Are you in agreement or are you misaligned with most of the traveling public? Travel site Kayak conducted a poll of the most hotly debated travel opinions to determine the Unspoken Rules of Air Travel.

Here’s what the survey found:

Cutting the Line Is Ok

About to miss your flight? According to Kayak’s survey, 57 percent of travelers will have sympathy for you (and will let you cut the line) if it’s the difference between making it to the gate in time or being left stranded.

Unattended Children Should Be Banned

Letting your kids run around the airport (or plane) freely in the hopes they’ll burn off some energy? 90 percent of respondents ask that you rein them in, voting that children shouldn’t be left unattended during travel.

Don’t Stand on the Moving Sidewalk

If your personal pet peeve is people who ride the moving sidewalks at the airport (rather than walking on it), you’re not alone—57 percent of travelers feel the same way. 

Just remember, moving sidewalks are a huge help to people with mobility issues—so try to extend some grace and patience when travelers aren’t walking on them. 

Clapping When the Plane Lands Is Annoying

Your fellow passengers ask you to hold your applause when the plane touches down. A close margin of 51 percent of flyers thinks this measure of appreciation is “pointless” because the pilots can’t hear you.

The Middle Seat Doesn’t Get Both Armrests

A surprising 57 percent of passengers have no sympathy for the person stuck in the middle seat, saying the armrests are up for anyone to grab. 

Reclining Your Seat is Acceptable

Go ahead and lean back (just please, do it the right way) next time you fly. A vast majority (88 percent) believe that the recline button is offered for a reason.

Leave Your Socks On

Fellow flyers don’t want to see (or smell) your bare feet. Seventy-six percent of passengers voted that people should keep their socks on during a flight.

The post The 7 Most Controversial Travel Opinions appeared first on SmarterTravel.

Tipping expectations vary significantly around the world. These guidelines are based on current US standards for tips, and will be most useful for domestic trips and US-based cruise lines/tour groups/hotel chains.

Download Our Foldable Tipping Guide

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Hotels

As soon as you enter a hotel, you might have a doorman open the door, a bellhop take your luggage, and a front desk clerk give you an upgrade. Who should you tip at hotels, and how much?

Transportation

Here’s how much to tip everyone who helps you get to where you’re going, from taxi drivers to airport porters.

Restaurants

Tipping at restaurants can be really confusing. Do you have to tip if there is already a “kitchen appreciation fee”? The answer: Yes, because that fee goes toward non-tipped workers in the kitchen, so you’ll still need to tip the waitstaff. Here’s how much to tip everyone at a restaurant.

Tours

For multi-day trips, most tour companies will offer guidelines for tipping that they will share with you after booking. Here’s how much to tip on shorter tours. 

Cruises

Many cruise lines will cover the topic of tipping in their FAQ section of their website. This is where you can learn if gratuities are included in the cost of your cruise. Most cruise lines automatically add about $15-$20 per person, per day, to your onboard bill at the end of the trip to cover tips. These gratuities go into a pool that’s split between the people you’d typically tip (like waiters and housekeeping staff.) 

If an employee went above and beyond for you on a cruise, you can tip them a bit extra at the end of your voyage to show your appreciation. 

Should You Tip the Bartender on a Cruise?

Automatic gratuities are typically added on to your bill when you order drinks, so be sure to check your receipt before tipping the bartender. The same goes for spa treatments—tips are usually automatically added.

The post Tipping: The Ultimate Guide to Tipping for Travelers appeared first on SmarterTravel.

Some flyers believe in a middle ground, feeling that reclining should be done only in certain situations—like on a long-haul flight when everyone is sleeping, and not on a short flight immediately after takeoff. 

We posed the question to our SmarterTravel readers, and the results are in: The majority of people think that reclining on an airplane is okay.

The poll was close, with 54 percent of readers voting for the right to recline.

Reader Kelly G. argues, “I need a slight recline to sleep so if the seat reclines, I’ll use it to get some shut-eye.”

Shannon J. disagrees, saying “In regular coach, no. If I’ve upgraded, I might recline a bit. Coach is just too cramped to infringe on anyone else and I hope the person in front of me follows the same logic.” 

Other passengers feel that the airlines should just eliminate the option to recline to stop the debate. “If the airlines keep reducing legroom, they should also stop with reclining seats. There is literally no room for the passenger behind if someone reclines in front of them, ” says Dori T.

