Hotels are home away from home. They are beautiful structures which are erected for comfort. A lot of people book hotel rooms for recreation, fun, business meetings among other things. The services a hotel provides are so mouth-watering that some rich tycoons spend most of their days in the confines of hotels instead of buying houses to live in. In simple terms, hotels are paid lodgings mostly on a short term basis.
It should not come as a surprise that even the most frequent customer at a hotel can forget their most valuable items at a hotel. If you are a regular victim of this situation, don’t beat yourself up, you are not the first and you certainly would not be the last person to forget valuable items at a hotel. There are some items which are frequently left behind in our hurry to leave the hotel after a long weekend of fun or business. Below are some compiled lists of items which hotel customers frequently leave behind at the “home away from home”.
Underwear
This might sound ridiculous right? These are like the most private of private items which we wear under our clothes. Yet, it should not be a thing of shock that some people actually forget their underwear in hotel wardrobes without noticing. Some under-wears are usually very small items which could be easily missed while packing up for any journey. Some people who have the habit of washing their underwear immediately after use might forget them on the line in the bathroom while they leave it to dry off. This raises the rhetorical question ‘why’ in our minds. It could be because they were in a hurry while packing or the under-wears were too many that the owner did not even notice that a ‘blue thong’ is missing. Whichever the reason might be, it would be very appealing not to forget the underwear at all. They are very small but essential items which would be painfully missed if they are gone. As such, it is worth picking up no matter the rush.
Tip to Remember:Even if you are in a crazy rush at the time you are about to leave the hotel, it is advisable for you to always have your underwear box neatly packed at all times. Do not wait until you are about to exit the building before packing it up. Try to keep them in one place immediately after use. In addition, before you leave the room, take a step backwards into the bathroom to check around carefully for any washed underwear. By doing this, you would be able to pick every bit and pieces before saying a beautiful goodbye to the hotel.
Wallets
Those little purses which we slide into our back pockets or handbags are so vital to our existence. They contain most of our important materials like our credit cards, identification cards, passports, condoms, money, keys and even some of our anxiety pills which we need to take at intervals. When one forgets them, it usually feels like we lost our pets to a dreadful disease. As important as they are, they are also very easy to forget because they can be dropped on the hotel tables or even under the bed after returning from a late night drink with the boys. The funny thing about wallets is that unlike cellphones, they do not have ringtones which can be heard when one tries to find them. We cannot put a call through to our wallets like our cellphones. Hence, it usually drives us insane when searching for them.
Tip to Remember: The simplest thing to do is to always have the wallets close to us whenever and wherever we go. It won’t be a bad idea to also place it on our bedside table whenever we take them out of our pockets. While packing up to leave the hotel, make it a habit to always pick up your wallet last. Let it be the last thing you would pick up from the bedside table and put it in your clothe pocket or your bag. That way, you won’t have to scatter your neatly packed travel bag in a bid to search for a tiny wallet.
Jewelries
These are priced possessions. An adage would say, “If you want to get on a woman’s nerve, steal her jewelry box.” This no longer applies to only women because even men own very expensive jewelries these days. Some can be so expensive that if they go missing, the owner might have a heart attack. Not all jewelry is big enough to find easily if it goes missing. This brings to memory a Bollywood movie where the lady refused to travel back to her country because her diamond engagement ring went missing. She wouldn’t give the tour guide a break until the ring was found. After severally searching inside the hotel room and different places she had visited, it turns out that the ring was lying comfortably in her purse. Weird, right? Some of them are so tiny that they could be easily missed even after searching the purse a thousand times.
Tip to Remember: The best thing to do with jewelries is to have a box for them. Boxes are big enough to see even when we are packing luggage in a rush. As soon as you take off jewelry, replace it carefully into the jewelry box. That way, you wouldn’t have to stress yourself. All you would need to do is pick up the box alongside your other travelling bags while leaving.
