The more I travel and live in hotels, the more I realize I have a routine when I get to a hotel and to the room. I hope these tips can help you when you travel!

 Tips for living the Hotel Life:

• When checking in at the hotel:
  • Ask for a room that is quiet, does not have a connecting door, has a refrigerator, is not located beside the elevator or the ice/vending machine.
  • Ask all your questions while you are at the front desk: wifi, gym, concierge lounge, restaurants, etc.

• When walking into your room:
  • Open the hotel room door and hope for a clean, nice smelling, not humid, large room with a king bed, a window and a refrigerator.
  • Hang up the do not disturb sign on the door. I do this so the maids don’t wake me up nor come into my room. I like being in my own little cocoon and not having someone come through my stuff and reorganize it.
  • ‘Sweep’ the room and put away any ‘hotel clutter’ such as a pamphlet, menus, cards, etc. I usually put them in a drawer.
  • Hang up clean uniforms in the closet and anything that needs to be on a hangar. Place it all together so that when you leave that morning and you put on your uniform, you see it.
  • Open up the suitcase on a hard surface such as a desk, table or on the bathroom counter (to avoid bed bugs jumping in).
  • Put beauty bags on the bathroom counter, earplugs and eye mask beside the bed. I now have a hanging beauty bag and that has made it a lot easier when I need to pack up and leave quickly.
  • Plug in iPhone/iPad/mac charger beside the bed.
  • I put my bag of dirty clothes on the floor, beside my suitcase, so I know that’s what it is  (and so it doesn’t stink up my clean clothes). I never take out anything out of my suitcase to put it in the drawers, unless I’m in the same place for more than 6-7 days. You don’t want to scatter yourself too much around the room because that increases your chances of forgetting something behind.
  • You should always check for bedbugs and try not to leave anything on the floors. This is why I recommended using the table & counters to store your suitcase.
  • I open up my snack bag : it’s usually filled with healthy stuff such as fruit, nuts, almond butter and rice cakes. Tip: the almond butter & rice cake is my typical breakfast if I don’t have access to a concierge lounge or breakfast. It’ll save you money and keep you satisfied for a few hours!
  • I put saved items & bottles of water in the refrigerator.
  • Dim light on the clock beside the bed (or unplug it). Make sure there no alarm is set!
  • Set room temperature to be comfortable.
  • If I’m in one place for more than 2 nights, I’ll even reorganize the furniture in the room. Why work at a desk facing the wall when you can turn it and face the light and the view! (picture above)
  • The Iron: my pilot taught me this one. You can reheat and press food with it! Use a cloth between the food and the iron so you don’t soil your food, and break the iron!
  • Crack a window open if possible to let fresh air in.
  • I always bring a little candle with me to make it feel and smell cozy. be careful : don’t set the room on fire!

Here are some additional tips for when you are living the Hotel Life but also want to explore outside the room:

• • I use the yelp app to find good restaurants, coffee shops, farmers’ markets and things to do around me.
  • I love to run and this is a great way to explore a new (safe) city. Why walk when you can run right? read more here.
  • You can always ask the concierge desk, although I’m always skeptical of their ‘local’ attractions.

… and that’s my routine every time I get to a hotel!

I hope this helps you enjoy your Hotel Life!

Related posts: How to survive a jet lag, Travel packing tips from a seasoned traveler