If you do choose to recline, there are a few etiquette tips you should follow.

1. Look behind you before reclining, and be mindful of open laptops you could crush or drinks you might spill.
2. Recline slowly to give the person behind you some warning, rather than slamming your seat back. Better yet, politely give a verbal notification that you’re about to recline.
3. Don’t recline during meal service.

The post Should You Recline Your Seat on an Airplane? appeared first on SmarterTravel.

Slamming Your Seat Back

We won’t get in to the recline vs. no-recline debate, but we can all agree that people who slam their seat straight back immediately after takeoff, without even sparing a glance behind them to see if they’re about to smash a laptop screen or send a drink flying, are the absolute worst. We can all agree on that, right?

Fighting for the Armrest

The poor middle seat passenger should at least get some pity armrest space from the aisle and window seat flyers. Don’t agree and want to passive-aggressively elbow the person next to you the entire flight? Congratulations, you’re a terrible human being.

Pounding the Seatback Screen

The on-demand entertainment screens on the seatback don’t always function the way they should, but when you’re pounding on the screen trying to get it to work, don’t forget about the person sitting in front of you who’s feeling his seat shake with every selection you make. Be gentle or, better yet, use the remote.

Smelling Bad

Is the sense of relief you feel after removing your shoes stronger than the smell of your feet wafting through the cabin? There are reasons you might smell bad when traveling that can be beyond your control, but if you’re tainting the cabin air on purpose by going barefoot or eating something odorous, your fellow flyers are justified in their hatred towards you.

Stealing the Overhead Space

The tiny overhead bins are a huge minefield of airplane etiquette. Major violations include: throwing your stuff in the first overhead bin you see even though your seat is at the back of the plane, utilizing it for small items like a sweatshirt, or taking up all the space with oversized carry-ons.

Not Using Headphones

You have amazing taste in music and movies, so why wouldn’t you want to share your selections with the entire plane? Turns out the people two rows ahead of you may not want to spend the entire flight listening to bleeps and bloops from the game you’re playing on your phone, so please do us all a favor and plug in headphones or entertain yourself on mute.

Ignoring Your Own Children

We get it, you can’t always control a screaming baby. But if you’re pretending to be engrossed in your book while your kid is kicking the back of a seat or running wild down the aisles, be prepared to make some plane enemies.

Caroline Morse Teel tries to follow proper airplane etiquette on all flights. Follow her on Instagram @TravelWithCaroline for photos from the window seat. 

The post Airplane Etiquette Violations: 7 Ways to Make Enemies on a Plane appeared first on SmarterTravel.

Reasons You Smell Bad When Traveling

Here are some of the reasons you may smell bad while traveling, plus tips on what to do about it.

Dehydration

Traveling—and flying especially—can make you dehydrated. You may be walking more, or simply forgetting to drink the same amount of water you sip when you’re sitting at your desk. Dehydration is not only unhealthy, it is a major cause of bad breath, too. So be sure to drink plenty of water when you’re on the road. (Coffee doesn’t count—caffeinated drinks also contribute to bad breath and dehydration.) Try one of these collapsible water bottles (that way you can easily bring them through security and fill them up once you get through).

Your Shoes

Wearing the same shoes every day (which is common while traveling, due to limited space), can increase foot odor. Try wearing one pair and packing another, so you can switch off and give one pair time to air out. Wearing moisture-wicking socks can also help, as can applying foot powder.

Stress Sweat

Traveling can be stressful. Unfortunately, your body can react to rough situations with sweat. Making matters even worse, stress-induced sweating is smellier than regular perspiration. When you’re anxious, your body produces sweat from the apocrine glands, which attracts more odor-causing bacteria than sweat caused by heat or workouts. Try packing a stronger deodorant for your trip, especially if you anticipate stressful situations.

You’re Sick

It’s easy to get sick while traveling: You can get run down, plus planes are germ factories. If you’ve picked up a cold (or are suffering from allergies), you may find yourself with a stuffy nose and bad breath. That foul breath is caused by post-nasal drip in the back of your mouth. Staying healthy is always the first line of defense, but if you are sick, be sure to up your teeth-brushing/mouth-washing/gum-chewing game.

Different Diet

Eating a new type of cuisine can mess with your body odor, turning it from sweet to sour. Watch out for bad B.O. culprits like cruciferous vegetables, red meat, fish, and processed junk foods, all of which can cause a bad olfactory turn.

