No matter the reason for your stay, there will always be rules guests must abide by, whether you are staying at a local hotel in your city or staying at a dazzling new tourist hotel overseas. Hotel staff will ensure their guests are as comfortable as possible but must maintain peace and security. Therefore, it’s best to know what can get you in trouble, whether destructive, dangerous, or illegal.
What You Should Not Do in A Hotel?
1. Strip your bed in the morning
Although it may seem helpful, you may create unnecessary work for the cleanup crew if you strip the bedsheets, duvet covers, and pillowcases after you wake up. In addition, these additional minutes are costly to the staff’s time-sensitive housekeeping duties.
Often on busy days, fresh linens are added every three to four days. In addition, the same sheets are reused, and the pillows are plumped by staff. If a new sheet change is necessary, hotel guests can efficiently do this by informing the housecleaning staff with a note or calling the reception desk.
2. Sleeping on throw pillows.
A significant housecleaning hassle is cleaning dirty throw pillows; since they lack standard pillowcases, they do not clean up well in a washing machine. In addition, hotel guests should avoid getting makeup smears, food spills, or drool on throw pillows. These require specialty cleaning but must be tossed out if the damage is too extensive.
Unfortunately, accidents are sometimes bound to happen to everyone, even if we are careful. Our article on hotel bloodstains explains several methods of removing bloodstains from hotel sheets, including what to do if you notice a bloodstain on your sheets after checking in.
Dirtying hotel’s properties aside, you should be aware that your seemingly sparkling room isn’t as clean as it looks. Find out more about this in our article about the 10 dirtiest things you should not touch in your hotel room.
3. Check out late without alerting reception.
The entire work schedule of the hotel staff can become disarrayed by an unexpected late check-out, in addition to the extra fees you may be charged for your room. Housekeeping crew members are under a tight schedule during busy shifts to make guest rooms ready again before new check-ins. As a result, hotel guests may have to unnecessarily wait at check-in if you leave even just 10 minutes after your scheduled departure.
If you’re a new traveler unfamiliar with the rules of checking in, it may need to be clarified first. Thankfully, our article about the standard 3 pm check-in explains its importance. In addition, the article covers tips on what to do while waiting for room availability and the procedure of checking in later at a hotel.
4. Expect room cleaning to happen immediately.
Your room can only be turned messy to spotless after some time, even with the most efficient cleaning staff. Generally, a three to four hours window to thoroughly clean your room is a good rule. After that, you may have to wait around during lunch or get a service update on your room by calling the hotel before returning. Alternatively, you can place the “Do Not Disturb” sign on your doorknob if you’d prefer direct access to your room all day without waiting for housekeeping.
5. Taking full-sized bath amenities home
Although bringing home miniature shampoo and body wash bottles is okay, full-sized amenities must remain in your hotel room. If you take these bulk-sized bottles home, you will pay a fee, so using as much as you’d like during your stay is advisable. In addition to full-sized toiletries, you should ask beforehand if you want to take home other bathroom items, such as towels and bathrobes.
6. Damaging furniture then leave without notifying anyone.
Although surprisingly common, hotel guests are notorious for denying linens, furniture, or decor damage. It’s best to be upfront and honest when this happens, as the hotel will likely charge your bill significantly more than the item’s original cost if you tried to hide it. Furthermore, it’s standard procedure for a staff member to be sent by the front desk to inspect your room.
The hotel may occasionally consider furnishing damage as normal wear and tear. However, the likelihood of being charged a considerable fine increase if you attempt to conceal the damage or leave without reporting the incident.
Remember, a hotel can still charge you even after you’ve checked out and left the vicinity.
7. Request an early check-in on the check-in day.
Early check-in at your hotel is an excellent option, whether arriving on an earlier plane flight or dropping your belongings off and exploring the area as soon as possible. Although, it’s imperative to ask for this service as quickly as possible. You can easily arrange this with a phone call or email to staff, in which your room cleaning service will take priority, allowing you to check in first.
Early check-in requires planning and communication, but what about late check-in? Can you check in at 2 AM in the morning? We cover this in our article: how late you can book and check into a hotel.
8. Assuming that you’ll be given adjoining rooms if you’re traveling with a group.
You should never jump to the conclusion that hotel staff will assign you connected rooms, let alone rooms on the same floor, just because you’re traveling with family or a large group of friends. Unless you have adjoining rooms explicitly reserved in advance, it is doubtful you’ll be able to get multiple guest rooms on the same floor, let alone together in a row.
