Helpful Motel Hacks From a Pro.

My husband and I have both been working the nightshift in the motel business for more than 28 years. During this time, we have met some of the most eccentric and fascinating people that this world has to offer. We’ve been introduced to an Arabian Shiek wearing full dress, Japanese and Chinese who couldn’t speak a word of English as well as various criminals who were wanted by authorities. If you can imagine it, we’ve seen it, trust me.

For the most part, the travelers that we meet are mostly wonderful and good people but on occasion we run across some who can make your blood run cold. In 2011, we even found ourselves in court during a murder trial after authorities searched a room and discovered bloody weapons, sheets and even computer drives that were used in a homicide. We had unknowingly rented a room to someone who had just recently murdered his girlfriend and set their house on fire. 😯

(You can read a newspaper story about that event here )

As you can see, we’ve met all kinds of various individuals from celebrities to felons. We’ve met sweet grandma’s who brought us fresh homemade cookies to people who probably would have killed us given one wrong move.

We’ve clearly learned a thing or two about motels and the people that frequent them during our 28 year stretch.

With the holidays upon us, most of us will be travelling and incontrovertibly staying in a motel or two along the way. I thought that this would be the perfect time to share some of the knowledge that we’ve acquired over the years.

You must always remember that most maids and housekeepers do a fine job at cleaning those rooms, but not all of them do such a wonderful job. On average a housekeeper is given about 30 minutes to get a room cleaned and move on to the next one. During that time crunch they sometimes cut corners in order to stay within their allotted time frame. In the same respect a customer who does not find fault in their room probably won’t get a full refund (if any) after about an hour of occupying a room.

Most motels are nice and all, but none of them will ever be as clean as your own house. As soon as you enter the room, always pull back the blankets and check your sheets for cleanliness. Don’t be afraid to point out anything that makes you feel less than comfortable. Although the desk clerk isn’t responsible for cleaning the rooms, our job is to make sure that you’re happy. Just try to remember that the person behind the counter isn’t at fault, so go a little easy on us. All too often we’re mistreated and even threatened for the things that are out of our control.

Here are some awesome motel tricks that we’ve learned over the years. I hope that this makes your next motel stay go a little bit smoother.

Book Directly

Hotwire, Agoda, Hotels.com, Booking.com, etc., they're all great booking websites, and we can certainly see why people would use them to book a nice motel room. The convenience that comes with using a third-party service sure beats the hassle of having to call up a bunch of motels, especially if they're in a foreign country. Third-party sites also allow one to make price comparisons for other hotels in the area. Keep in mind, though, that you can save a boatload of money if you book directly with the motel. Even though you might be getting a deal, they do charge a "sometimes" hefty service fee. Plenty of motels offer excellent discounts and deals if guests opt to book directly with them. They're also happy to match any prices you've found online. Given that the hotel can forego paying any middleman fees to the book sites, they may even throw in some extra perks.

Just Being Safe

Some places will most likely have cheap and flimsy door locks, which don't bring you any peace of mind. Luckily, with this hack, you can be proactive and protect yourself from any potential thieves who try to break-in. Take one of your shoelaces and tie it around the latch. This extra bit of precaution will make it more of a challenge to get into your room. Knowing that you've added this extra bit of security will have you sleeping peacefully and not having to sleep with one eye open the whole night. (Note: it also keeps the cleaning service from barging in too early!)

Flipping The Cup

Think again before you decide to just lay your toothbrush down on that sink. You don't know what people have used that surface for or if it was cleaned properly. Use the paper cups that are provided in your room as a toothbrush holder, this keeps your toothbrush off of the counter and clear from possible germs.

Keep The Soap

Your room should come stocked with travel-sized shampoos, soaps, and conditioners, so make sure to take those with you before you check-out. They’re really handy to have with you on your trip. Just don't run off with the bathrobe, or the motel will likely charge you. Another thing to notice is that most of these small bottles are high-end brands. Motels often receive special deals from companies just for using their products. Feel free to even ask for a few extra bottles. Trust me, it's covered by the price of your room.

Covering The Remote

The television remote is one item that every guest's grubby little fingers have touched, and often not on the to-clean list for most maids. To save yourself from having to touch a bacteria-covered remote that has likely been lying in the bed next to someones naked body, use the plastic bag in the room's ice bucket and cover the remote.

Making More Space

If you find yourself feeling like there's barely any room to move around. Ask reception for an ironing board. It gives you an extra surface to dine or even to use as an extra shelf. Most rooms will have an ironing board equipped and this is a very useful little hack to know.

The Phone Caddy

There's a simple solution to keep your phone safe, secure, and at hand. Just untuck the top end of your bed sheet. This creates a horizontal phone pocket so you can easily slide your phone in and out.

The Ol’ Key Card Trick

Most motels got rid of traditional keys for their rooms a while back. The reason being, they adopted keycards that save tons on electricity bills. For those familiar with how keycards work, you slip your keycard into a slot in the wall, which activates and turns on your room's electricity. These slots are usually next to the door when you first enter your room. Most people aren't aware that each room's slot doesn't require a specific keycard, you can place literally any kind of card in there, and it'll activate. Say you have your devices charging, the air conditioner blasting, and you want to leave your lights and everything on – simply stick a business card or gift card in there while you're out and about.

Flipping The Cup Again

An easy way to amplify the volume on your cell phone up a notch is to place your phone inside a cup. Although this won't be the best sound solution, it will still upgrade the life of the party and make the music louder. It's important to remember to be considerate of your next-door neighbors, though. Nobody likes to hear loud music when they're relaxing or trying to sleep.

DIY Humidifier

Simply get a towel and soak it in water. Leave the towel draped over your heater or air conditioner to make your room humid. When you're done with the wet towel, place it on your luggage rack or ironing board. Your room's air quality will instantly improve, and you may even get rid of disturbing snoring issues you may have.

Extra Privacy

You might find that those annoying curtains have a small crack exposing you to the world outside your window. A simple hack is to use a clothes hanger with clamps. Turn the hanger sideways and clamp your curtains shut. You won't have to wonder if anyone is peeking inside or if sunlight is going to be your new alarm clock in the morning.

Tone It Down

Falling asleep instantly once one's head hits the pillow sounds like a dream. For many, this isn't a reality, and it takes quite a bit of effort to get the right environment to go to sleep peacefully. This can be especially difficult when you're not sleeping in the comfort of your own home. Many distractions can keep hotel guests awake such as pesky elevator dinging, people chatting in the hallway or that annoying light that sneaks under the door. All of these annoyances can prevent us from falling asleep and are the main reasons for one-star hotel reviews. An easy hack is to roll up a towel and wedge it under the door crack. Doing this will block out light and can potentially soundproof your room a bit.

And finally - Smile

We understand, your trip has been hectic, family plans fell apart, and life is just handing you a lemon at every corner. Please try to show the desk clerk a little bit of kindness. Working in the public is stressful, especially during the holidays. We get yelled at, cussed out, and yes sometimes even spit on (it's happened). A little bit of kindness goes a long way, and trust me it is so greatly appreciated.

Happy and safe travels, I hope that this story taught you a few helpful tricks to make your next journey just a little bit better.