By Paula Sirois, www.RetailMeNot.com
If you’re planning on traveling yet this summer, here are some hotel room tricks that you simply need to know:
1. Everyone has learned their fair share about germs, bedbugs and all things creepy and gross in hotel rooms. But there’s something you can do besides cringe. The moment you enter your hotel room, put down your stuff and pick up the remote(s). Soak a towel in hot water and soap, wring it out and start cleaning them. The remote is one of the germiest items in your hotel room and often overlooked by the cleaning staff. Next, grab a soapy towel or antibacterial wipes and, starting at the front door, wipe down the door handle, locks, phone, microwave and fridge handles, toilet seat and handle, desk drawer pulls and light switches. Seem like overkill? Well, it should only take you two minutes at best, and you’ll feel 100 percent more comfortable when you touch the same thing that thousands of others have touched before you.
2. The hotel iron can be used for more than just getting the wrinkles out of your clothes. If you pack some Reynolds Wrap, you can use it to cook. Yes, cook. Wrap some bread and cheese and place under a hot iron. Place a towel between the iron and the Reynolds Wrap, and press down. Voila, grilled cheese! Another cooking tool? The coffeepot. If you fill it with soup, you can have a hot meal in a few minutes. These two unconventional cooking tools can save lots of money and time. Eat in your room and then head to the sites!
3. If you do splurge and order up room service, keep in mind that most hotels already include the gratuity on the tab. You’d never know that unless you carefully looked at the bill they hand you. Most waitstaff will stand there and sort of linger a second, and the normal tendency is to think you need to add a tip. Check first.
4. Find out if your hotel offers happy hour. If they do, attend it. You can save tons of dough by having a few free cocktails and appetizers in your hotel lounge before hitting your restaurant of choice. If your hotel offers a free buffet breakfast, consider grabbing a tray and loading up on fruits and snacks. If you have a fridge in your room, you can store some there for late-night noshing, or toss some apples and granola in your backpack and head out with snacks close at hand.
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