The Smart Show: How To Live In A Hotel
Imagine my surprise when Henry from The Smart Show, explains in perfect detail MY methods for how to live in a hotel.
Remember: The Smart Show is sponsored by Holiday Inn Express, so this is kind of a commercial for the hotel chain. There are a lot of good ideas in this little video, though, so check it out anyway.
I’m not the member of any priority clubs with any hotels, but I DO have a similar ritual when getting settled in a hotel. I felt a sudden wave of justification when I saw Henry setting up the hotel room as quickly and efficiently as I do when we get into our room.
Here’s MY list I follow when I move into a hotel room:
Check the room: Honestly, even really nice hotels make mistakes. Mike and I have been given UNCLEAN rooms in the best of hotels, and I know I’m not the only one. In all fairness, we have never been given an unclean room in a dumpy hotel. This has only happened in three and four star hotels. I have no idea why, but make sure you get in and check that the linens have been changed and that you have Hotel SWAG. Those are the two biggest indicators of whether your room has been cleaned.
Set up the computer and check the Internet access: A lot of hotels brag about their wireless Internet access, but fail to mention that some of their rooms are unable to get a signal. For me, having Internet access is almost more important than having a clean room (not quite, but almost). I actually prefer wired access with an ethernet cable, but wireless access is nice as well. You paid for it. Check it to make sure you got it.
Unpack clothes: I take my clothes that I usually hang and place them in my suitcase (hanger and all) when I pack, so all I have to do is lift them out of the suitcase and hang them in the closet. I used to do that with a garment bag, but I found the garment bag to be a HORRIBLE suitcase and my clothes actually wrinkle LESS when I pack them in the suitcase. I put my jeans, undies, socks and nightgowns in the drawers.
Use the suitcase as a dirty clothes hamper: There are two schools of thought on travel. The “Moving In” and the “Live Out Of Your Suitcase.” I prefer the “Moving In” school of thought. I unpack all of my clothes and I use my suitcase as a dirty clothes hamper. This doesn’t work if you are moving from one hotel to another each day (such as a cross-country trip). It only works if you go to one spot and vacation there for a week. With the “Live Out Of Your Suitcase” school of thought, it’s best to have two suitcases, one for clean clothes and one for dirty clothes. When the dirty clothes suitcase is full, take it to a laundromat and clean your clothes.
Use a toiletry bag in the bathroom: I have talked about this in detail here: Travel Essentials: Toiletry Bag
If you haven’t started watching The Smart Show yet, you really should. There has only been this episode that has seemed like a commercial for the hotel chain and the rest have been cool stops in places all over the country. If you are at a loss of where to go on your vacation this year, they have a ton of offbeat ideas for you.