Keys
The importance of these items cannot be overemphasized. They open and close doors. I cannot begin to downplay how embarrassing it can be to get to the front of your house with a guest and discover that your key is missing. Some of them are so small that they usually get mixed up with other items thereby making it very difficult to find them.
Tip to Remember: Putting all your important keys in a bunch saves you the embarrassment of searching for a key in the presence of your guest. Once you have a bunch of keys on a key holder, keep them safely in one of your bags. You do not need your house keys at a hotel so why bring them out?
Chargers
People can spend the whole day glued to phone screens and even forget to charge their phones even if the light bulb was switched on throughout the day. The phones seem to be more important than the charger. Chargers are so sleek that they can be plugged to the bedside and still be forgotten by its owner. If chargers had voices, they probably would have cried out to their owners saying, “Please, pick me up.” They are too important to be forgotten.
Tip to Remember: I think it usually helps if you put something very precious to you beside your charger. If you place something you cannot do without beside the charger, once you turn around to pick up that valuable, you will see your beloved charger and scoop it up easily into your bag.
Phones and Tablets
No matter how much of a perfectionist you are, you can get so pre-occupied with thoughts that you would forget your mobile phones and tablets in a hotel room. Some people can even remove the charger from the phone, keep the charger in the bag and forget to pick up the phone. This can be very heart wrenching as most people use their phones for very important business deals.
Tip to Remember: Cellphones and tablets should have their own carriers. This is very important for very busy people who might get pre-occupied with work thoughts. Getting a big carrier for these items could help you remember them easily. Also, before you leave the hotel room, do a double-check to make sure you got those items safely in your hand luggage or bag.
Books
Books can be very good companions especially during lone moments. They can also be easily forgotten by their owners in a hotel room.
Tip to Remember: Just like your makeup box and jewelry box, your books should have a box or bag where you keep them immediately after use. This makes remembrance very easy.
Toiletries
I once felt very embarrassed when I had to call up a hotel that I left my toothbrush behind. I should not have been embarrassed because other customers would definitely have left worst things behind at some point right? But, I felt embarrassed. Toiletries are very vital items that if forgotten and we find ourselves in a place where we cannot easily replace them, we could embarrass ourselves. A perfect example is the sanitary towels. To avoid embarrassment, we need to be extra careful with them.
Tip to Remember: To remember our toiletries, we need to make a deliberate effort to be careful. Toiletries should have a bag for safe keeping. This bag should also be picked up before leaving the hotel to avoid embarrassment.
Medicines
It is no longer news that after people checks out of hotels, little pills are found in cupboard chests, tables and even on the floor.
Tip to Remember: All medicines should be kept safely in purses or wallets. Just before you exit the building, make sure your medicine purse has been kept in your bag.
Hotel amenities is something that is provided in the room that is provided in addition to the room. The type of amenities that are provided depends on the type of hotel that you stay in. Usually the pricier the hotel room is, the more that there will be free amenities that are available for their guests. The more the hospitality industry evolves, the more that you see that they are trying to anticipate the guest’s needs. Long gone are the days when the best you could hope for was a disposable razor and a tiny tube of toothpaste. Underneath is the list of free hotel amenities that are available for hotel’s guests:
Work out gears
There are a lot of hotels whose theme revolves around lifestyle. They will usually have a much more extensive gym work out equipment. However, most of the hotels these days are equipped with one. If you are not in the mood to go down to head to the gym, then you can simply call for yoga mats to be delivered to your room. Even better, some of the hotels also include in-room fitness programming and even workout clothing and shoes that are available on loan. Some of the resort hotels even include snow gears that can be borrowed for some time by the guest.
Pillows
Do you need a special pillow? Or your pillow is not as comfortable? Then your hotel might have the pillow that you need. A lot of big hotels have a pillow menu, which contains assortment of pillow types starting from buckwheat pillow, body contour pillow, duck down pillow, hypoallergenic pillows, you name it! Or even if your hotel does not put up the pillow menu, chances are they still do offer these types of menu. All you need to do is call one of the lovely gentlemen and ladies to assist you with it.
