Business trips can be lonely affairs, especially if you are regularly racking up the airmiles and living in hotel rooms. They’re relatively soulless places, with the only entertainment available being whatever is on the television.
However, there are ways in which you can make your hotel room that little more pleasurable, ensuring it’s a pleasant place to stay and a home away from home. Here are our top tips on how to make your hotel room that little more homely…
Bring Your Personal Trinkets
Firstly, any hotel room that you want to make feel a little more like home, you should personalise a little. While it’s not easy to bring large amounts of personal items, little trinkets that can fit in your bag can make all the difference.
Whether they be small ornaments, pictures of friends and family, or anything else, if you love them then they will undoubtedly improve the essence of the room. Just don’t leave them when you check out.
Bring The Entertainment
It’s easier than ever to stay entertained these days, with streaming services available on laptops, tablets and mobile devices. There’s also plenty of gaming options within these too. Bingo apps are handy for when on the go, for example, while you’ll also find plenty of console-standard games available in the App Store these days.
You can also pre-download movies to your device, so you don’t have to rely on hotel Wi-Fi, which we know isn’t great at the best of times, never mind when you’re approaching the climax of a movie.
Bring The Scents
The smell of home is just wonderful. And it is possible to get it in a hotel room too. If there are certain scents you use often, whether that be from candles, diffusers or anything else, then you can bring them into your hotel room.
It’ll give the room a less clinical and sanitised feel, with a small reminder of home and a more relaxing environment to relax in.
Bring Your Home Comforts
As well as the smells of home, why not bring the comfy clothes that you’re used to wearing?
Often we can be put off taking our favourite pyjamas and instead having travel specific ones, but that only adds to the thinking that you’re away from home. It only adds to the discomfort. Pack the loungewear you’d normally wear, and even the touch and feel of them will improve your mood and add an air of familiarity in unfamiliar surroundings.
Sanitize Your Surroundings
Of course, well we may want a less clinical feel in our rooms, when we first arrive it’s also good to know that everything is clean and has been sanitized. Therefore when you first arrive you may wish to have a quick spray and clean around the essential areas – toilet, shower, bed, TV remote, door handles etc. This will firstly, make your room cleaner, and secondly give you peace of mind that will allow you to have faith in the cleanliness of the room, and kick back and relax.
It’s often one of the first things people do before they consider bringing out their own personal items.
Bring A Towel
Some hotel towels are fantastic, but others leave plenty to be desired. Consider packing your own towel, and in particularly a hammam towel. These are much larger towels and can be also used as blankets. The versatility of them means they are ideal for comfort or drying, and you can use them exactly where you see fit in your hotel room.
Bringing your own towel can also be good if you have sensitive skin and can react to particular detergents. It offers a much safer bet so you can stay comfortable and irritation free when washing.
Bring Your Favourite Snacks
If you’re going to spend a significant period of time in your room, watching movies or trying to entertain yourself, then bring a few snacks you love too. You won’t find much in a hotel minibar and in a different city, you may also not know where the nearest shops are.
Pack a small section of your favourite snacks in your bag to enjoy when in your hotel room. Consider what you usually have when at home and take them along with you, whether it be a box of chocolates, packet of crisps, small bottle of wine, or whatever else it may be.
This can also come in incredibly handy in the mornings. If you have a particular favourite type of tea or beverage you enjoy in the morning, if it’s possible then bring that along too, as you won’t get much enjoyment out of the sachets you’ll find in your room.
White Noise
One main issue with staying in a hotel is the change of scenery. The different noise can really throw your mind and prevent you from drifting off, whether it be more noise, a different type of noise, or no noise at all.
One way around this is by using white noise. You can get apps on your phone that can help with this, with the likes of Sleep Sounds, White Noise Lite, and Relax Melodies all good options. What’s more, they are also great for using at home too.
Travel With Your Own Pillow
While we’ve already mentioned a number of different things to bring from home, perhaps the best thing you can bring from home is your own pillow. Nothing beats the comfort of your own bed. You can’t of course take your entire bed, but you can take your pillow.
Not only will this give you a comfort you’re used to, but it will also provide you with the smells of back home, which is one of the most evocative and comforting smells you could possibly have when away from home.
It’s not an ideal suggestion if you’re required to travel light, but if you’ve got an extra bit of space or are travelling by car, then it is a no-brainer.