Overindulging in Local Drinks

There’s nothing wrong with wanting to try one or two of the special local cocktails or brews while you’re traveling. But if you drink too much alcohol, you might still smell like the bar the next morning. According to Men’s Health, stouts and other dark alcohols cause more of a stench than clearer spirits, like vodka.

Skipping Meals

Maybe you’re too busy to eat or just trying to save money by skipping lunch while traveling in an expensive destination. You might wind up with hunger pains and bad breath, as not eating can cause a breakdown in body chemicals known as Ketoacidosis, which results in stinky smells. Beat this by packing some healthy snacks to bring with you on your trip.

All of the products featured in this story were hand-selected by our travel editors. Some of the links featured in this story are affiliate links, and SmarterTravel may collect a commission (at no cost to you) if you shop through them.

Editor’s note: This story was originally published in 2015. It has been updated to reflect the most current information.

The post 7 Reasons You Smell Bad When Traveling appeared first on SmarterTravel.

Skimp on Hand Hygiene

On a cruise, you’ll see constant reminders about keeping your hands clean, from big signs to hand sanitizer stations. If you want to avoid getting sick, it’s important that you maintain impeccable hand hygiene. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has a helpful guide for keeping your hands clean on a cruise ship. The CDC advises cruise ship passengers to “use warm water and soap to wash their hands. Washing is always best. If water and soap are NOT available (perhaps on excursions), use an ethanol alcohol-based hand sanitizer, preferably in a gel form. The sanitizer should be at least 60% ethanol.”

Always wash your hands after using the restroom and before eating. 

Disregard COVID-19 Protocols

While many cruise lines have done away with vaccination and testing requirement, there are a few providers that still have policies in place. Don’t plan on skipping a mandatory pre-cruise COVID test and think you’ll be able to talk your way out of it once you’re at the departure port. If a cruise line requires a pre-trip COVID test and you don’t have one, you won’t be allowed to board. 

Furthermore, particular itineraries may have different requirements than the overall cruise line. For example, both vaccinated and unvaccinated guests embarking on Royal Caribbean cruises from Australia must present a negative COVID test taken within two days of departure. Most cruise lines have very limited options for day-of tests, so don’t plan on being able to get one at port. 

Leave Your Data Plan On

Forgetting to switch off your cellular data at sea will be an expensive mistake. Many cruise ships have their own roaming network that guests can connect to (for very pricey rates). Even if you’re not making calls or texting, the apps on your phone will still auto-refresh and use data. Be sure to put your phone on airplane mode (or turn off your data) before you pull out of port. 

Overindulge 24/7

A cruise vacation is definitely the time to treat yourself. You want to sample all the delicious food and drink that’s available around-the-clock at the restaurants and buffets. However, it’s important to treat eating and drinking on a cruise as a marathon, not a sprint. If you deviate from your normal diet and eat large amounts of rich food at every meal, you’re going to be feeling pretty sick midway through the cruise. 

Try to pace yourself and eat a mix of healthy food and treats in moderate portions so that you won’t spend your whole trip lying in your room with a stomach ache. 

Arrive Late

Planning your own off-ship excursion that arrives back to the cruise five minutes before its scheduled to leave is a very dangerous gamble. Whether you’re planning out when to arrive before your cruise begins or how early to get back after a day out, you’ll want to leave lots of extra time. Remember that ship time is often different from local time, and change your clocks accordingly!

If you do miss the ship, you’ll have to pay (and arrange) for your own transportation to the next port to meet the cruise, or give up and head home early. 

Overpack

Cruise ship cabins are notoriously small, so you can bring a massive checked bag—but then you’re just going to be tripping over it your entire trip. A duffle bag, or other soft carrier, is ideal as you can easily unpack and stash it away in your cabin. Smaller carry-ons are also a good choice, as they won’t take up too much space in your room. 

Become Drunk and Disorderly

It’s tempting to overindulge if you’ve purchased a drink package and have unlimited access to alcohol, but it’s also an easy way to wind up in the brig (aka, cruise ship jail). Extreme intoxication can also result in accidents on a cruise ship (such as falling overboard) so take it easy at the ship’s bar.

The post 7 Things You Should Never Do on a Cruise Ship appeared first on SmarterTravel.

