Alex Carson
Hotels
Whether you are traveling for business or pleasure, you are going to need to stay in a hotel. When you first check in, you will likely want to take a hot shower and get some rest after your long flight. Before you settle into your hotel room, there are a few things that you should do first. Since you aren’t the first person to ever stay in that room, and it is strange to you, some things need to be done before you get comfortable. Here’s what you have to do as soon as you step into a hotel room.
Check For Bed Bugs
One of the biggest dangers in hotel rooms is bed bugs. These tiny critters can attach themselves to you, your clothes, and your suitcase, and head home with you when your trip is over. If you take the bed bugs home, it can be a very long and expensive process to get rid of them. You may not even realize that the bugs hitched a ride home with you until you start waking up with bites all over your body. It can cost weeks and thousands of dollars to get rid of these nasty critters, which is why you should inspect the bed right after checking into your room.
When you first arrive at your hotel, you should look for signs of bed bugs. You may not see the actual bugs because they are so small, but you can spot the rusty bloodstains to show where they have been. You should also check the corner of the fitted sheet for signs of the tiny bugs or their eggs. If everything is all clear, remove the sheet and check the mattress and the box spring. If you notice any signs of bed bugs, get yourself and your luggage out of the room immediately. Next, find yourself another hotel after alerting the front desk of what you found. Before even booking your room, you should read reviews from previous guests. If anyone mentioned seeing or getting bed bugs from the room, you should find another hotel. This isn’t something that you want to take a chance with.
Check the Air Conditioner
If you check into the hotel in the morning, the room will feel cool and inviting. As the day goes on, it can start to get hot, and you will need the air conditioner. There is nothing worse than finding out that the AC doesn’t work until it is too late, and all of the rooms are booked. As soon as you check into the hotel, turn on your AC to make sure that it works. Let the AC run for about 30 minutes to make sure that it doesn’t shut down or start blowing warm air. Trying to sleep in a room with no air conditioner can ruin your entire trip.
Remove the Comforter
When you check into your hotel, you should take the comforter off the bed. The hotel staff will make it a point to wash the sheets, but chances are, they didn’t wash the comforter. You actually have no idea when the comforter was washed last. Some hotels are vigilant about it, but others don’t see the need for all the necessary work. Since you have no idea who was lying on the bed before you, or what they were doing, it is a good idea to take the comforter off the bed. If you travel often, it is a good idea to get into the habit of bringing your own blanket from home. This way, you will know exactly who was lying on it. The comforter in your hotel room could be covered with things that you can’t see, but would really gross you out.
Locate the Light Switches
When you first get into your hotel room, you should go around the room and locate all of the light switches. During the day, finding the light switch is simple. It can be a bit more complicated if you stumble into your hotel room late at night. There is nothing worse than fumbling around in the dark looking for the light. If you aren’t alone, this can be a very embarrassing problem. Locating the light switches when you check in will make it easy to find them late at night.
Check the Bathroom
When you first check into your room, you should make sure that you have plenty of towels and toiletries, and that the hairdryer works, check the bathroom. If you have a big meeting to get to or plans to go sightseeing, you will be held up if you need to wait for housekeeping to bring you the things that you need. To be safe, check to make sure that you have everything you need while checking in.
