6 Things I Always Do When I Check Into a Hotel to Make My Stay More Comfortable

I tend to travel at least once or twice a month, whether that’s a road trip within a few hours of my hometown or a plane ride across the country (or even globe). Obviously, there’s so much prep work that goes into planning a trip—what outfits I’ll wear, which toiletries to pack, and some research on local activities or restaurants.

Years ago, though, I learned that sometimes it’s just as important to do some tail-end work once I arrive at my destination to ensure all goes smoothly. Whether I’m staying in a quirky B&B or cozying up in a hotel or resort, there’s a checklist of things I always do that helps me settle in.

I Do a Quick Cleanliness Scan
I do not expect absolute perfection, but I do expect clean linens, towels, hot water, and vacuumed floors when I arrive at a hotel—especially if it’s a nice one I paid a decent chunk of change for. Rarely do I need to call the front desk for a cleanup or restock, but it has happened. I’ve also needed to notify staff that hot water wasn’t working, which is usually just a quick fix.

It’s important to do this stuff right after arriving so you can have the issue tended to right away, or so you can move rooms easily before you unpack. I’ve also requested a room change if I’ve ended up right across from an elevator or ice machine. I learned the hard way that these high-traffic areas are extremely noisy with people, beeping, and ice dispensing, which is a recipe for awful sleep.

I Unpack All My Belongings
There was a past version of myself that figured if I left it all in the suitcase I’d have less work to do when packing up to leave—wrong. This method creates chaos every time I’d go to look for a garment, and the end result is still a messy suitcase that needs repacking.

No matter how long or short the trip, I remove everything from my suitcase within an hour or two of arriving and hang whatever I can. (Sometimes this involves requesting more hangers, which is never a problem.) This really cuts down on wrinkles and allows you to visualize what you brought, helping you plan your outfits. I also take out all my toiletries, then tuck away my luggage out of sight for a less cluttered space.
I Store My Valuables
While unpacking, I’m careful to put all my valuables in the room’s safe, or I do my best to tuck them out of sight. This includes my passport and laptop, and any nice jewelry I’m not wearing that day. I don’t expect these things to be stolen even if they’re left out, but it does give me peace of mind knowing that even if I’m out all day, my most important items are secure. That also allows me to enjoy my traveling adventures more!

I Create a Landing Zone Near the Door
Oh, the number of times I’ve lost my hotel key card or a pair of keys. I have a landing zone at our front door at home, so I figured I might as well create something similar for when I’m traveling. This is a little area—ideally a basket or tray that was already in the room—for my hotel key card, sunscreen, chapstick, and car keys/valet ticket. Having a landing zone means these items always have a spot, and I’m way less likely to lose them.
I Plug in All My Chargers Right Away
We still live in a world of cords, which means things need to be plugged in and charged. Crawling around on the floor at night and shuffling furniture around to find outlets isn’t a great way to wind down, so I try to identify all the outlets and plug my items in shortly after arriving at a hotel. It’s such a tiny thing, but preventing the Great Outlet Search at midnight really does cut down on chaos and stress.

I Photograph Important Details
Maybe it’s just me, but when I’m traveling, I tend to forget important details like, say, my room number or where I parked my car! I’ve found these details are surprisingly easy to forget after a fun day of exploring, or even after the commotion of checking in and jetting off to get food ASAP.

Along with photographing my room number, I’ll either take a picture of where I parked (if driving) or my valet ticket (just in case), a photo of the WiFi information, a picture of the hotel grounds/map, and even a picture (or screenshot) of the transportation map if I’m using public transit. All these habits help me enjoy my trip even more, and now that I have them down to a science, I’m never going back.