You get to the airport early, your luggage is checked, you have your boarding pass in hand—and you find out that your flight is overbooked. While airlines can usually find passengers willing to take a different flight in exchange for compensation, it’s the unfortunate truth that the act of involuntarily bumping passengers is pretty commonplace. Most people go calmly, if not happily. But legally if the airline tells you to go, you have to go.

Fortunately, you have rights when you are involuntarily bumped. The Department of Transportation takes this issue seriously and has several rules in place designed to protect and compensate affected passengers. The DOT’s website has the full rules, but here are the highlights:

• First, the DOT requires airlines to give passengers “a written statement describing their rights and explaining how the carrier decides who gets on an oversold flight and who doesn’t.”
• If the airline re-accomodates you on a flight that gets you to your final destination within one hour of your original scheduled arrival time, there is no compensation.
• If the alternative flight gets you there between one and two hours later (or between one and four hours on international flights), you should receive an amount equal to “200% of your one-way fare to your final destination that day, or $775, whichever amount is lower.”
• Finally, if you’re more than two hours late (four hours internationally), or if the airline doesn’t re-accomodate you at all, you should get “400% of your one-way fare, or $1,550, whichever amount is lower.”

The airline must also refund any optional services you paid for (like seat selection) if you don’t receive them on the alternative flight.

Your carefully scheduled travel plans can be significantly disrupted by an involuntary bumping. While bumping remains relatively rare, the DOT has noted an increased rate of bumping since the start of the pandemic, with July through September of 2022 seeing a bumping rate of 0.22 per 10,000 passengers as compared to 0.19 per 10,000 passengers for the same period in 2019.

So it probably won’t happen to you, which is good. But it’s still important to know your rights. Decrease your chances of getting bumped even further by booking on the airlines that are least likely to bump passengers.

The post What Are Your Rights When You’re Involuntarily Bumped? appeared first on SmarterTravel.

Stopping in the Middle of Sidewalks

Being in the big city is magical for you, the tourist. For the locals rushing by trying to get to work on time, not so much. Treat sidewalks like streets—don’t stop abruptly in the middle to check your directions or snap a photo. Instead, pull over to the side where you won’t be in the way.

Taking a Cab During Rush Hour

Hailing a cab or calling a rideshare might be easier than walking to your destination or trying to navigate the subway system. But during rush hour, it will likely take you much longer to cross the city in a car than it would via public transportation.

Standing on the Wrong Side of the Escalator

Despite having different rules of the road, the escalator rules are the same from London to New York: stand on one side, walk on the other. This allows people who are in a hurry to climb the escalator quickly, while those who need a rest can ride up (usually on the right-hand side). Recently, some cities like Hong Kong and London have tried to convince riders to stand on both sides of the escalators based on the theory that it actually moves people more quickly, but these campaigns have been largely unsuccessful.

Wearing Uncomfortable Shoes

Walking is by far the best way to explore a large city. You’ll get to stroll through new neighborhoods and discover gems you won’t find in any guidebook. So don’t let your wanders be cut short by foot pain. Make sure you pack shoes that you can walk for multiple miles in—and don’t worry, there are plenty of stylish options out there that won’t mark you as a tourist.

Pushing Your Way Onto Public Transportation

People can’t get off the train or bus if you’re pushing your way on before they have a chance to exit. Be polite and stand to the side of the door until everyone who needs to exit can get off before you get on.

Feeding the Pigeons

Feeding the flocks of pigeons that live in cities is so popular that places like Venice have imposed fines (of hundreds of euros) on the tourists who engage in the behavior. Although it may seem like a fun activity, it’s actually bad for both the birds and the city. When pigeons are fed human food, they lose their ability to scavenge on their own and start eating food that’s not in their natural diet. It’s also bad for the city: Pigeons carry diseases that can infect humans, and the leftover food also attracts rats.

Caroline Morse Teel is the Managing Editor at SmarterTravel. Follow her on Instagram @TravelWithCaroline for photos from around the world.

Editor’s note: This story was originally published in 2019. It has been updated to reflect the most current information.

The post 6 Things Tourists Should Never Do in Major Cities appeared first on SmarterTravel.

Bobby Laurie, a former flight attendant, recommends always checking with a flight attendant before changing your seat. “They’ll usually tell you if, when and where it’s okay to move,” says Laurie. It’s also important that flight attendants have the correct seating arrangements on their manifest in case of an emergency, so always let one know if you do move seats. 

