No matter what kind of hotel you stay at, there’s always risk of some sort of health hazard. The general rule of thumb is the higher the star rating; the safer the hotel is going to be. Since this isn’t true all the time, there are things you can do in order to protect your health and your family’s safety.
Bring Lysol – When you check into your room, try and look at anything you can grab such as the TV remote, the door handle, the bathroom sinks, etc. You’ll want to spray down as much as possible with the Lysol container. You can buy little Lysol containers at your local grocery store. I would always keep a small container in your travel bag at all times.
Bring flip flops – In a hotel, you’ll never know how clean those bathroom floors are. Thousands of people have probably walked on those floors before and you have no idea how good of a job the hotel has done. To avoid getting things like athletes foots, try and bring your flip flops with you so that you can wear them on the bathroom floor of the hotel.
Watch the bedding – If you’re staying at a cheaper hotel, pull back the bed mattress and search for little bed bugs. Bed bugs are very common among many hotels. If you see these bugs, immediately grab yourself, demand a refund, and find another hotel. If there are no bed bugs, make sure that your bedding looks clean enough to sleep on. If you see any type of stain, hole, etc, ask if the maid can change your bedding.
Bring your own dishes – If you’re going to stay at a resort that gives you a kitchen with dishes and plates, it may never hurt you to bring your own paper plates for food. If you want to use their plates and silverware, make sure that you wash it thoroughly with the soap they have provided you. Even if the dishes look clean, you’ll want to do this just to be safe.
Drinking water – Sometimes if you find yourself going out of the country like Mexico, etc, it may never hurt to bring a gallon of your own water or purchase it from a local franchised grocery store. By doing so, you’ll avoid any bacteria or disease that may be found in the water.
Check reviews – Before you even book your hotel, check and look at ratings on websites such as TripAdvisor.com to see what other travelers think of the hotel. If it gets a poor rating, you may want to consider looking at another hotel. If it gets great reviews, this is probably a hotel you’ll want to consider. You can usually get a good idea on what the other travelers have to say.
Just by following these tips mentioned above will increase your odds of living a better lifestyle at a hotel. While most of the hotels you stay are will be pretty clean, it never hurts to be safe.