Age-old wisdom tells us that we don’t actually want to know how the sausage gets made. This applies to literal sausages as well, but nearly every industry has some behind-the-scenes knowledge that is impossible to unlearn and uncomfortable to know.
But at the end of the day, a painful truth is better than a comfortable lie. Travel vlogger and TikToker Melissa Hanks used her experience as a former hospitality manager to share some tips for hotel guests all over the world. So if you want to learn what you should absolutely avoid and what you should always do when you first enter a hotel room, scroll down, upvote your favorites, and be sure to comment your own ideas.
More info: TikTok
#1
I always check the bed for bed bugs. Now this one has a zip case that I already unzipped and looks like some kind of overlay cover like this or one that just drapes along the bottom.
Image credits: melly_creations
After looking at all these suggestions, it almost seems like no one is cleaning hotels. Many will claim that a room is cleaned daily, or at least between guests, but anyone who has lived with other people will know that the word “clean” can have a variety of meanings. Add in personal preferences and standards and it becomes increasingly hard to determine what exactly the word means.
For some, chemicals, intensive scribing, and polishing are the bare minimum, while others sort of kick dust under the counter and leave it at that. At home, this is bearable, but when you think about the number of people who rotate through a hotel every day and what state they may be in, no wonder people who know the behind-the-scenes details are pretty wary.
You can watch the full videos here
@melly_creations What I do when staying at a hotel. Even though star hotels. they are sometimes the worst with cleanliness. #hotels #travel #traveling ♬ original sound – Melly
@melly_creations Replying to @sodickstracted As a former hotel manager here are additional items I won’t use. #hotels #hotelstay #dontuse #advice ♬ Cupid – Twin Ver. (FIFTY FIFTY) – Sped Up Version – regex & bexter & Vraox
@melly_creations Replying to @404rabbit Former hotel manager. #hotelstay #hotelcups #doesanddonts ♬ original sound – Melly
Commenters expressed their shock at some of these revelations
Others gave their own stories from working in the hospitality industry
#2
I never sleep with this because I’m sorry to tell you, they do not get washed every time someone stays in a hotel
Image credits: melly_creations
You can watch the full videos here
@melly_creations What I do when staying at a hotel. Even though star hotels. they are sometimes the worst with cleanliness. #hotels #travel #traveling ♬ original sound – Melly
@melly_creations Replying to @sodickstracted As a former hotel manager here are additional items I won’t use. #hotels #hotelstay #dontuse #advice ♬ Cupid – Twin Ver. (FIFTY FIFTY) – Sped Up Version – regex & bexter & Vraox
@melly_creations Replying to @404rabbit Former hotel manager. #hotelstay #hotelcups #doesanddonts ♬ original sound – Melly
Commenters expressed their shock at some of these revelations
Others gave their own stories from working in the hospitality industry
#3
I will never use these refillable shampoo and conditioner bottles in the tub, like, where people can put anything in it. I’ve seen Nair and god knows what else in there
Image credits: melly_creations
You can watch the full videos here
@melly_creations What I do when staying at a hotel. Even though star hotels. they are sometimes the worst with cleanliness. #hotels #travel #traveling ♬ original sound – Melly
@melly_creations Replying to @sodickstracted As a former hotel manager here are additional items I won’t use. #hotels #hotelstay #dontuse #advice ♬ Cupid – Twin Ver. (FIFTY FIFTY) – Sped Up Version – regex & bexter & Vraox
@melly_creations Replying to @404rabbit Former hotel manager. #hotelstay #hotelcups #doesanddonts ♬ original sound – Melly
Commenters expressed their shock at some of these revelations
Others gave their own stories from working in the hospitality industry
#4
So the first thing I do is I check that these vents are clean and they are.
Image credits: melly_creations
While less-then-clean beds can be an issue, particularly if we add bedbugs into the mix, the real danger is absolutely unsanitary eating conditions. Coffee machines, dishes, and other amenities that are in public use tend to not be in the best of conditions, since no one feels particular ownership over them.
This also then extends to the cleaning, naturally. The items we use at home are as clean as we prefer them to be because we generally spend money on them and want the best for ourselves. But an item that exists for everyone to use just gets the most cursory of washes, as it’s just another task on someone’s daily list of duties.
