Top 10 Things To NOT do at a hotel

Too many people confuse service with being a servant and treat hotel staff like their personal footmen. You will find that being polite to the hotel staff will go a long way in making your stay extra special, as most of them will appreciate it. Especially on days when the hotel is full, a smile and some patience will make a world of difference to the front office team. The staff are also only human who might tend to forget, and many things are out of their control. If your food is late or bad, there is very little the wait staff can do.

Just because someone else is being paid to clean up your room, don't go out of your way to leave it extra messy. Take reasonable care to clean up after yourself and use the facilities with care. Don't flood the whole room with water from the bathtub and spill food all over the bed. Live as you more or less would live in a room belonging to you. Additionally, keep your valuables in the safe and any personal items stored away to avoid any misunderstandings and unpleasant situations.

Managing children while on holiday is a bit tricky. You want to have a good time, you want them to have a good time, but at the same time, you need to remember that the other guests have also paid to have a good time, and your kids should not inconvenience them in any way. Respect for other people and privacy are good lessons to teach your kids, not just at a hotel but in general. Asking them to keep down the volume and not be a disturbance when other guests are there should just about cover it. However, a little understanding can be expected from other guests as well, and if they have any problems they should come address it with you and under no circumstances approach your children.

Being mindful of how you use hotel property will save you a lot of money. Use the appliances and the facilities with care, as you would your personal property. Don't jump on beds/sofas excessively, handle fragile items with care, and make sure your kids use the appliances properly (and with clean fingers!). You might end up having to pay the price on checkout. If you do manage to get away with it, the damages might be charged to the hotel staff which is terribly unfair. So please exercise care.

Have you waited ages for a check-in because your room was not ready? Well that's usually because the guest before you didn't check out on time and housekeeping wasn't able to re-do the room properly. It's frustrating to check out earlier than the time you checked-in at, especially if you checked-in late. Unless the hotel is running on high occupancy, there can be some flexibility about the check-out time but if the hotel is full, it is out of the staff's hands, and you will be prompted to leave the room. It is advised to start packing up after breakfast to avoid the last minute rush.

The mini bar always causes many unpleasant situations upon check-out which is a good enough reason for it to be locked. If you find it locked, take no offense and simply ask for it to be unlocked. If you are certain that the mini bar will not be utilised, you can request it to be locked. Items in the mini bar will be marked up from their usual market value so beware that it will be expensive in case there is no price list provided by the hotel.

There are set times for the main meals - breakfast, lunch and dinner. Going on time will ensure that you are able to get good seating and can get your food before it gets crowded. The restaurant staff will usually stop topping up buffets once the crowd starts to dissipate, even before the closing time, so if you go five minutes before the cut-off time, you might find that many items at the buffet might not be available. It is once the last guest leaves that the staff can start clearing up so sticking to meal times will be greatly appreciated by them too.

Apart from hotel property, when visiting a new location, behave in ways that do not harm Mother Nature and the environment. No dustbins nearby? Don't throw your garbage into the sea, lake or rivers nearby. Do not feed any artificial or strange food to the wild animals, and do not harm the trees. This is especially seen in many resorts which have wide sprawling gardens and natural beauty. (For such resorts in Dambulla, visit Amaya Lake!)

Quite a few bad reviews left about hotels on TripAdvisor and other sites, are left by people who left the hotel disgruntled but had not spoken up while they were at the hotel. If you are disappointed with something, please do inform the manager on duty. There is nothing that the hotel can do once you have left the property but there are countless things that the staff can do to help you turn your frown upside down!