Hotel Etiquette for Guests
How to be a great hotel guest and make the hospitality industry a better place.
Since 2020, we’ve learned a lot about the art of living in hotels or resorts. Overall, the experience has been great, and we’ve been able to stay in some incredible places, getting spoiled while traveling around the world.
Of course, there are downsides to this type of lifestyle too!
It’s not always like a beautiful Instagram moment, and there have been many nights when we had to hole up in a dump, not to mention dealing with other unpleasant things like cockroaches, barking dogs, or blaring fire alarms.
But the worst part of it all has been the hotel guests.
So many people these days seem to lack common sense or respect for others, choosing to ignore any ounce of decency for those around them. I guess when they aren’t at home, it gives them some license to be extremely rude and complete assholes.
I don’t understand why hotel guests have to act like this, and I’ve told many hospitality workers that I could never do what they do because of that.
This is why I want to talk about hotel etiquette.
How to Be A Great Hotel Guest
Most of my advice is based on common sense and treating others the way you want to be treated. It may all sound simple, but it’s amazing how easily these things are forgotten.
Treat Hospitality Staff Better
Working in the hospitality industry is a challenging and demanding job. Staff members often work long hours for very little pay, all while dealing with unruly guests, clogged toilets, wifi issues, and transients stealing from the hotel. Many workers are taking on more responsibilities than they were hired for.
While not every hotel worker is perfect, most of them are good and doing their best for you!
You have a chance to improve their lives simply by being kind, patient, and understanding. Thank them for doing a good job, or better yet, give them a bottle of wine, a gift card, or even a tip if they’ve been outstanding. I know they’d appreciate it.
Respect Your Neighbors
It can be easy to forget that we’re not the only hotel guests on the property. Sometimes we overlook how our actions impact others around us, and it’s important to remember the people on the other side of the walls.
Here are some fantastic tips to make a difference.
Don’t let your room door slam. Hotel guests sleep at different hours, and the constant barrage of slamming doors is horrible.
Stop the loud noise by 10 pm. Many hotels implement quiet hours, but they are not always adhered to. Save security a trip to your room and let others rest.
Control your children. Kids are excited creatures wanting to jump and play, but it can be a hellish nightmare for others, especially when you’re on the top floor!
Use inside voices. Hotel rooms don’t usually have excellent soundproofing, and you would be shocked at the conversations and fights we’ve heard.
Smoke your weed or cigarettes outside. No one really wants to smell your guilty pleasure. Take it outside to the smoking section or your vehicle, please.
And by all means, if you want to have some kinky sex, go for it! Just remember to shove a pillow between the headboard and wall if you prefer to be discreet.
Clean Up After Yourself
You’d be amazed at how many people trash the breakfast area, destroy rooms, or leave the swimming pool soaking wet and then walk through the halls.
Not long ago, a housekeeper showed me a video of a room where cake, pizza, soap, and other trash were mashed on practically everything!!! Apparently, the parents let their kids have the room and didn’t care what happened.
I’ve also seen where people have shit — yes, literally shit — in trash buckets in their room right next to where the toilet was.
Staying at a hotel doesn’t give anyone the right to live like a troll or trash a place that doesn’t belong to them.
Please clean up after yourself or your kids. It’s the right thing to do.
Be Respectful of Others
The first three hotel etiquette tips mentioned above fall within this scope, but I want to go further by encouraging hotel guests to respect others' values, ethnicity, or lifestyles.
Or let me say it more bluntly.
If you happen to be racist, misogynist, crude, homophobic, or generally say hateful stuff to people unlike you, please do us all a favor and sleep in your car. Better yet, just stay in the hole you crawled out of.
No one wants to put up with those things. Have the decency to act appropriately around others in public.
Make it a great experience for everyone.
Hotel etiquette doesn’t have to be a lost art. It’s something we should strive to practice every time we travel, whether it’s for business or pleasure. And we can all work harder to treat others with respect, making life a better experience for everyone around us, or those on the other side of the wall. Together, we can make it happen.
Happy hoteling!