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    Hotel Workers Are Sharing Red Flags, Hacks, And Secrets About Hotels And I'm Disgusted And Intrigued

    There's a way to ask for an upgrade without annoying the front desk person.

    It's summer, which means we're all booking our vacations and getting away. Whenever I travel, I like to know what to do, what to avoid, and how I can kinda use secrets and hacks to my advantage.

    A man speaking to a front desk person at a hotel.

    Well, recent Reddit threads gave me some info from hotel workers themselves. Here are hotel red flags, secrets, and hacks straight from hotel employees themselves:

    1. "Look at the thinness of the sheets and roughness of the towels from being washed too many times. My family has owned two hotels since the '60s, and about every decade, we hire some consultant to come and tell us what we are doing wrong. They always say we are scrapping our worn linens too early, that we can get another six months out of them. Without fail, it is the one piece of advice we always ignore. We did a cost analysis, and it is worth the cost of having happy guests rather than saving a marginal amount by having sheets you can read a newspaper through."

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    2. "Ask the hotel to remove such fees as Wi-Fi, newspaper, gym, and pool. These are often included, but they will remove if requested."

    u/SexAndForeplay

    3. "When the towels and linens smell mostly like bleach — red flag."

    u/HotdogbodyBoi

    A person holding a stack of towels

    4. "The smell of smoke is a red flag. If you can smell smoke, it's one of those hotels who says they don't allow it, but do."

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    5. "If anything in the restroom is dirty or seems 'off' to you, it means housekeeping is slacking and/or their morale is low. This is likely the result of negligent management, owners, etc.: The place is rotten to the core, and other rooms aren't likely to be any better."

    u/BloodyNobody

    6. "Former housekeeper here. Often you can find 'treasures' left behind by former guests. Rip the room apart! Look under the mattress and box spring. In vents. Move the night stand and dressers. Just be sure to put it back together before you leave. If you stay in enough hotels and do this, you will find something left behind. Housekeepers generally have 10-15 minutes to clean each room."

    u/i8leadpaintsince1974

    7. "If continental breakfast is included, probably a bad sign."

    u/anteus2

    A continental breakfast spread

    8. "Look at the bathroom in the pictures on their site. If it is super nice, usually the rest of the hotel is, too. If it’s just a standard looking shitty bathroom, dig deeper before booking."

    u/danielsjack86

    9. "Immediately check under the bed for trash."

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    10. "As a frequent business traveler and a frequent drinker, I have found out that the bottom of the ironing board can usually be used as a bottle opener."

    u/HBclone

    A man irons his shirt.

    11. "A front desk employee here. If we are at low occupancy at my hotel, we will often upgrade, if requested. But don't be a dick about it. Do: 'Is it possible to have an upgrade?' Don't: 'Hey, hook me up with the prez suite! Haha JUST KIDDING. But, no, really, is there an upgrade for free?'"

    u/AthenaNina

    12. "Former hotel worker here. Do not use the provided glasses. Or, if you need to, wash them yourself first."

    u/danielissima

    Provided hotel glasses

    13. "A room can have bedbugs even if you see no evidence of them on the mattress itself. If it's not attached to the wall, looking on the backside of the headboard is always a good idea."

    u/thealmightydes

    14. "If you need a crib, call ahead. At our hotel, we only have eight cribs, and it isn't all too uncommon for them all to be lent out on our busiest days. Call ahead and see if we have any available or if we can set one aside for you."

    u/RenzoG

    15. "Biggest piece of advice is to just be polite to the front desk person, and we will go the extra mile every time. Bottle of wine, freshly baked cookies in your room, late check-in, hints of the best local eateries, whatever."

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    Do YOU have any personal hotel red flags/hacks/secrets? Let me know in the comments below!