Ideally, guests should feel at home in hotel rooms. However, it is better not to behave quite as freely as in your own four walls when travelling. After all, the room has been used by many strangers before.
In videos on the app, TikTok user Evangeline gives some practical tips on how to behave in hotels – and what not to do. According to her own statement, she has worked in hotels for 25 years, for a long time also in management positions, she explained in an interview with the star.
Since hotel rooms are so busy and have a high turnover, it is advisable not to rely too much on hygiene standards. The hotel expert strongly advises against using the glasses provided in the hotel without having washed them yourself beforehand.
An undercover investigation by ABC News in the US found that many hotels don’t change their lenses, even when they’re in use. Due to a lack of time, cleaning staff often have to find a quick solution: glasses and mugs are simply rinsed with water or wiped with the same cloth that was used to clean other rooms.
It is also better to keep away from other objects in the hotel rooms. For example, Evangeline mentions remote controls that should be disinfected before use.
According to a study by the US University of Houston, remote controls are the most germ-infested items in hotel rooms. “There’s human hair on it, bodily waste, depending on what people were touching before they picked up the remote control,” warns microbiologist Philip Tierno. Behind it, by the way, are the switches for bedside lamps.
You should also save yourself from walking barefoot in hotels. From her experience in the hotel industry, hotel manager Evangeline advises against walking barefoot on the carpet. You should always wear slippers in the shower to avoid athlete’s foot. Philip Tierno advises spreading shower gel on the floor before showering or bathing and letting the hot water run for a minute.
It is also better not to make yourself comfortable on the blanket that lies on the bed. “Don’t sit on the blanket,” advises the TikTok user. “It comes down as soon as I come into the hotel room.” Some of these blankets are only washed once a year.
She also never uses washcloths provided in the hotel. “They are washed and sterilized but hundreds or thousands have used them on their bodies and faces – no thanks.” However, it is important for Evangeline not to blame the cleaning staff for the not always satisfactory hygienic conditions: “They do their best with the time they have. Many of them do a great job, but a lot is not in their power either”, she said to the star.
She also has a few tips ready to help you avoid inconveniences when travelling. If several people live in a hotel room, it is important to give all names when booking. Because if the person in whose name the room is booked is not present, it will be very difficult, if not impossible, for the others to get the room key.
On the other hand, if you are traveling alone, another rule of thumb applies: never say your own room number out loud. This avoids unpleasant annoyances. In every self-respecting hotel, the receptionist will not say the room number out loud, just write it down on a piece of paper. In some countries it is even illegal to give the room number.
Evangeline is currently writing a book about her experiences in the industry and is looking for a publisher to publish it. Her recommendations are about hygiene in the hotel room, but also about your own safety when travelling, especially if you are traveling alone. Her videos on the subject have been viewed hundreds of thousands of times.
Sources: Queen Evangeline on TikTok / ABC News / “New York Post” / Reuters
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