One thing I've noticed after hundreds of hotel nights...
I don't really use hotel rooms the way hotels expect me to.
The dresser drawers stay empty.
The alarm clock gets unplugged.
The minibar never gets opened.
Even the decorative pillows don't survive more than about thirty seconds after I’ve entered the room.
The longer I've traveled for work, the less I rely on what the hotel provides—and the more I rely on the little routines I've built instead.
These aren't travel hacks.
They're simply the habits I've picked up after spending far too many nights away from home.
The Place I Don't Trust Myself to Unpack
Hotel dresser drawers and I have an understanding.
I don't use them.
They don't steal my clothes.
I've left enough sweaters, pajamas, and workout clothes behind in my early years to know that if I can't see something, there's a decent chance it won't be coming home with me.
So my suitcase stays open.
Everything stays visible.
The drawers stay empty.
The only exception is if I'm somewhere for more than a week.
Otherwise, they're just extra furniture.
The First Thing I Unplug
The first thing I do after walking into a hotel room?
I unplug the alarm clock.
Half the time it's blinking the wrong time anyway.
The other half, I'm convinced it's going to surprise me with someone else's 2:00 a.m. wake-up call.
My phone has handled that job perfectly for years.
The hotel clock has officially been retired.
The Thing I'd Rather Not Think About
I almost never turn on the hotel television.
Not because I don't watch TV.
Because I already brought mine.
If I'm traveling for work, I usually have two laptops with me—my work laptop and my MacBook when I know I'll have LME projects to work on.
At the end of the day, I open one of my streaming services on my MacBook and pick up exactly where I left off at home.
No searching through hotel channels.
No figuring out another remote.
No wondering why the volume is somehow always either whisper quiet or theater loud.
If inspiration strikes after dinner, I simply close Netflix and jump right back into writing.
My hotel television rarely gets used.
My MacBook almost always does.
The Thing That Leaves the Bed Immediately
Decorative pillows.
They're beautiful.
They're also the first things to leave the bed.
I don't know how often they're cleaned.
I don't particularly want to know.
Within about thirty seconds of checking in, they've been relocated.
The chair.
The bench.
The corner.
Anywhere that isn't where I'm planning to sleep.
The Hotel "Convenience" I Always Skip
I've never understood minibars.
If I'm staying somewhere long enough to need snacks, I'm ordering Instacart before my flight even lands.
Water.
Protein yogurt.
Protein shakes.
Something sweet.
A few things for breakfast.
Exactly what I actually want.
Usually for less than I'd spend opening the minibar once.
And I never have to explain a $14 candy bar on an expense report.
The One Thing I Always Bring From Home
I don't care how nice the hotel brand is. I will not be using the communal shampoo, conditioner, and body wash provided.
I bring my own shampoo and conditioner.
Every trip.
Travel already changes enough.
My hair routine doesn't need to.
I already know what works for me, and after enough years on the road, I've stopped feeling guilty about making room in my suitcase for the little things that make me feel more like myself.
Somewhere Along the Way, I Stopped Being a Typical Hotel Guest
The funny thing is...
I don't even think about these habits anymore.
They happen automatically.
Not because hotels are doing anything wrong.
Because business travel eventually taught me what actually makes a room feel comfortable.
It isn't the dresser drawers.
It isn't the minibar.
It isn't the alarm clock.
Comfort comes from familiarity.
From opening the same shampoo.
Watching the same show you were halfway through before you left home.
Knowing exactly where every piece of clothing is because you never put it in a drawer.
From the little routines you repeat often enough that every hotel room starts feeling a little more like your own.
Maybe that's what experience really is.
Not finding better hotels.
Building better routines. -LME
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