Toothpaste and mouthwash
There are a lot of hotels that give out toothpaste and mouthwashes for free. Not only that, there are practices in the hospitality industry in which the hotels would start replenishing your nearly finished toothpaste and mouthwashes with a brand new one. Not necessarily the same size, but of the same brand or a similar brand if they do not have the one that you are using. Sometimes, you might even found shaving cream and floss as well.
Electronic utensils
Having worked in a hotel for many years, I know what type of item that is most left behind by guests. You guess it right! A charger. We have all different types of chargers, from android to iPhones. Next time you have left your charger behind at home, do not worry! Call your hotel’s team, and they will have a charger available for you. Even if they do not have, then there is a big chance that they might have a charging station even a power bank for you to borrow during your stay Another electronic equipment that event the most season traveler could forget is a plug adaptor. Your hotel usually has a spare plug adaptor that you can borrow as well.
Makeup remover
There are many hotels that are now catering to international ladies’ traveler. This causes them to create special amenities only for these types of travelers. A lot of hotels have included make up remover, a small bottle of perfume even your make up removal pads to be available in the room. Now you can ensure you can still follow your make up cleansing routine while you are traveling. Some even have had nail polish removers ready for you.
Kids Entertainment
A lot of families are traveling more and more each year. With this trend, there are a lot of free amenities that kids can enjoy in a hotel. Starting from a cookie every day in the room. Most of the hotels will also have crayons and coloring books available both in the room and in the restaurant. Most kids will also be given their own special set cutleries and glass. If you are traveling with a baby, most of them will have a baby crib ready for you. Dependable on the type of hotel that you are staying, your kid might even get special bed such as a mini tent in the room.
Board games
Many hotels carry board games that are available for guests on requests. Most of the board games are available at the hotel’s bar, however there are a couple of hotels in which you are allowed you to borrow a board game to the room. Dependable where you are and the type of resort that you are staying, some might include billiards, surfboards that you can borrow for your own usage.
DVD or Blue Ray
Hotels are trying to keep their guests entertained with a variety of facilities that they offer. If you planned on staying inside the hotel’s room the whole day without going out, and in case if you are bored with the TV channels that they have, then you are in luck! Most of the hotels have an array of DVD or Blue-ray choice. You can call the concierge of your choice and ask for the list. Most probably, they will give you a list of DVD’s that they have in-house!
Special experiences
Traveling is not only about visiting a place now. But it is all about experiencing the city, the cuisine, and the culture. Hotels cater to these types of demands as well. Uniquely located around the globe and dependable on what type of hotel, you might be able to have a cooking class, or even an experience that you can do around and outside of your hotels such as biking, renting a car, kayaking. All for free! All you have to do is contact your hotel’s concierge for more information.
The site or web environment you choose to use depends on your travel style, how much you can afford and the location you want.
Getting a good hotel/accommodation comes at a price; indeed hotels aren’t cheap even though your money makes you enjoy every facility available for the little period you are spending.
In most cases when you are far away from home, and you need a place to pass over the night, hotels/private apartments can’t be avoided at the same time they are not just everywhere.
As much as you may love to make use of hotels/alternative accommodations while you are away from home, there is something nice about the luxuriousness of a hotel (the clean room, desk, bed, bottled soap, and strong shower e.t.c) makes you feel homely.
The most popular apartment/hotel booking site you can ever think of is Airbnb, Airbnb is a popular site where people not only get the best deal for booking a hotel space but an environment where you can find beautiful apartments.
You can as well choose to let out your apartment for the few periods you are away from home and allow Airbnb take care of the rental process for you just as they can give you access to another vacant apartment or hotels where you are going.
This list of sites we shall be explaining here includes professionally vacated rentals; they also allow people who have extra rooms or empty apartments to list their properties online.
You will be glad to read through the lists of accommodation available that people don’t know. Here are some of the booking sites.
RENTALS COMBINED: rentals combined are one of the largest independent operators with over 600,000 hotels listed for apartments online.