Why You Might Not Be Able to Switch Seats

You probably know better than trying to sneak up to business class from your economy seat (that’s definitely not going to fly) but there are also some seats in the economy cabin that cost extra. “Some airlines designate the first few rows of the plane, and usually the overwing exits, as premium or preferred seats,” warns Laurie. “They always come with an extra fee and flight attendants are supposed to check the manifest against any passengers seated in those seats.” If you haven’t paid for the privilege of an extra legroom seat, you might get kicked out if you swap to one.

Switching seats can be a safety concern as well. On smaller regional airplanes with around 50-70 seats or on larger aircrafts during a period of high wind, where passengers are seated is important. In these instances, says Laurie, “The flight attendants have to provide the pilots with a passenger count in each section of the airplane. These numbers are used to calculate the weight and balance of the airplane before takeoff. If a few passengers were to move after the count was completed into/out of a particular zone it may cause issues with the calculations the flight deck has completed.”

Seat Swapping Etiquette

Empty seats are fair game (after you’ve checked with the flight attendant), but asking a fellow passenger to swap seats can be trickier. If you’re looking to change seats so that you can sit with your traveling companions, never ask someone to swap into a worse seat—for instance, don’t ask someone with a window seat to move to your middle seat. Be polite with your request, and never pressure someone to move—they may have paid extra to select their seat ahead of time and it’s completely fair if they don’t want to swap. You’re likely to have a more successful outcome if you offer a better seat in a swap—for example, asking someone in a seat in the back of the plane to switch to your seat closer to the front. 

The post Can You Switch Seats on a Flight? appeared first on SmarterTravel.

Hotels Have Stuff Most Guests Don’t Think to Borrow

You’ve probably hit up the hotel front desk for simple toiletry items you left at home, but Sarah Dandashy, who serves as concierge at the London West Hollywood at Beverly Hills and blogs at Ask a Concierge, notes that many properties have a whole treasure trove of other things you can request. Her list includes “phone chargers, adapters, safety pins, umbrellas, Band-Aids, tampons, nail files, hair ties, lint rollers, razors, and, funny enough, earplugs. Every hotel varies, but I’ve even loaned out bowties and cufflinks!”

Samantha Firth of Travelling King, who spent five years behind the front desks at various Hilton, Hyatt, and Four Seasons properties, notes that many hotels offer pillow menus that aren’t always advertised in the rooms. She also says some properties offer hair straighteners, pod-style coffee machines, and even PlayStation consoles for kids.

Don’t Count on Getting Into Your Room Early

Multiple staffers told me that guests demanding early access to their rooms was among the biggest pet peeves of hotel front desk employees. “Yes, we know you’re a platinum member who travels 350 million days a year, but we can’t go around waking up guests to get you a room,” says Stephanie Rodriguez, Front Office Manager at Residence Inn/Courtyard by Marriott Phoenix Downtown.

“If the room is ready, we will grant early access—after all, we want to provide a good service,” says Pedro Richardson of Travel with Pedro, who worked in the hotel industry for 12 years. “But this is not always possible due to high occupancy the previous night.”

It can help to let the hotel know in advance when you’ll be arriving, advises Richardson; that way the staff can prioritize the cleaning of your room. But this strategy isn’t foolproof.

“If you know you’re going to be really tired on arrival and want a guarantee that you’ll be able to check in right away, book the room from the night before and inform the hotel you’ll be arriving in the night or the early morning,” says Cat Ekkelboom-White of We Are the Wanderers, who spent four years working at the front desk of a hotel in Innsbruck, Austria. “That way, you know your room will be ready and waiting for you.”

Ask, and Ye May Receive

While upgrades, discounts, and perks are never guaranteed, the hotel front desk staffers I spoke with say it never hurts to ask. “If the guest calls the hotel to make a booking and simply asks for a better rate nicely and politely, many will be prepared to offer a small discount,” says Richardson. “It’s that simple.”

Dandashy agrees: “The power of asking nicely is huge! Just be sure to communicate if you are there for a  special occasion and ask for what you are looking for. Being specific helps. Ask if you’d like a room upgrade, or if they can send up complimentary chocolate-covered strawberries and Champagne for special occasions. Front desk agents get asked for things all the time. Just be straightforward and nice, and they might even throw in another amenity!”

