Staying at Hotels the Classy Way

Recently, I traveled to Athens for a conference and had to stay in a hotel for a few days. It was an old, small, two-star hotel near the University of Piraeus, yet it was newly renovated, very clean, staffed with wonderful people, and placed at a very convenient spot.

For a reason that I cannot yet fully understand, I started to pay close attention to how I behaved and interacted with the environment I was in and, being a former hotel worker myself, I thought I should reflect and provide some advice on how to be classy during your stay in a hotel.

Adopting some classy manners when it comes to the hospitality industry is not a matter of social or financial status. It’s not even a matter of observing etiquette just for the sake of it. It is a matter of self-respect, because, at the end of the day it is about your own comfort and image. And, believe me, the people who get gossiped the most in the hospitality industry are the customers!

Here I have some advice on how you can be a classy guest that the hotel management will remember for a long time.

Plan your stay properly and know what to expect: In my view, a classy guest is a well-prepared guest. Before you arrive, book your dates carefully, especially if you travel for business (personally I choose to check in one day before the beginning of the experience I need the accommodation for and check out one day after). Also, make sure that the hotel is situated close to your places of interest and provides the amenities that you cannot live without. Furthermore, make sure that you read enough online reviews before you make your booking final. Don’t hesitate to contact the hotel directly if you have a question or need special arrangements. In a nutshell, prepare enough to protect yourself from unpleasant surprises coming from your side.

Turn the room into your room upon arrival: If you plan to spend more than one nights in the hotel, take the time to unpack and arrange properly the items you have brought with you, knowing which item is where. This is necessary especially if you are there for business. When your days at your destination are full of meetings and lectures, the last thing you need while you are getting ready is panicking over the pair of socks that you can’t find inside your messy suitcase. One more benefit of this practice is that it makes the job of the cleaning staff easier, since they are paid to clean, not pick and fold your dirty clothes. They are busy and hard-working enough, so allow them time and space to do what they are actually paid for.

Speaking of which, remember that members of staff are paid employees, not your personal servants or slaves: Hotels are businesses and being disrespectful to their staff gives them the right to deny us service. And we might not like that right they have if we arrive at their premises during a peak season. Additionally, we shouldn’t look down on anybody, because we don’t know their background or what they do out of hours. When I was a receptionist at a convenient boutique hotel in my hometown, I had long finished my second MA in International Relations, both maids were Accounting students and the barista was the daughter of a wealthy businessman from another town owning two parking businesses, rooms for rent and a large coffeehouse. All of us had one thing in common: we were highly-qualified women trying to stand on our own feet during the Greek debt crisis. So, next time you intentionally walk on a wet floor, leave your dirty underwear hanging everywhere in the room, ring the frontdesk bell like the devil or leave a one-star review because that poor receptionist doing the night shift alone could not check in your twenty-persons’ party within ten seconds, make your brain work a little harder! At the end of the day, being harsh on the staff speaks tons about you, not about the staff.

Refrain from removing items from your room: When we pay money to stay at a hotel, we pay to use the room, not own it! Same goes with the contents of the room. The linen that you like might not seem that likeable to your eyes anymore if I tell you that it has been used by countless clients for many years for a wide range of purposes… And the reason why it’s so white is the countless times it has been washed and sterilized by professionals with professional machines. And it’s white in order to last through these processes for years. And it’s cheaper than you think. And the quality is lower than you think.

Keep it quiet: I know that when we are away from home we are often tempted to go a bit wild. But, as an International Relations scholar specializing in defense and security issues, let me tell you that “walls have ears” everywhere we go and our small talk might be used against us in the distant -or not so distant- future. Anything we do or say can be turned into dirt and be used against us when the time is right and if we are important enough. Besides the fact that excessive noise makes it hard for other guests to rest and staff to work -especially in small hotels- why would others know the gossips of your inner circle, your opinion about the people you’ve met on your business trip or your “special moves” in the bedroom? You never know who is spending the night nextdoors and you never know whether they know you. And they might be listening, so do yourself a favour and lower your voice; and most importantly, keep down the noise of those “special moves” I’ve been talking to you about.

Make any complaints reasonable, meaningful and polite: Sometimes we are not happy with the service we are getting. That’s OK, it happens. What is not OK is engaging in meaningless fights with other customers or making a scene to a member of staff who is not in charge of taking care of our issue. If there is something that bothers you, speak directly to the manager, who is the person in charge of fixing it anyway. If there is a reasonable complaint, they will be able to do something about it. Just be direct, firm, polite, and very clear about why it bothers you and why you believe it is bad for their business. The more down-to-earth, reasonable, honest and open-minded you are, the more your chances for a satisfactory resolution. Guaranteed.

Express your gratefulness for good service: Don’t take nice staff and good service for granted. Smile and be kind to everyone, because it works wonders. A business owner or a member of staff who is happy with your behaviour can go miles out of their way for you. Nobody likes a shouty Karen, whereas everyone loves a thoughtful guest. Upon departure, the least you can do is posting a positive review online. You can also leave a thank-you card. I am not touching the subject of tipping here because (a) it is not compulsory in most countries and (b) not everyone’s budget is big enough to include tips, and this should be respected. Besides, spreading a good word that will be seen by thousands of potential customers and bring to that hotel more business is going to have a stronger impact on its future and the future of its employees than just a tip. But, of course, this is my view 🙂

So, there you have it: some advice about being a classy hotel guest! As you see, it is not a comlex thing it is simply a matter of being respectful, courteous, and appreciative. By following these tips, you can make your hotel stay more pleasant and memorable.