VRBO: the name stands for vacation rentals by owners, it’s one of the first websites that connects homeowners and travelers and has been around since 1996.
FLIPKEY: FlipKey is also one of the excellent sites to use when looking for a home/hotel, with over 300 properties available for rentals. FlipKey has the best search engine that lets you filter the kind of apartment you want.
HOMEAWAY: HomeAway is one of the major competitors with Airbnb, it has over one million properties located around the world making it one of the largest website you can get an apartment of your choice.
HOMESTAY: has a unique way of managing clients, they allow clients to meet property owners and talk to the local host or family to express the kind of accessories they want in their apartment.
ALUGUEST : aluguest is an Uruguayan company, and its primary focus is for people within the Latin American countries, it’s an excellent resource for people seeking properties in South America.
BOOKING : this website is lovely; it has excellent deals offering no-fee last minute cancellation policies.
HOTELS COMBINED: hotels combined are also one of the best places you can check before booking accommodation online. It’s not a booking site, but it’s a place that lets you quickly locate other booking sites with friendly price on a hotel.
ONEFINESTAY : in many ways, onefinestay is similar to Airbnb, the only difference is that they pay attention only to high-end properties. They let out a whole property, so they deal with small apartments.
SLEEPOUT : sleepout has focus countries; they operate in Africa, Indian Ocean Island, and the Middle East. It has facilities for everything from beach huts, guesthouses e.t.c
RENTAVILLA : RentalVilla is an old website operating since 1983, they offer villas, houses in European countries like Greece, Spain, France, Portugal e.t.c
QUEST APARTMENT : what makes quest apartment different from others is that they offer serviced apartment. They cater to leisure travelers and business people who want autonomy for their money.
PERFECTPLACES : since they started operation since 1996, they have been able to acquire over 75,000 properties around the world. They offer both nightly and weekly rates.
INTERHOME: Interhome in also pulling weight with its services having over 100,000 vacation rentals in countries with their focus on European apartments and vacation homes.
COUCHSURFING: this site allows you to travel on a budget; it will enable you to connect local people who have a spare bed they want to rent out for a little while. It has over 400,000 hosts with 4 million registered users.
OUTDOORSY: outdoorsy started not too long ago in the United States and had over time become the world largest peer-to-peer RV rentals where owners list out their available apartments for people who want to make use of them.
travelmob: Travelmob has its base in Singapore; it allows travelers to connect with homeowners in the Asia Pacific region.
OWNERSDIRECT : owners direct is a Uk based company that started operation in 1997, they offer over 125,000 vacation properties around the world. It still operates its distinct website and brand despite its acquisition in 2007 by HomeAway.
LUXURY RETREAT : Luxury retreat’s primary focus is on high-end luxury villas and properties. It’s a great alternative to Airbnb. They have enough clients and property worth up to 3,000 in over 90 locations.
TRIVAGO: Trivago also offers an excellent deal for travelers who want to get nice apartments to rest their heads. They provide amazing services too.
AGODA: Agoda is one of the best booking websites you can ever think of using. They offer low prices over and over again.
AIRBNB: without being partial, Airbnb is the most popular of all. There is no other reason than the rate they offer deals bring homes close to the people.
PRICELINE: Priceline is also an excellent place to book a hotel, they always provide a “name your price” feature that allows people to choose hotel rooms based on their budget.
HOTELS.COM: hotels.com has a unique feature, guess what they give you one free night if you pay for ten nights.
HOTELNIGHT.COM: This site has a great iPhone app to search for hotels rooms at any time of the day
TINGO: is a new site for hotel bookers sponsored by TripAdvisor, it allows people to book early enough for vacations and gets money back if hotel rates drop.
Expedia.com: Expedia is one of the best hotel booking sites in the united states.
Most people shatter their traveling dreams simply because they can’t afford. No doubt, hotels are expensive and you might need to save for a whole year or more to get to one of your destinations. Before you even book accommodation, plane tickets will scare you off.
