Staying in a hotel room is a break from your regular responsibilities and a time to relax. However, it’s nice to your fellow guests and the hotel staff to obey certain rules of common courtesy. Here are some hotel etiquette guidelines that you might not know.

Do:

Keep noise to a minimum.

Think of other guests when you’re making noise in the lobby, hallways, or your room. Hotel room walls are often thin, so it’s possible to hear loud music, partying, or yelling children through them. Try to be quiet when other people are trying to sleep.

Leave a tip.

Tipping hotel staff is as customary as tipping restaurant employees. Instead of leaving one large tip at the end of your stay, leave small tips every day, as the cleaning staff rotates. A $1-$5 tip per day is customary.

Be eco-friendly.

Each hotel room costs around $2,196 in energy each year, between appliances, heating, air conditioning, and cleaning. If possible, it’s a good idea to reduce your energy use. You can forgo towel service and reuse towels like you would at home. You should also turn off appliances like the TV, coffee maker, iron, and room lights when you’re gone for the day. Turning down your thermostat when you’re not in the room can help as well.

Don’t:

Take most items home with you.

There are some items that housekeeping staff expects you to use during your stay or take when you leave. These include soap, shampoo, and other toiletries. However, not everything in the room can be taken home with you. Leave items like TV remotes, light bulbs, towels, and hangers. Taking these items is impolite and may result in an additional charge on your room.

Lie about the number of guests in your room.

Hotels charge extra money when you have more guests in your room. This may seem like a silly rule, but more people use more resources like towels, toiletries, electricity, and food if your hotel offers complimentary breakfast. If you get caught, you’ll have to cough up the extra money anyway.

Overload on free food.

If your hotel offers continental breakfast, you might be tempted to overload on food to eat as snacks throughout the day. This practice is frowned upon and makes it less likely that hotels will offer this service in the future. Take all the food you need for breakfast, but don’t bring any with you when you leave.

 

Hampton Inn and Suites® in Wilder, KY, is the perfect place to stay when traveling in Northern Kentucky, Cincinnati, OH, or Newport, KY. They offer rooms with a chic and modern feel and amenities like free Wi-Fi, comfortable beds, and ample seating areas. They also offer a complimentary breakfast featuring fruit, waffles, and custom omelets. Visit their website or call (859) 441-3049 to make a reservation.