On most vacations, hotel rooms present a very special sort of challenge. Although you may be paying hundreds of dollars a night for your hotel room, most hotel rooms are quite small and impersonal. Worse, some have very tacky 60s and 70s décor, while others are musty or filled with the previous guest’s cigarette smoke. It can be hard for you to relax and unwind in a hotel room that isn’t pleasant or that doesn’t have the sort of décor that you find attractive. While it can be hard to figure out which hotel room is the best when you’re traveling, and while hotel surprises are inevitable, there are several things that you can do in order to make sure that your hotel room doesn’t ruin your vacation:
1) Plan for odors. Even in a hotel that is very well taken care of, ventilated, recycled air and previous tenants can create some odors. Plus, for security reasons, many hotels do not have windows that easily open. If you can open your windows, make sure that you leave them open as long as possible in order to air out the room. If you are unable to have open windows, consider bringing some scented candles, especially high-quality candles such as Trapp candles, with you on your vacation. Lighting a few of these create a wonderful ambience in a room and also creates very pleasant fragrances well. You can also bring potpourri and linen sprays to keep your room fresh. Some travelers even bring small humidifiers or air purifiers to keep air quality fresh.
2) Plan for different temperatures. If you’re traveling in an area that is quite warm, make sure to bring along a few sweaters in case your hotel room is very well air-conditioned. If you’re traveling somewhere cold, bring along some lighter clothing just in case the hotel room is heavily heated.
3) Call ahead to find out what the hotel provides as complementary. For example, if your hotel room has bathrooms, you don’t have to pack your bulky terrycloth bathrobe. Knowing what will be provided and what you need to bring helps ensure that your hotel stay is pleasant. Many hotels provide extra amenities – including hair dryers and irons – to guests who ask, so be sure to ask.
4) Pick your hotel’s carefully. I have a friend works for a web design company and travels a lot as part of business. She selects hotels very carefully, going online to read reviews and asking colleagues for hotel recommendations. Often, she’s able to get a great deal and is able to avoid a bad hotel experience simply by asking for information.
5) Bring personal effects. Small pictures in frames, a nice blanket and some fresh cut flowers can do wonders for a hotel room. Even the nicest accommodations are impersonal, so being able to add your own touches is important. Another great tip is to bring along throws or pieces of pretty fabric so that you can drape the nice fabric over any unattractive pieces of furniture or art in the hotel room. A bit of extra fabric can save you from having to live with an ugly chair or a tacky painting for days on end.
Article source: http://www.elitetravelexcursions.com/blog/when-traveling-pack-for-your-hotel-room/