However, not everyone who travels spends as much. You need to learn some tricks to save money and even stay for free. Yes, you can spend several nights at a 5-star hotel without any payments. Whether your trip is domestic or international, you can enjoy free stays in hotels.
Here are some tips:
Refer a friend
Most of the 5-star hotels have programs to attract customers. The referral is one of the techniques you should explore and surprise yourself with a free night. In this case, you let your friends and colleagues do the work and you enjoy the benefits, kind of entrepreneurial spirit.
Only that the benefits are not profits. You can sign up on a hotel’s portal, usually under referral programs and let your friends know why they should choose the specific hotel. It is about positive reviews.
Every successful referral will count. If you want a free night in hotels like Ritz Carlton or any other Marriott hotel you can use Refer a friend program.
Promotions
Just like other business industries, hotels run promotions on a regular basis. It can be as simple as earning points by following them on social media.
The same platforms can be used for referrals to earn you a free night. Some hotels create a challenge like a person with the most comments or likes earns a given number of points equivalent to a free night.
Follow travel blogs and social media accounts for specific hotels to make use of such opportunities.
Loyalty programs
Most major hotels have a loyalty program. Find out a preferred hotel and sign up on for the program. Be sure to book your stay through the logins.
Any time you are visiting the region, be sure to check in at the hotel. Even if it is a business trip, make use of it to increase your points and chances of any upcoming offers.
Of course, this depends on your company policies, if they allow you to book as an individual. In the Indian context, OYO has a loyalty rewards program called OYO Wizard. (Read about OYO Wizard Program )
Reward cards
Every hotel with a loyalty program certainly has reward credit cards. Reward cards make more sense after signing up on loyalty programs. The points earned depending on a number of nights you stay at the hotel are linked to this card.
Signing up as a member of the hotel automatically qualifies you to own a reward card. You will enjoy more benefits of this card if the hotel has established internationally.
Travel portals
The primary function of these companies is advertising on behalf of the hotels. The travel portals are often the same people issuing reward and credit cards. It is not only easier but also cheaper to book hotels through these portals.
In fact, you have higher chances of earning a free night when you are active on travel portals. In the Indian context, MakeMyTrip has a reward program (Read MakeMyTrip Rewards )for its loyal customers primarily based on points. In the international context, if you collect 10 nights in Hotels.com, you will get 1 free night through the Hotels.com rewards program.
Hotels.com also have silver and gold membership. You will need to collect 10 nights to become a silver member and 30 nights to become a gold member. Gold membership will help you access premium services like VIP access, priority customer service and more.
Online travel agencies
This is probably the easiest way to earn free nights at a hotel of your choice. If you are a frequent traveler, make use of these agencies. Find a reliable one and be consistent with your bookings.
In most cases, they calculate your total expenditure over a certain number of days and associate it with a reward. Either you earn cash back or free nights. Reward points are redeemable. ( Read 5 benefits of using a travel agent )
Hotel credit cards
A hotel credit card guarantees you a free night ( Read 10 Easy Ways To Free Hotel Night ) after given intervals depending on the hotel’s policy. Such credit cards are associated with referrals that determine the kind of rewards.
While you may have to pay an annual fee for a credit card, you will be sure for a free night certificate at least every year. It can more frequent depending on your bookings.
Cash back
Cashback might not be directly linked to a free hotel night but will certainly pay for your hotel nights. Cash back credit cards mean you earn money for paying using a credit card.
Whether you make payment at a restaurant or gas station, there will be a plus in your bank account. Consistently using such credit can amount to costs of several nights in a hotel of your choice. This is technically free.
Flexible reward cards
This is different from traditional reward cards. In this case, you can redeem the points for cash back, a free night or transfer the points to another reward program.
Different reward programs have different benefits, you can transfer these points and earn you several free nights on a preferred package. The flexible reward card allows you to access more travel benefits.
Work for a hotel
If traveling is your lifestyle, you can get a part-time job at a hotel and in exchange for accommodation. Hotels allow this for as long as you wish. You can go and explore the city when you are off duty but make sure you are on time for work.
