Hi and welcome to the channel.
My name is Megan and I am super excited about today's video,
because I'll be running through 50-plus -
yeah, I lied, there's more than 50 -
hotel room hacks that you can use on your next trip.
Don't forget to subscribe and give this video a like if you enjoyed it.
I'll get right into them because we have a lot to cover.
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Use the combination of the door lock and the hangers in your cupboard
to hold the door open while you bring all of your luggage in.
You can also use that hinge that's above the door as a bottle opener.
I don't have a beer bottle with me but it would look something like this...
Inside your cupboard you're also going to find hangers for pants,
which are going to have clips on them.
This is perfect for that really annoying gap
that's letting all the sunlight in from your blinds
You can just clip the blinds together and block that out.
If you're getting outside noise coming from the hallway
or any light that's streaming in,
take a towel and wedge it underneath your hotel room door.
If you forgot your phone charger or if you don't have the proper plug
that's going to work in the country that you're in
and you don't have an adapter,
you can instead plug the USB straight into the back of the TV.
This is going to charge your phone as long as the TV is on.
If you do want an adapter or a phone charger,
us travellers are notorious for leaving these behind
so, definitely just head straight down to the front desk and ask them;
they probably have a spare they will lend to you
for the duration of your stay.
To not be one of these travelers that leaves this behind,
definitely try looping the cord of the charger
through your keys to your car.
This way, when you go to leave in the morning
and you go to grab you keys,
you're going to see your charger and remember to bring it with you.
You may also want to check out on Amazon for one of the travel plug extenders,
they're very inexpensive and they're very compact.
This is going to allow you to charge your laptop and your phone
without having to unplug the lamp or the alarm clock
that is in the hotel room.
I hate having to watch TV series on my phone or on my laptop,
so I always travel with a Google chromecast,
which you can plug into the HDMI port in the back of the hotel TV.
This is going to allow you to stream Netflix
or whatever else is on your laptop on the big screen.
If you don't want to do this wirelessly
or some hotels won't let you do it wirelessly,
you can also just bring an HDMI cord
and then directly plug it in to your laptop
and the other end in the TV,
and it's going to mirror anything that you have on your computer.
If you don't mind watching shows directly from your phone,
try repurposing your glasses as a phone stand
or, if you're just looking to listen to music,
take the reusable glass or mugs from the room
and put your phone inside of it,
this is going to greatly amplify the sound
that you're getting out of your phone speakers.
You can also use that folded sheet as a bedside storage spot,
just make sure that before you get too comfy
you check the bed for bedbugs.
Now, this has nothing to do with the cleanliness of the hotel,
bedbugs travel very well and, once they get into a room,
they get into everything,
the carpets, the couches, the sheets... everything.
So, even if the sheets are washed, you may still have an issue.
I have a PDF linked below that's going to give you all of these hacks
as well as some links on how you can check your hotel room for bedbugs.
It's becoming more and more common
for hotels to charge their travelers extra if they want to use their Wi-Fi networks.
I've been able to get free Wi-Fi every single time I've tried this
by offering to write a review for the hotel instead.
What I'll do is I'll check in, I'll go to my room,
and then I'll go back down to reception
and let them know about how great the view is
or beautiful the room was, just something nice,
and that I would love to write them a review
but, in order to do so, I will be needing the Wi-Fi password.
It's going to be a win-win because they get a review
and then you have the password to use for the remainder of your stay.
An extra hack to up your chances of this working
is to additionally offer to mention
the name of the woman or man that checked you in in your review.
This is going to give them huge bonus points with their employer
and they'll be more likely to support you and giving you the Wi-Fi password
to write this review.
Ariport and hotel networks are prime for having your information stolen.
It's essential that you use a firewall
as well as a VPN on your network when you're browsing;
Having a VPN is also going to allow you to access American Netflix
even if you're in a different country.
Once you have the Wi-Fi password,
you might be keen to pull your laptop out and get some work done,
which you can do in an ergonomic way by using the ironing board
as an adjustable height desk.
This way, you're not having to work from your bed
or being hunched over on the desk that they provide,
that never seems to be the right height for the chair that they also provide.
It's important to think about how you will be keeping
all of these devices, and your passport, and your cash,
safe while it's in the room.
I don't trust the safety boxes that they provide you with.
I've personally had things stolen out of a locked box
and then, last month when I was in Mexico,
I had a friend go through the exact same experience.
These safes can be easily carried right out of the room
if they aren't bolted to the ground
and I can guarantee that someone in management or the staff
has a master key or master code.
Instead, I would suggest that you invest
in a suitcase that's going to have a lock on it;
you can use a bike lock
to lock your suitcase to a fixed object in the room;
an example would be a radiator or the water pipe.
I'll also leave the "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door
to indicate that I don't want my room cleaned.
Personally, I would rather clean up after myself than have the staff come in
and have free range of all of my things,
sometimes I'll even leave the TV on in the room
to make it seem like I'm there when I'm not.