You can watch the full videos here
@melly_creations What I do when staying at a hotel. Even though star hotels. they are sometimes the worst with cleanliness. #hotels #travel #traveling ♬ original sound – Melly
@melly_creations Replying to @sodickstracted As a former hotel manager here are additional items I won’t use. #hotels #hotelstay #dontuse #advice ♬ Cupid – Twin Ver. (FIFTY FIFTY) – Sped Up Version – regex & bexter & Vraox
@melly_creations Replying to @404rabbit Former hotel manager. #hotelstay #hotelcups #doesanddonts ♬ original sound – Melly
Commenters expressed their shock at some of these revelations
Others gave their own stories from working in the hospitality industry
#5
As a former hotel manager and an avid coffee drinker, I will not use the Keurigs in a hotel room. And this is why, on top of the fact that I’ve seen other things other than water being brewed, even though the housekeeper may rinse it out or wash the outside, that tube right there never gets cleaned
Image credits: melly_creations
You can watch the full videos here
@melly_creations What I do when staying at a hotel. Even though star hotels. they are sometimes the worst with cleanliness. #hotels #travel #traveling ♬ original sound – Melly
@melly_creations Replying to @sodickstracted As a former hotel manager here are additional items I won’t use. #hotels #hotelstay #dontuse #advice ♬ Cupid – Twin Ver. (FIFTY FIFTY) – Sped Up Version – regex & bexter & Vraox
@melly_creations Replying to @404rabbit Former hotel manager. #hotelstay #hotelcups #doesanddonts ♬ original sound – Melly
Commenters expressed their shock at some of these revelations
Others gave their own stories from working in the hospitality industry
#6
I will not use an ice bucket at all. People use these for things that you don’t even want to think about. I’ve cleaned out puke from that. If I need ice, I will use this and just fill it up with ice or I’ll take the cups to fill them up.
Image credits: melly_creations
So perhaps treat a hotel less like a luxury resort and more like a public pool. You can still get some utility out of it, but take a few precautions when it comes to stuff that hundreds, if not thousands have used and touched. Remember, not only do different people have different standards of cleanliness, some people are downright malicious and a hotel room is the perfect place for them to vent their personal issues.
So like in everything from restaurants to contractors, it can be jarring to learn what goes on behind the scenes, but ultimately the information is useful, as it can help you make good decisions and avoid all of the disasters waiting to happen, like the examples given here.
You can watch the full videos here
@melly_creations What I do when staying at a hotel. Even though star hotels. they are sometimes the worst with cleanliness. #hotels #travel #traveling ♬ original sound – Melly
@melly_creations Replying to @sodickstracted As a former hotel manager here are additional items I won’t use. #hotels #hotelstay #dontuse #advice ♬ Cupid – Twin Ver. (FIFTY FIFTY) – Sped Up Version – regex & bexter & Vraox
@melly_creations Replying to @404rabbit Former hotel manager. #hotelstay #hotelcups #doesanddonts ♬ original sound – Melly
Commenters expressed their shock at some of these revelations
Others gave their own stories from working in the hospitality industry
#7
These I will use. If you look, you have to unlock them to open them and refill them.
Image credits: melly_creations
You can watch the full videos here
@melly_creations What I do when staying at a hotel. Even though star hotels. they are sometimes the worst with cleanliness. #hotels #travel #traveling ♬ original sound – Melly
@melly_creations Replying to @sodickstracted As a former hotel manager here are additional items I won’t use. #hotels #hotelstay #dontuse #advice ♬ Cupid – Twin Ver. (FIFTY FIFTY) – Sped Up Version – regex & bexter & Vraox
@melly_creations Replying to @404rabbit Former hotel manager. #hotelstay #hotelcups #doesanddonts ♬ original sound – Melly
Commenters expressed their shock at some of these revelations
Others gave their own stories from working in the hospitality industry
#8
The drinking glasses in this room are sealed. They have the plastic on them. There are some hotels where they have the glass glasses and I would not use those unless I washed them out completely myself first
Image credits: melly_creations
You can watch the full videos here
@melly_creations What I do when staying at a hotel. Even though star hotels. they are sometimes the worst with cleanliness. #hotels #travel #traveling ♬ original sound – Melly
@melly_creations Replying to @sodickstracted As a former hotel manager here are additional items I won’t use. #hotels #hotelstay #dontuse #advice ♬ Cupid – Twin Ver. (FIFTY FIFTY) – Sped Up Version – regex & bexter & Vraox
@melly_creations Replying to @404rabbit Former hotel manager. #hotelstay #hotelcups #doesanddonts ♬ original sound – Melly