AND HANGERS – Organizing your clothes in the dresser drawers and closet area will eliminate digging through suitcases and will reduce clutter.

7. ASK FOR A SMALL REFRIGERATOR – Get the optional refrigerator and stock it with food, snacks, and drinks.

8. STOCK UP ON GOOD READING MATERIAL – I like to relax by reading and good magazines and books help me to unwind. Your hobby might be crosswords, crafts, or any number of things. Bring your hobby with you to your temporary home.

Perhaps you can learn from our mistakes and successes and make your hotel room into a comfortable second home.