A hotel room for many is just a transit point; simply a place to rest, shower, and sleep. Meanwhile, some people consider it the ideal place for amazing perks such as lavish bathrobes, pools, big bathtubs, and privacy.
Once you arrive in your room, what’s the first thing you do? It’s fine to look for all the available plugs they have to charge your phone and computer, but there are several other important things you must check out too.
Before you unpack your stuff, relax, or race to the first destination on your itinerary, you need to check your room first. If you find that something is wrong and missing, notify the front desk immediately. So before booking that hotel accommodation, make sure you read this first!
Hidden Cameras
A hotel room should be a place of privacy. You must check your surrounding first for any blinking lights, weird plugs, and extant wires. It won’t hurt if you search the whole room, but pay attention closely to tissue boxes, smoke detectors, clothing hooks, desk lamps, mirrors, and other decorative objects.
The tip here is to turn off all the lights and see if there are blinking red or green lights from the camera LEDs. The flashlight from your phone can also be used to catch any reflective light from an object.
Check the Mattress
Do you think that bed bugs only exist in low-cost hotels? It doesn’t matter if the hotel is a luxury one. Bed bugs can be moved to 5-star hotels through guest’s clothes and personal things.
To avoid this, check the covers to see if there are stains or small brown and black dots on the covers, then try to pull back the bedspread and sheets. Don’t forget to look at the mattress also. If you ever find something weird, contact the reception immediately.
WiFi Connection
If you don’t really feel the importance of updating your friends and family, you may need the use of WiFi to search for information on the places you plan on visiting or to check your travel confirmations. You want to make sure that the connection works well and it’s secured. If you want some type of added layer of security, we suggest that you use a VPN when going online.
Also, if the connection is slow and lagging or nor even working at all, check that with your front desk. They may sometimes need to restart the modem to fix the issue.
Card Doors and Door Locks
You want to make sure your card is working and that the room door locks. Once the staff assists you to your room, inspect if their hotel card works and ask how it works. Most importantly, it’s safer to check if the door locks properly.
A lot of people assume that it just automatically locks, but that is not always the case. It’s better to be sure that there is no malfunction going on. Lock the door always when you are out and when you are in for safety.
Hot Water
When you’re tired and dying to have a hot shower, you don’t want to have any problems with their shower. Does their hot water work? Do you smell something unpleasant? Do you see rust or mould around the showerhead?
Usually, it takes some minutes for the hot water to kick in, or you need to turn on a switch. However, it would be better if you test it right away rather than later so you can have a relaxing shower anytime you like.
Windows and Balcony Doors
This is a safety measure that all parents with kids should be taken seriously during a family vacation. But this also applies to everyone’s safety too. You want to make sure that you lock your windows and balcony doors, particularly if you’re staying on a higher floor. Children are always curious about a lot of things, so make sure you secure the room to avoid any risks. When it comes to adults, you also need to consider this so no one messes with your privacy.
Temperature Controls
Hotels should provide you with that good night’s sleep and relaxing stay, so check the room first if they have a balanced temperature. Check if all the temperature controls are working such as the heat and air conditioner. If something is wrong, ask the staff to fix it or transfer you to another room. You don’t want to be freezing cold in the night or too warm also.
Escape Maps and Exits
Most hotel guests probably know and have seen already the escape map on the back of their hotel room door. The question is, do you really spend enough time to study and memorize the closest emergency exits? Sometimes it would benefit us if we take some time to look at these things.
There are some hotels that would even place their evacuation plans at the ground level. There so many emergency situations that can happen any time from a fire to earthquake to a natural disaster. If you want to be safe, put some extra effort to be prepared.
