Hidden hotel secrets you should know when you travel
Hotels keep quiet about extra rooms that guests never see. The rooms are not crime dens - they hide VIPs or absorb surplus bookings.
A hotel pool looks inviting - yet one in three water disease outbreaks starts there. If the water smells strange or looks cloudy, stay out. Good hotels test the water every day and keep logs.
The kettle in your room is not washed between guests. People boil socks or cook noodles in it. Peer inside before you switch it on.
The glass cups on the tray are often wiped with the same rag that cleaned the toilet. Ask for sealed paper cups or for a fresh set from the restaurant.
Recommend
When something goes wrong, speak calmly. The desk clerk will upgrade a polite guest faster than a shouting one.
If you want royal treatment, act like a hotel inspector. Ask the bartender how the gin is infused, check the pool pH and request extra pillows. Staff will whisper that you are “the shopper” and fall over themselves to please. One hotel printed a woman's photo and told every employee to give her the best room, the best steak and the best smile in the building.