You may be wondering how I'm able to leave the TV on
when it's the key card that you need
to put the electricity on in most hotel rooms.
Well, number one, you can ask for a second key card
at the desk when you check in
or, better yet, that slot is going to take any type of card,
so I'll leave one of my business cards or someone else's
in the slot and it's going to put all of the electricity on;
you don't need a special key card to do this,
which could be helpful if you want to keep the AC running
or you want to charge your devices.
But please, don't abuse this
and don't waste energy if you don't need to.
Something else I'll do for extra safety as soon as I check in to a hotel room
is I'll leave and I'll take the stairs down to the first floor.
Sometimes I'll get to the bottom and realize that the door is barricaded
or that there's actually no exit from the staircase.
It's much better to figure this out at the beginning
than being in an emergency situation and not being able to exit the building.
On my way to the staircase, I'll also take a photo of my room number
so I have it on my phone
as most key cards are not going to tell you where your room is anymore,
which is very smart because you don't want key cards lying around
with room numbers on them in case you were to lose it.
Hotel room hacking begins right at the booking stage,
and where you book your room is also going to matter.
If you tend to always use the same chain,
I would say go directly to that hotel's website and book with them.
If they have a good loyalty program,
you'll be the first in line for upgrades and their loyalty points,
which you can use towards future discounts.
I personally am not loyal to a single chain
so, instead, I will use hotel discount booking sites
to make my bookings at the lowest rates.
One of my favorites is HotelsTonight and then Booking.com and Agoda.
I'll also pair Rakuten to get a cashback on all of these bookings
and then Honey to give me a discount code on all of these bookings as well.
I did a whole video on how I easily use
both free browser extensions, Rakuten and Honey,
to save hundreds of dollars on all of my flight and hotel bookings;
I'll leave that for you linked below.
Another option is to look online
but then not actually make your booking online.
If you're in the area and you can walk into that hotel,
you can show them the discount that you're getting
from that third-party site.
They will have to pay that site a commission
and then also give you the discounted rate
if you were to book online through them
so, instead, they may offer you
"book directly with us, but at discounted rate."
It's a win-win; they don't have to pay a commission fee
and you get a discount rate.
If you're booking online with the hotel directly or
over the phone or in person,
if you have any reason at all to be celebrating,
let them know.
If it's your anniversary, let them know how excited you are
to be celebrating your anniversary at their hotel.
This may go nowhere
but it may also put you as the first one on the list
for an upgrade if one were to become available.
Is that your aunt Louisa's anniversary?
Is it your cat's birthday?
Let them know.
Not all rooms are created equal
and this is something you can influence when you're actually booking your room
if you know what to ask for.
A room on a lower floor is going to give you a poor view,
you'll probably hear some of the street noise from outside,
and you get less natural light.
You will also be more vulnerable to theft.
On the contrary, you can evacuate more easily
if you are in an emergency.
High floors mean better views, less street noise,
and less chances of theft from an outsider;
however, you are reliant on the elevator
and it's going to be more difficult for you to evacuate in an emergency.
If the hotel you're staying at hosts business meetings or conferences,
they're usually held on the top floor.
So, if you have a room on a higher floor,
you may be getting noise from one of these functions
that seem to be happening at the same time as your stay.
My preference is to ask for a corner room on the third floor
right beside the stairs.
This is going to maximize the benefits of both high and low floors
while minimizing the drawbacks,
it also means it's very easy for me to evacuate through the staircase
if there ever was an emergency.
You'll definitely want to avoid a room beside the elevators,
the ice machine,
the fitness center and the breakfast buffet
because, of course, there's going to be extra noise
coming from these areas;
you can request this when you're booking online
or when you go to book over the phone.
Something else you want to avoid is a room directly beside
or directly above the pool
because the aroma of chlorine is likely going to be invading your hotel room.
One of my favorite hacks to save money on buying bottled water
is to instead use the kettle,
boil tap water and then put the kettle in the fridge overnight.
I'm also proud and slightly embarrassed
to say that I have boiled eggs inside of a kettle.
I have some vegan friends that will additionally make pasta
and rice inside the kettle.
The hotel staff is probably not going to like you.
They're definitely not going to like me.
Honestly, you can make pretty much anything that you can make in an oven
inside the microwave,
just give it a quick google
and you're going to be mind blown at all the different things that you can do.
As for the hot water that's going to be dispensed from the kettle
or that coffee maker in your room,
some of my go-tos are oatmeal for breakfast
and then instant soup or those cup of ramen noodles
that you can also get cheap at the grocery store.
You can also get out the ironing board
if you have tinfoil with you,
you can use this to make a grilled cheese sandwich
or I even know people that have put tinfoil on top of the iron
and then cracked an egg inside of that and...
had an egg.
