Hey YouTube, Jim here! Welcome to Top10Archive! It’s rare for an Archive to completely turn
us off to something… but this may have done it. Team Top 10 tends to travel on occasion
and on those travels, we try to enjoy some of the finer luxuries of being out of state.
You know, like hotel rooms. Nothing super fancy, of course, but chances are, the next
time we go out of state, we’ll all be sleeping in our cars. Quite honestly, you may feel
the same after we dish out these top ten secrets that hotels have been hiding from us! Before
we ruin your desire to travel forever, why not hit that subscribe button and click the
bell to be notified of the next time we ruin something for you!
10. Your
Reservation Means Nothing Ah, you just got done booking your hotel and
think you can just kick back, relax, and count down the days. Well, don’t get too comfortable.
You see, behind the scenes, something terrible is happening that could ruin your trip entirely.
Though you believe the hotel now has you solidly booked for that day, it’s probably still
taking reservations. So, if you’re the last to arrive, especially if you’re only staying
one night, you’ll be “walked” to a nearby property. It’s an obnoxious tactic used
by airlines and car rental companies who figure that at least one person isn’t going to
show up. To guarantee your room, be there precisely at check-in time.
9. Fees Aren’t Always Set in Stone These days, it seems like no matter what resort
you stay at, you’ll be paying a fee. In some cases, such as in cities like Las Vegas,
these fees can be ¼ or ½ the cost of the room! Take it from our writer, a Las Vegas
local himself, that you shouldn’t stand for them, especially if you don’t use the
amenities they supposedly cover. Negotiate with the front desk upon check-in and explain
that you won’t be using those conveniences. It’s not guaranteed to work, but there’s
no harm in trying. If there was anything wrong with your room, don’t hesitate to use that
as leverage. 8. The Safes Aren’t Safe
The safes in hotel rooms are nothing more than a false sense of security. Sure, some
random guest can’t break in and steal your precious valuables, but that doesn’t mean
you’re totally protected. Hotel staff typically do have access to these safes, even without
the passcode you choose, and any item that’s stolen or presumed “lost” isn’t likely
going to be insured. When it comes to your valuables, don’t trust anyone, especially
the smiley housekeeping attendant. Someone that smiles that much is up to no good.
7. The Concierge Kickback Have you ever been wronged by a hotel concierge
before? Maybe you asked for a local dive with great food but were instead sent to a hole
in the ground with stale bread. It’s not necessarily that they have terrible taste,
but rather that they may get a kickback in the form of commission or a free meal for
every person they direct to that restaurant. In places of high tourism, your best bet is
to ask a local and refer to the concierge only when you need directions to the fitness
center. 6. There May Be Something Better
Like many travelers, you probably think that one king room is going to be identical to
the next, but chances are there are several rooms with at least one difference. The building’s
layout may have resulted in a slightly larger room or larger bathroom. Maybe one room has
a nicer television or a much better view. Whatever the difference may be, just assume
you’re not being placed in the best option. Tell the agent it’s a special occasion or,
if you’re feeling bold, tip them up front to try and get the best of what the hotel
has to offer. 5. Don’t Drink from the Glass
Most hotel rooms offer you at least two drinking glasses during your stay, but you should steer
clear from ever using them. As detailed in a WAGA-TV I-Team investigation, the glasses
aren’t always cleaned, and when they are, it typically consists of a very light scrub
with a potentially dirty towel, maybe the same one used to clean the toilet, before
being returned to the room. To avoid swapping spit or something worse with the room’s
prior guest, always bring your own drinking apparatus, stick to bottled drinks or clean
dishes prior to using them. 4. Bedding Isn’t Always Washed
Sure, you may be sleeping on clean sheets, but there’s no guarantee that the comforter
and blanket were run through the wash after the last guest left. In fact, to even assume
that the sheets were even washed can be foolish. It’s not unheard of for housekeeping to
use the teenager’s method of determining cleanliness – if it doesn’t have an odor
and isn’t stained, there’s a chance it’ll be deemed clean enough to remain on the bed
for the next guest. An anonymous receptionist spilled the beans to Reader’s Digest that,
in their unnamed chain, blankets were washed once a week while bedspreads, if not stained,
could go a month without being cleaned. 3. A Germaphobes Nightmare
Okay, so even if the drinking glasses were properly cleaned and all of your bedding has
been through the wash, don’t assume everything else is free of dirt, grime, and germs. Items
like the telephone, alarm clock, faucets, light switches, thermostats, and door knobs
either get no attention or are given the once-over with a rag that’s already been in places
you don’t even want to think about. Bacteria like E. coli, staph, and even MSRA have been
found on what’s often regarded as the most disgusting hotel object – the television
remote. 2. Housekeeping Revenge
When you really think about it, you don’t know anything about the person that’s been
put in charge of cleaning your room while you’re out enjoying yourself. Can you really
trust them with your belongings, especially if you haven’t tipped them throughout your
stay? The sad truth is, no, you can’t. Gross horror stories can be found all over the web
of experiences involving toothbrushes, including Roni the Travel Guru, who believes, during
one stay, her brush had been swapped for the one housekeeping cleaned with. Unfortunately,
once you leave your room, your belongings are at the mercy of housekeeping, so either
treat them well or hide everything you don’t want to be touched.
1. Death is Commonplace It’s an unavoidable truth that death happens
and with the number of people that cycle in and out of hotel rooms… well, let’s just
say it’s likely that someone has died in a room you’ve slept in… and that’s not
even the most unsettling part of it. According to Jacob Tomsky, former hotel insider, once
a dead body is removed, the room is immediately sanitized and made available to the next guest.
So, yes, you could be staying in a room that somebody died in that same day. To make matters
worse, sometimes the body isn’t even found by hotel staff as it’s not unheard of for
murder victims to be hidden under the mattress and left for the first person with a good
sense of smell. Hey! You made it to the end of the video without gagging, so brag about
it in the comments and don’t forget to hit that like button!