9. Ignoring a hotel’s ‘no pet’ policy.
Trying to sneak your pet into your hotel room is asking for trouble if you’re away from a pet-friendly hotel. This may result in hefty fines or, worst case scenario, being kicked out of the hotel, depending on the establishment’s policy. So if your pet needs to accompany you for your trip, check if the hotel is a pet-friendly establishment before booking a room.
Also, hotel guests with service animals can be allowed lodging, but the front desk assistant may void your key before you arrive at your room if you try to sneak in a non-service pet. Or they’ll present you with a fine and ask you to leave to premises upon knocking at your door. Pets staying in the rooms may cause allergic reactions for other guests, which can be severe or life-threatening.
10. Leaving your valuables unattended
Most hotel staffs are trained professionals but it’s better not to unnecessarily tempt them. Keep your valuables such as jewelries and watches locked in the hotel’s safe or have them with you when you’re going out.
Things That May Get You Kicked Out Of A Hotel
Now let’s talk about worse offenses that might get you kicked out immediately and possibly banned from entering the hotel in the future.
1. Getting contaminants in the pool.
Concerning hotel safety, pool regulations are a serious matter. Items or activities in and around the pool which can contaminate the water are strictly prohibited and may get you thrown out. This includes food and alcoholic beverages, smoking, and gum chewing.
2. Attemting to scam the minibar.
Attempts at scamming the minibar include replacing the contents of whiskey and vodka bottles with tea or water to make it seem like they’ve been untouched. In addition, for sensor-equipped minibars, draining the sensors by poking holes in them without moving them.
3. Disruptive, loud noises in the hallway, including yelling.
Getting enough rest is essential, especially on the road while traveling, and sleep deprivation comes with a list of adverse effects. So, for hotels to maintain a quiet, comfortable atmosphere, hotel guests must abide by quiet hours, and cause be a cause for complaints if noisy disruptions make other guests uncomfortable.
4. Breaking appliances.
If one of the hotel’s provided appliances is accidentally broken, you will be responsible for paying for its replacement or repairs to fix it. In addition, you may be required to leave the premises if the hotel determines your behavior was negligent.
5. A barking dog.
Pet-friendly hotels still have firm policies that dogs, even if they are cute and well-liked, will not be tolerated if they bark to the point of being disruptive. In addition, unattended pets are not allowed in certain hotels. Having your dog watched or periodically checked on by a pet sitter is a good rule of thumb. Staff members may request you leave if your dog barks nonstop or annoys other guests.
6. Smoking in a non-smoking room.
Although it may not seem offensive, smoking in a non-smoking room is costly and inconvenient. Secondhand smoke and allergic reactions are also unhealthy and dangerous for other guests, in addition to the horrific smell that invades furniture, cloth, and linens. Since hotel staff has little to no tolerance for those who break this rule, you may get kicked out of the establishment if caught and have to pay a cleaning fee.
7. Turning off the smoke detector.
Many smokers are infamously notorious for disabling their room’s smoke detectors, although the smell of cigarette or marijuana smoke will give away their disguise anyway. In addition, the smoke detector may buzz an alarm if someone attempts to disable it, or the hotel front desk or the alarm company may automatically be notified. In many states in the US, smoke detector tampering is illegal, can come with hefty fines, and will certainly be grounds for termination from the hotel.
8. Making threats or yelling at hotel staff.
When professionally working with the hotel or its staff, remain respectful even in unfavorable circumstances. Given the stressful nature of traveling, it’s essential to respect everyone regardless of staying at a one-star or five-star hotel. Becoming aggressive through yelling, getting physical, or threatening violence to hotel employees will result in the police being called out and you being arrested, which may lead to being kicked out entirely with no refund.
9. Sneaking in additional guests.
It may be tempting to save extra money by bunking with family or friends since the nightly rate increases as the number of guests you disclose in your room increases. However, trying to skirt additional costs or occupancy limitations is against hotel policy. Not only does this pose a security and safety risk to your occupants and other guests, but it’s also scamming the hotel out of money. In addition, this can result in being charged a fine or kicked out if caught.
10. Lack of payment funds.
Credit and debit cards are the standard payment methods of hotels nowadays, and in very few cases, cash is accepted. In addition, the entire stay expense is paid for upfront except for extended-stay guests as the exception since their payments are repeated. Unfortunately, this can lead to surprises when a guest runs out of available funds or their credit card maximum is reached.
If you have doubts about activities that might get you in trouble with the hotel, call first to make sure. While you’re at it, here are 20 questions to ask before booking your hotel room to ensure a smooth stay.
