Many hotels offer valet parking, where attendants park your car and bring it back when you’re ready to leave. Valet service may be complimentary or available for a small fee, and it’s customary to tip your valet. You can tip the hotel valet when you hand them your keys or when they bring your car…
Hotels almost always require a credit card to make a reservation and may require one to stay on the premises, even if you are staying there using cash or rewards points. This charge is a deposit on the room and the card is kept on file for incidentals or room charges. So how can you…
Smoking isn’t as common as it used to be and most hotels offer only non-smoking rooms. This doesn’t stop people from trying to get around the rules and smoke in their hotel room or on the balcony though. So how does a hotel know if you smoke in your room or on the balcony? Hotels…
It’s always the best option, to be honest with hotels about your name and how many people are staying in a room. You can have guests over to visit for whatever reason, but there are safety concerns with too many people being in one room. But how would a hotel know if you had an…
When making a hotel reservation, you usually have to provide a credit card number to guarantee your booking. Hotels require this to protect themselves from no-shows, and the type of card they accept can vary. Many hotels will not take prepaid cards to hold a reservation or pay a deposit and prefer standard credit or…
Most people have received rude service at some point in their lives. While it’s rare in the hospitality industry, it does happen occasionally. Unless your behavior was the cause of the rudeness, a poor attitude usually isn’t because of you. If you encounter rude hotel staff, politely express your displeasure. Explain why their behavior isn’t…
Anyone who’s traveled a lot will advise you to keep your valuables in a safe place when visiting a hotel. Unfortunately, many guests learn the hard way. If you misplace an item and suspect housekeeping stole it, report the matter to hotel security. If the hotel uses key cards, they will track who came in…
When traveling, choosing the best type of accommodation can be challenging. It’s helpful to understand the difference between a hotel, motel, and inn to make the right decision for your travel needs. The differences between hotels, motels, and inns mainly lie in location and design. Hotels cater to tourists, motels are ideal for people passing…
Sometimes you check into a nice hotel, get a beautiful room, and everything seems great. But then you realize the room has an unpleasant, musty smell that you can’t figure out where it’s coming from. So how do you get rid of that musty, gross smell in your hotel room? There are quite a few…
Travelers frequently arrive at their destination earlier than they can check into their hotel. It’s also common for them to need to check out earlier than they can actually leave the area. To make everything easier, can a hotel hold your bags for you? Most of the time, yes, hotels will hold your bags if…