The Very First Moment You Walk into a Hotel Room, Here’s What to Do

As a hotel guest, you’ve come to expect that your comfort level won’t be the same as it is at home, so you try to make the best of it. Some of us travel with extra sheets, bring our own disinfectants, or use ear plugs to block out noise.

When you check into your room and look around, you probably have a routine set for what to do first. But you may want to flip it. Karim Rashid, an industrial designer who’s segued into hotel design, has some advice to offer on how to set up your hotel room for some peace.

It’s simple: remove hotel clutter. What he means is to put away all the knickknacks, paper materials, bathroom amenities, and other items you know you won’t use. As an international traveler and designer, he’s seen his fair share of rooms – large and small.

Rashid prides himself on being a minimalist, and suggests that travelers stash all those extras out of sight in drawers or cupboards to lighten up the room. In an interview with Curbed, he spoke about when designing, he considers his own experiences as a hotel guest as well as the transient nature and needs of other customers:

“A good example of that is, well, a lot of hotels have a lot of drawers and cupboards and you realize that that’s not necessary whatsoever. As long as you’re providing a place to put their luggage and their clothes, you don’t need the rest of the stuff. A lot of times hotels are modeled after this notion of ‘home,’ trying to replicate what exists at home.”

Keeping things down to a bare minimum can create the feeling that you have a clear, peaceful space to lay your head. It’s hard enough trying to sleep in a bed that’s not your own, and worse when you’re jet-lagged, so why not make some small adjustments to make things more cozy?

Rashid also shared that during one of his hotel stays, he moved the bed from under the window to a better spot where he could catch the daylight rays. Frequent travelers often move the furniture around (or out of the room) for better lighting or to make the room feel less cramped.

But while you’re busy getting rid of things to make your room feel less hotel-ish, you can also ask for things to make your stay more welcoming. Go ahead and request a room at the end of the hall which may be quieter. Ask for extra towels, pillows, or blankets. And if they have robes, ask for one of those too!

Click below to hear more about Rashid’s advice and tuck it away for your next trip. With some hotels looking to save a few bucks by ditching toiletries and large furniture, you may find half of your work done for you!

 

What do you think of Rashid’s advice? Do you have a routine when you check into a room? Do you agree that there are too many needless things in a hotel room?