Hotel Etiquette

Spending the night in a hotel is something that most travelers among us have done before - unless you prefer camping! We may not think about it anymore, but in hotels, there is a certain etiquette that you must adhere to. What are the "gray areas" of hotel etiquette?

Frequently Asked Questions

• Give tips in hotels, and if so, to whom?
• Change or reuse towels?
• Which hotel items can you take with you and which can you not?
• Can you take other people to your room?
• Can you sit down for breakfast in your bathrobe?
• How late can you make noise?
• How do you deal with noisy neighbors?
• How neat do you have to leave your room?

Give tips, and if so, to whom?

Tipping is something that we generally do wherever we receive a service. Tipping is not as widespread in many other countries, where service employees receive a more livable wage. What about tipping in hotels while traveling? For the many, sometimes invisible, helpers that ensure your pleasant stay?

Housekeeping

In some countries, it is not expected to give housekeeping a tip. Rather, it is a reward for the hard work they deliver or to be sure of good service.

In other countries, the pace of work is often much higher and the wage a lot lower. Certainly, in the high season, the housekeeping staff is often run off their feet dealing with all of the rooms. Unfortunately, they are most often forgotten when it comes to tipping.

How much tip do you give?

It obviously depends on the country, but, as standard, you should leave 5 to 10 dollars per night. Put the money on the pillow or on the bedside table with a note saying "thank you" - that's how housekeeping know they can take it.

The porter

You will not encounter this in your cheaply-scored motel during a road trip - but, nowadays, in 4 and 5-star hotels, there is often a porter who brings your bags to your room. Handy if you are carrying multiple, heavy suitcases.

How much tip do you give?

Here, too, it depends on the country - but also between 5 and 10 dollars, as standard.

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Change or reuse towels?

Nowadays, you find signs in hotels more and more often with the request to use your towels more than once if you stay for several nights. You’d be kinder to the environment if you knew that hotels use millions of gallons of water every day to wash towels that were only used once. How do you let staff know?

Towels on the floor = change.
Towels on a hook, rack or whatever = do not change.

Change bed linen

The same applies to bed linen: in many hotels, it is changed every three nights. If you stay for a week and you don't need them to change the bed linen: let housekeeping know. You’ll make an extra contribution to the environment and you’ll also save them time.

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Which hotel items can you take with you and which can you not?

I confess: I have taken the small bottles of shampoo/conditioner and soaps home several times from hotels. They are handy for subsequent trips and it also gives me a flashback to my vacation when I use them at home. But what about other hotel stuff - can you take it with you?

You can take these hotel items with you:

• Toiletries: soaps, shampoo/conditioner in small bottles, shower cap
• Pens, pencils, and other writing materials
• Notebooks with the hotel logo
• Slippers

Which hotel items can you not take with you?

• Towels, bathrobes, and bed linen
• Hairdryers
• Alarm clocks and lamps
• Coat hangers and clothes hangers
• Crockery and ashtrays
• Computer and other cables
• Umbrellas

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Can you take people to your room?

Yes - visitors to the room are usually allowed if you register them at the reception. This is to prevent reception from thinking that you are trying to smuggle in a free guest. Also, try to keep the visit as short as possible and it should not take place after eight o'clock in the evening. This is not done in most hotels.

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Can an extra person stay?

You want to take five people on a city trip and, to save costs, book a 4-person room. You smuggle the fifth person in and they sleep on the couch, right? NO - this is not permitted for a variety of reasons - including safety. If the hotel finds out, they can require an additional surcharge.

Can you sit down for breakfast in your bathrobe?

Although hotels encourage you to feel "at home", there are boundaries, and this also relates to how you dress in common areas. There is no law that prohibits it, but having breakfast in your bathrobe or pajamas is not appreciated in most hotels... Choose room service if you want to stay in your bathrobe.

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How late can you make noise?

Quality time with your partner binge-watching a good show - these are activities that often happen in a hotel room. But keep your neighbors in mind: the walls are often not very thick and, conversely, you would not like it if your hotel neighbors made a lot of noise in the middle of the night. The "silent hours" in hotels are usually between 10 pm and 8 am. This also applies to the corridors - so don't shout when you’re coming back late from a party...

How do you deal with noisy neighbors?

Whether the TV is on full blast or if it sounds like an adult movie is being recorded in the room next to you: just call reception. Even though it may seem a bit childish not to ask people to be quiet yourself: the hotel staff has more experience with these situations. It will also be better received if someone from the hotel asks them to be quieter.

How neat do you have to leave your room?

Also included in the "pretending to be at home" idea: so throw your trash in the garbage can, place the towels on the floor in the bathroom, and leave the room neat and tidy. You don’t have to take your bed linen off or scrub the bathroom, but show a little respect for housekeeping. If, for whatever reason, you have to leave in a hurry: leave a generous tip for the staff.

So, hopefully, you have learned something about hotel etiquette and you are ready to book your next flights.