To earn a free night at a 5-star hotel might require lots of points. Find out the number of points in each of your credit cards and maximize on them.
Accommodation costs are one of the fixed items on the traveler’s list. This means that if you can succeed to reduce the cost of accommodation, you will be able to make big savings on the road.
Travelers are always keen on finding the cheapest place to lodge. Some people sleep in hammocks and other weird places just to save money for their vacation.
It is, therefore, imperative that we learn how to find the best places for the nights away from home. Finding cheap hotels requires personal research. A perfect choice depends on preference too.
Regardless of your personal preferences, we all want to avoid paying that extra buck. Cutting down on a night’s sleep, therefore, goes a long way in saving the cost of the entire trip.
After securing a cheap flight, a cheap lodging fee is the next important thing to save your budget. We have sampled some of the best ways to help you secure cheap hotels for accommodation.
Hospitality Exchanges
The ideal way for the cheapest accommodation would be staying with a local at your destination. This will mean that you have secured free accommodation. This is the most effective method to save your travel money and enjoy the entire trip.
Staying with a local will not only help you save money and relieve you the pressure of a thinning budget but also expose you to the local culture.
Luckily, there are websites that help you find acquaintances quicker so you will be hooked up and enjoy a free place to lay your head. Conservatives are mostly afraid about the safety of online programs on websites when in fact; there are numerous testimonials of their success.
A local contact offers more than cheap accommodation, they also offer access and advice to the cheapest locations to visit. Some of the best locations you will visit will be cheap and not even in your guidebook.
Hostels
Hostels are perhaps the most appropriate options for travelers who are on a budget. The rooms have a traditional dormitory-style design where most of the facilities are shared.
However, most people disregard the idea based on the analogy that they are meant for the young College enthusiasts. Nevertheless, hostels are not limited to shared dormitories.
They also offer smaller more private rooms. They also provide singles and doubles specifically for solo visitors and couples.
Hostels are capable of offering desirable standards of services. The truth is that most of them are designed to attract young travelers with a limited budget. A few multinational chains such as YHA and Hosteling International focus on the older generation.
There is a common myth about hostels. People believe that hostels are unclean places meant for young carefree individuals. The fact is; there are many hostels that offer better standards of cleanliness and order than some hotels do.
For example, the current crop of hostels provides WiFi connectivity, lockers, and expansive modern bathrooms. They are always growing better and keep improving with the standards of the times.
Today, this option offers great value for budget travelers. Unlike hotels, a bigger dorm room is less expensive. This means that it can be shared. If you are traveling in a group, you have an opportunity to fill it with your group instead of strangers.
Home Exchange
Staying in the home exchange is among the oldest programs available for travelers.
Digital marketing has increased their popularity recently because communication has become efficient and easy. It is possible to directly contact a host and conduct word-of-mouth via the Internet.
These programs make it possible to swap homes with families from other countries. It is the best traditional way to live at a lower price. Most importantly, it gives a real taste of the local culture, cuisine, and way of life.
Most people are afraid of arranging home exchanges anymore because of the lack of confidence in security. However, this fear is based on unfamiliarity being away from home.
Remember, the other people are counting on your home and trusting you with theirs. To counter this problem, you can always keep in touch with the other family constantly.
This way, you can have the confidence that your home is well maintained. There is no need worrying about the safety of your home because you keep in constant communication.
Airbnb
Just like home exchanges, this new approach to stay-in-homes offers quick digital access to homeowners. The rentals allow people to stay in furnished apartments.
The apartments are lower priced than hotels and provide extra amenities. If you are planning to spend more than a week in a specific new location, Airbnb offers the best convenient solution.
This option provides the best comforts of home without spending much to secure the pleasantry. For example, a fully furnished House gives you the chance to use a kitchen to cut down on the cost
This option is, however, inconvenient for a solo traveler. They are roughly double the cost of a hostel room hence the need to take it as a group.