Not all hotel front desk staffers are equally empowered to dole out things like free amenities, room credits, or upgrades. “If you feel like the front desk is a little limited in what they can offer, you can always politely ask for a manager,” says Dandashy.

For best results, put your request in as early as possible—preferably during your initial booking. It helps the hotel to know in advance that you’re hoping for birthday Champagne or that you’d prefer a room away from the elevators.

You Get What You Pay For

Shopping around online for the cheapest possible rate might land you the price you’re looking for, but it will also likely score you a lesser room. “Not every booking platform is offering the same quality of rooms,” Ekkelboom-White warns. “If you see a ‘double room’ on two different websites for two different prices and they seem to be the same, the more expensive one is likely to be a better room.”

Being a Frequent Guest Pays Off

If you travel frequently to a particular city, it’s worth staying in the same place each time and developing a relationship with the hotel front desk staff there. Richardson says that regular guests often get extra perks: “All hotels where I worked had a program where the guest would get a treat every five stays, or every few days if it was a long stay (more than a week).”

Firth notes that regular guests are often first in line for upgrades if a hotel overbooks a particular room category.

Hotel Front Desk Staffers Appreciate Tips, Too

Most guests know to tip the concierge and the housekeeper, but it might not occur to you to leave a few bucks for the person who checks you in at the front desk. “If a front desk agent was able to do something extra to make your stay an amazing one, give them a tip as a thank you,” recommends Dandashy. “My rule of thumb for tipping: Tip AFTER an agent (or anyone) has helped you. A tip beforehand seems like a bribe. But a tip afterward is a lovely thing.”

Here’s What Does—and Doesn’t—Work When Requesting an Upgrade

As noted above, it’s useful to point out if you’re celebrating a special occasion or simply to ask politely for an upgrade if one becomes available. It doesn’t hurt to get creative either: “The best way to get your way is to be nice—or come bearing chocolates,” says Rodriguez.

Firth concurs: “Cookies are great bribes!”

What’s not so useful are rude behaviors such as making demands (instead of asking) and acting as though your loyalty status or your job title (“I’m a CEO!”) entitles you to endless perks.

Hotel staffers also don’t take kindly to manipulation. “I have handled a few guests who eagerly search for shortfalls in a hotel while seeking perks,” says Mokshta Chauhan, who blogs at Miss with Migratory Wings and has worked at five different hotels in India. “They’ll say something like, ‘Your bedsheet has a stain; this is not acceptable in a hotel of this class. [You can make up for it] by upgrading me to one of your suites.'”

Hotel Front Desk Staffers See Some Crazy Things

When I asked front desk workers about the worst guest behavior they’ve encountered, they came up with some doozies. Richardson once had a guest who threw a hissy fit over a dysfunctional keycard: “The guest broke the keycard in front of me, [screamed profanities], and threw the card pieces on my face.”

Chauhan had a bad encounter with a guest who had to wait an hour to get into his room due to high occupancy. “When I approached this guest and handed over the key to him, apologizing for the wait, he replied, ‘I’m not happy with that apology.’ He wanted me to feel miserable for making him wait and demanded that I apologize to each of his family members.” Chauhan did so, but the guest still wasn’t satisfied. He pointed his finger at her and told her not to show her face to him for the duration of his stay.

Firth not-so-fondly recalls a drunken guest who smashed a glass table in his room and threatened to sue the hotel if it wasn’t cleaned up within five minutes. “The guest refused to be moved to another room (he was also offered an upgrade). The general manager had to be called in as the guest become highly abusive, screaming and shouting in the lobby while sitting on the floor in a puddle of his own urine.”

A Little Kindness Goes a Long Way

While most guests aren’t as boorish as the ones above, hotel front desk workers see their fair share of rude behavior—so they’ll often go the extra mile for guests who are friendly and kind.

“The job isn’t an easy one,” says Dandashy. “We stand on our feet all day, and we work unconventional hours and even most holidays. Sometimes it’s hard to even take a break in the middle of a busy day, and we find ourselves running to the back office to scarf down a bite to eat in five minutes or less. So be kind. It is VERY appreciated!”

Follow Sarah Schlichter on Twitter @TravelEditor for more travel tips and inspiration.

The post Hotel Front Desk Secrets: 9 Ways to Improve Your Stay appeared first on SmarterTravel.