There may not be any official rules to being guest in a hotel, but perhaps there should be? After a loooot of travelling over the past few months, I have a few thoughts, observations and complaints suggestions for my fellow hotel guests.
1) Underground parking at hotels suck. I’m a Mama who often drives a big ass SUV and that baby barely fits in those stupid parking garages. (Feel free to read, “I once knocked off just a little bit of the roof rack while trying to enter into a not so fabulous underground parking lot”.) So when you arrive at a hotel and are behind a stressed out Mom trying to park her giant ass vehicle, cut her some slack and back the heck off. Don’t tail gate in an underground parking garage you idiots. It’s just rude.
2) Be polite to the peeps at the check-in counter. Those are the powerful people who decide if you get the room with the nice view, or the crap room next to the elevator or vending machines with excess noise. Just saying.
3) Guess what? Hotels have some very long hallways. This does not mean you should allow your children to run pounding and screaming down them at all hours of the day and night. It’s super annoying and ridiculously rude. No running. No screaming, Find your manners.
4) The pool is open until 11pm! Woo hoo! Does this mean you should leave your little people out there unattended? It does not. Watch. Your. Kids. It’s just common sense. Also, screaming, yelling and playing some screwed up version of Marco Polo the entire complex can hear? I vote no. You can have fun, laugh and even be a bit crazy without being so over the top annoying that other guests feel the need to pop an Advil.
5) It’s not a tank. That’s what my Dad used to say to me when I slammed the door too hard on the station wagon. Oh how I wanted to yell that exact same phrase at those hooligans down the hall last week. One slam, maybe that was a mistake, two okay, forgiven, three, you are a lunatic. Perhaps I have some kind of frequent flyer hotel rage but is is too much to ask for you to close hotel room doors at 2am in a quieter manner? Please.
I could go and on, creating rule after rule, but what it really comes down to is this. When you are travelling, could you just pretend you are at a very goods friend house, or even your Granny’s? Have a lot of fun, but let’s use our manners.
Signed,
The over tired, kind of grumpy, need some good ear plugs and a great nights sleep Mama.
Wonderfully written and I couldn’t agree more, I can understand a crying baby in the night but people who have to party loudly at all times of the day and night is intolerable. One should always remember that there are other guests who probably need their sleep. Children should always be well behaved, especially away from home, and never ever leave children alone in the swimming pool – I nearly lost a son in the pool of a hotel and would have had the kids been left alone.
It’s unfortunate when people do not see the need to practice common courtesy. The running and noise in the hallway is one of the most common etiquette fails that I have experienced. It’s particularly frustrating late at night.
I could certainly add to this list. What irritates me as well, is how sloppy some people become just because it’s a hotel room. I really feel sorry for some of the housekeeping people. It can be a thankless job, and to add, I always tip the housekeeping.
I always do my best to follow hotel etiquette and I’ve taught my son to do the same. Always be considerate of other guests while enjoying your time .
Lol you are right that there should be a rule list for guests. No you do not have frequent flyer hotel rage, everything you wrote has happened and some people seem to lack common sense when they are at hotels! We stayed at the Holiday Inn Yorkdale it was beautiful however one of the worse stays because there was a team of hockey hooligans also staying. The parents and not saying all parents because I wouldn’t let them run wild both in the game room which is a wide open space beside the restaurant and the pool!! The parents did zero to stop them. Most parents were at the bar while the hooligans ruined our peaceful dinner. We ended up not staying for coffees and dessert because the noise level was ear splitting! I learned my lesson and ask before booking if the hotel plans to host hockey hooligans haha. A romantic night turned into can’t wait to leave and we were both so cranky by the end. Don’t even let me get started on the pool, the breakfast or getting on the elevator to see every button pushed not once but 4 times!! Every teammate was on our floor so we got no sleep as yes those kids slammed the doors until after 3, I get it, it’s exciting to stay at a hotel but we all need to show respect to others!! Parents get your kids under control and use common sense!! Sorry for the rant but you nailed it!! Thank you
Nothing worse than going to a hotel and being with people are disrespectful to the other guests by being loud and obnoxious, and/or letting their children run around like wild animals.
It’s always when I’m just trying to sleep in at a hotel that I hear all the kids who are checking out that day running up & down the hallways yelling. So annoying!
I don’t understand why parents let their children run in the hallway without supervision. Just because it is in a hotel doesn’t mean it’s 100% safe.
Hallways! What is it with people yelling down them to their friend in the next room or waiting at the elevator.
I couldn’t agree with you more. I always say to my family to treat hotels or any where that we are guests, as if its our own home. Mind your manners is the golden rule!
I definitely agree with all of these rules. My mom was a housekeeper at a hotel for a couple of years. She came across all kinds of people. She would be the one to suffer when people didn’t care what the workers had to go through if they were buttheads.