Many hotels include a breakfast buffet,
they often give you breads and bagels and then, over on another section,
you'll find eggs and bacon and all that staple American breakfast good stuff.
Many people don't realize that you can combine all of this
and make an epic breakfast sandwich,
you could also make several sandwiches,
which you could pack with you for later in the day.
And those little packets of butter or cream cheese,
put them on the toaster beside your bread while your bread is toasting;
its going to soften them up so you can actually spread them
onto your toast once it's ready or into a sandwich.
If you are planning to take some food for later
or if you plan to do some cooking inside of your hotel room,
make sure you grab a few extras of those reusable bowls,
plates, and the cutlery...
If you don't have access to a breakfast buffet
or you forget to do this,
don't be shy to call down to the front desk
and ask if they have any dishes that you can borrow.
Another use that you can get out of your ironing board
is to use it as a dinner table;
this is also great if you have kids and you don't want them eating on the bed.
Just take a towel and place it over the ironing board
so that you're not leaving remnants of food behind
for the next time someone goes to use it.
Regardless of where your food is coming from,
take the shower cap from the bathroom and place it over your leftovers
before putting into the fridge to keep everything fresh for later.
If your hotel does have a gym, definitely check that out.
If you have a reusable water bottle with you,
you can usually get free water from down there
as they almost always have a fountain or water dispenser.
They may also have free water bottles available inside the gym
as well as a basket of...
fruit.
Just check out the gym, they often give away freebies.
And, apart from the freebies,
I would say avoid the gym,
because, along with airplanes,
gyms are one of the worst places
where you can pick up a bug that's going to make you sick.
There are a few other things that you can do to avoid getting sick
from the things that are found inside of your hotel room.
Pack hand sanitizer or wipes;
at the very least,
please, please, sanitize the hotel room remote
before you go to use it.
Google it...
Ooh... don't Google it.
Other things that you may want to consider wiping down
would be the alarm clock
as well as the hairdryer in the bathroom before you go to use it.
If you don't have any hand sanitizer with you,
then and grab the shower curtain
or the bag that they give you for the ice bucket
and wrap that around the remote
and use it for the duration of your stay.
If the hotel is providing you with reusable cups and mugs,
definitely give them a good wash before you go to use them.
Personally, I don't use them because I don't have the proper...
soap... dish washing liquid?
If that ironing board is now being used
as either a dinner table or an ergonomic desk for your laptop,
or if you just don't want to be bothered to get it out,
you can instead take your wrinkled clothing
and hang it on the inside of the bathroom door;
when you go to take a shower
the whole bathroom is essentially going to turn into a steamer
and it's going to get all of the wrinkles out of of your clothing.
Avoid placing your toothbrush lying down directly on the bathroom sink counter,
this area either wasn't cleaned
or it's covered with chemicals from being cleaned.
Instead, take a disposable cup
and poke your toothbrush through the bottom.
These cops are pretty flimsy
so, if you just put your toothbrush in it while it's upright,
it's likely going to fall over.
If you have wet socks from a day out exploring,
you can put the socks over the nozzle of the hairdryer and turn it on;
they're going to be dry in no time.
The room will also have the lovely aroma of damp sock,
but it doesn't have to.
Take a car freshener and clip it on to the AC unit inside the room.
And, to keep all of your stuff smelling nice and fresh,
and fresh, take that scented bar of soap from the bathroom
while it's still wrapped up - don't use it first -
and then place it inside of your luggage.
You can also take the shower cap
and put any muddy dirty shoes inside of it
for when you go to pack them back into your suitcase to take home.
The shower cap is also great if you have a wet bathing suit
that you don't want to mix in with all of your dry clothing.
I'll sometimes take the sugar packets
that the hotel provides you for free with the coffee and the tea
and I will use that as a do-it-yourself face scrub on my skin.
In addition to repurposing the body cream that they provide you with
as a makeup remover,
you can repurpose the conditioner from your shower
and use it as shaving cream.
Whatever it is, when you get to your hotel room,
if it's noisy, if you don't like the view, if it's too cold, if the AC doesn't work,
if you forgot something...
just go down and ask.
You and the hotel staff are on the same team here,
they want you to have a good stay and you want to have a good stay.
Trust me, they would so much rather know about your complaints -
if presented in a nice, polite way, which I know you will do -
than have you have a horrible stay and then leave the hotel
and write a terrible review for them.
That's just a lose-lose
when, instead, it could have been fixed right from the beginning.
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Well, those are all the hacks that I have for you today,
but definitely leave in the comments below any additional ones that you have
because, clearly, I'm obsessed.
I've also put together a free PDF with all 50-plus hacks
as well as some handy links
to things like how to check for bedbugs in your hotel room,
which you can download down below.
I also really think you'll like some of the other travel hack videos
that I've made right over here.
Hit my face to subscribe
because I'm back every single Tuesday with a new travel video
and I would love to see you next week.
Until then, have a good one and happy travels.
Bye!