Hotel tips: 8 essential dos & don'ts to avoid a creepy hotel stay

Planning a staycation soon? Perhaps you’re getting ready for your next solo trip when borders reopen. Either way, here are some useful hotel tips to be mindful of to avoid any unpleasant surprises when checking in at your next destination !

I find hotels creepy. There I said it. It’s strange and I’ve no real reason for feeling this way, but a quick search on Reddit showed me that I’m not alone. Some cited the unknown history of the building as a reason for general uneasiness, whether happy or sinister, especially those old decrepitating ones.

Others shiver at the thought of having to be at the mercy of someone else’s hygiene standards. Then, of course, there’s the unsolicited advice (aka superstitions) force-fed to you with the best of intentions before every trip.

Whatever your reason may be, join us as we dive into the depths of Reddit to pull out the best hotel tips — the dos and don’ts, if you will — for a pleasant stay.

But first, superstitions — you either love it or hate it. I happen to have an air steward for a brother and thanks to his tendency to overshare, I’ve heard one too many stories about creepy hotels.

It ranges from kids on the other end of midnight calls to being pressed down by an unknown entity when you’re awake, or even seeing another’s reflection while in front of the mirror.

While I usually just say a quick prayer to cleanse the space upon entering and calling it a night thereafter, I know of many who choose to carry out fixed rituals when staying in a hotel.  Here are some of the most common hotel tips people adhere to avoid said events from happening.

Hotel tips: Do’s & don'ts

1. Do: Knock before entering

Probably the most common superstition. Whether you choose to ring the doorbell or knock thrice, the intention is to make your arrival and presence politely known to anyone else in the room — housekeeping included!

2. Do: Flush the toilet

Done as a failsafe to chase away any stubborn entities still in the room, guests sometimes give the bowl a whirl just in case attempt number one, aka the polite method, wasn’t successful. More practically, others do it out of habit after that one time when housekeeping missed out on the loo.

3. Don't: Leave a bed untouched

I know quite a few people who end up dumping their suitcase on the spare bed when given a twin room for the sole reason of easy access. However, there’s another reason people tend to do this — to avoid having unwanted cuddle buddies join you in the middle of the night.

Some even recommend filling up unused portions of king-or-queen sized beds with extra pillows, just in case.

P.S.: If you’re fascinated by horror shorts, there’s a good one on YouTube titled Bedfellows ( watch it if you dare ) that may or may not be related to this.

4. Don't: Sleep facing a mirror

Many believe that mirrors (as enacted in Asian horror movies) are portals to other unworldly dimensions. Plus it’s also said to absorb and reflect energies, therefore not too many people are keen on sleeping opposite one.

I sometimes agree, but only because there’s nothing freakier than waking up and catching a glimpse of the horror that is your self-incurred mess of bed head.

ALSO READ: to

5. Don't: Sleep in corner rooms

My brother once told me that corner rooms were always the ones leftover because not a lot enjoyed staying near fire exits.

While it’s quieter, that also means less human traffic — which could be dangerous for solo travellers , especially if you had an emergency. But also, they say that when there are fewer human beings around, other entities are abundant.

6. Do: Keep your room number private

Worse than spirits? The many creeps who roam the planet. Even if you’re bored on a plane with no one to talk to, or mingling at a bar — we advise keeping your address for the night, to yourself.

Unless you’d like uninvited guests to appear at your doorstep. Even then, all the flushing in the world might not help!

7. Don't: Sit on bathroom counters

When asked what the one piece of advice hotel staff would like to give the general public was, Reddit was unanimous in its upvote of the above.

The winning reason being — it is deceptively easy to break, and you’d have to pay for a brand new one.

8. Do: Keep the ‘do not disturb’ sign turned on

Unless you need a quick clean, many solo-travellers are advised not to take the sign down especially when leaving the room.

Apart from discouraging strangers from coming in and rummaging through your belongings, it’s also great for deterring anyone from coming in at awkward times — unannounced.

ALSO READ: Yang Mi reportedly spent the night in hotel with rumoured boyfriend Wei Daxun

9. Do: Deep clean the kettle before use or do not: Use the kettle

Let’s just put this out there: there are a ton of inconsiderate people around — many of whom use the kettle for reasons that are not entirely drinking-related. Friends who work in hotels have reported seeing underwear soaked in kettles, as well as soup, rice and even curry being cooked in there.

10. Do: Keep your doors latched

A Redditor told the creepy tale of checking into a hotel just after sunset and promptly falling asleep only to wake up to the front desk calling about noise complaints. Confused, she told them that that was impossible because she had been asleep.

The person on the phone proceeded to check if she was alone — asking quite a few times to make sure she wasn’t with anyone else and they weren’t responsible for the noise. After affirming that she was indeed on her own, she fell again into a deep sleep.

The next morning she went up to the front desk to enquire about what had happened. Confused, they assured her that no one had complained and they had not called her. Thankfully she had chain-latched her doors. You never know what sinister motives others may have!

11. Do: A quick safety check immediately after entering your room

For the same reason (i.e. potential creeps), many solo travellers make sure to check below their beds, take a quick look in the wardrobe and the shower. If you want to play it extra safe, make sure the phone and locks work (windows included) and that the peephole is unobstructed.

12. Do: Let the hotel know if you’re going to be late.

Another Redditor shared a story of his late arrival to a hotel due to a five-hour flight delay — only to find out that they had given his room away. Tired and cold, he politely but firmly requested that they find a room for him since he had already paid for it.

There was but one room left — it was the scene of a violent crime that was still under construction. While they provided a new bed and TV set, the Redditor noted that he could still see spots where they had tried to paint over blood stains and holes from gunshots.

Lesson learnt? Call or at least email, especially if you know you’re going to be late! In some cases, hotels might even provide shuttle buses to pick you up.

This article was first published in YouTrip.