9 Things to Do During a Hotel Stay to Make the Vacation 10X Shiok-er

Last Updated on 2022-05-15 , 1:23 pm

I love travelling; it’s one of the best parts about life (well, at least for me). But we all know that staying in a hotel can get pretty expensive, and sometimes inconvenient.

Fret no more: here’s 9 hotel hacks that you can make use of to make life a little more convenient and your stay more enjoyable, other than stealing their soaps and pens (it’s not considered stealing if it’s free, right?). Try them out!

Book directly through the hotel
Usually, hotels have to pay a fee to advertise their rooms on other platforms, and these fees are then transferred to you when you book a room. To cut costs, you should call the hotel directly to book a room. You can try to snag some discounts, especially if you’ll be staying at the hotel for several days on a long trip when you’re doing your booking. However, you need to know which hotel has the best rate first, so use those online platforms as your guide!

Use the shower cap as cling wrap
If you have bought food but didn’t manage to finish it for dinner and still want to eat it the next day, use the shower cap as your cling wrap. Ants won’t go in, and your food won’t turn stale. But of course, not all food can last through the night.

Hair Conditioner is a life saver
If you’re out on a business trip but forgot to bring along your shoe polish, make use of the hair conditioner to shine your shoes. In fact, if you need to shave or remove makeup, you can use the hair conditioner as a substitute as well! Yeah, that thing you use on your hair is a wonder product!

Use the iron to heat up your food
Brought some leftovers to the hotel room that need to be heated up? Most hotel rooms won’t have a microwave oven. The trick is to pack your food in aluminium foil first, and then iron it slowly.

Use a glass to amplify your alarm
Have to get up early but afraid you won’t hear your alarm? You can choose to have the front desk give you a wake-up call. Alternatively, if you don’t want to let them hear your sexy morning voice, then simply set the alarm on your phone, set it to the highest volume and leave your phone in a glass before you sleep. Trust us, you’ll wake up. Either that, your neighbours will wake up and they’ll wake you up.

Place the Do-Not-Disturb sign
If you are leaving your hotel but you’re worried that people will come into your room and steal (maybe even the hotel staff themselves), simply leave the “Do Not Disturb” sign outside your door. It won’t let the staff make your room (downside) but it’ll keep people out and your belongings safe. This is for you kiasu and paranoid travellers out there.

Leave a different card in the key card power switch
If you are leaving your room for a short while and wants to leave the aircon on, leave a different card in their power switch. Of course, leave less important cards like the arcade card. Leaving your credit card or NRIC is just asking for it.

Complain for an Upgrade
We’re not saying you should, but if you are dissatisfied with your room, then you should complain. Simply tell them about how the lights isn’t working or how the toilet bowl seat is lost. Be nice, but firm, about it and they might just move you to a better room. After all we Singaporeans are the undisputed Kings and Queens of complaints, right?

Steam your clothes in the bathroom
Some hotels don’t have irons, especially budget hotels. To get rid of creases and wrinkles in your clothes you can hang your clothes in the bathroom while you are having your long, hot bath. Just don’t get it wet though.