We like hotels. They give us the opportunity to take a break from our normal routine at home. Isn’t it nice to go back to a room that has already been cleaned, where the trash has been thrown away, and the bed linens have been changed? But there are some things that hotel personnel does that keep confusing travelers every time they stay in a hotel. In this article, we are going to tell you about 11 strange idiosyncrasies of the hotel business that used to confuse us.
Bright Side figured out some secrets from the hospitality sphere and is going to share them with you. Pay attention to the bonus at the end of the article.
11. Why are there holes in garbage cans in hotels and restaurants?
Have you ever noticed that it’s difficult to take an overloaded trash bag out of a garbage can? The can often gets picked up in unison with the trash bag. Employees of the service sector came up with an interesting solution to this problem, which is useful even in everyday life. All you need to do is to drill several holes in the bin toward the bottom so that they let air in and prevent the vacuum effect, which is the reason the trash bag sticks to the garbage can. This method helps them take out garbage easily and quickly.
10. Why do they put the Bible in the bedside table?
This tradition was started at the end of the 19th century by The Gideons International. They were trying to spread ’God’s word’ all over the world and decided to send a copy of the Bible to every hotel so that the visitors could get familiar with the Holy Scripture. Nowadays, the Quran, the Torah, and even the Constitution can be brought to a room per the request of a guest.
9. Why are the blankets on hotel room beds so narrow?
A bed scarf is the name of this item and it is used to cover the lower part of the bed. This has become a wide-spread trend in the hotel business. Bedspreads are not suitable for frequent washing, but at the same time covering the whole bed with these items is considered unhygienic. A bed scarf that requires 3 times less cloth than an entire bedspread saves significant money for the hotel’s budget. And saving money pleases owners of even the most expensive hotels.
8. Why do they put 2 straws into a cocktail for one person?
Beverages with a large amount of ice usually get with 2 straws. This is because ice comes to the surface of the drink forming a block which doesn’t let air into the bottom part of the glass. This makes the drinking process tough. The second straw unblocks the drink letting the air reach the bottom making drinking easier.
7. Why do they tuck the edges of blankets under the mattress?
This method of making up a bed is called ’an envelope’ and it came to hotels from the army. It prevents the edges of a blanket from hanging, touching the floor, and getting dirty, making the bed look neat. There is one more explanation for this: earlier, when central heating wasn’t around, the beds of hotel guests were heated up by a hot-water bottle, and the ’envelope’ helped keep the warmth.
6. Why do hotel rooms have a telephone in the bathroom?
Sometimes accidents like heart attacks, traumas, or locked doors might take place in the bathroom. For these situations good hotels provide phones in their bathrooms — it could help a guest call for help since hardly anyone takes their mobile phone with them while taking a bath.
5. Why do all hotels have white bed linens?
A snow-white bed in the middle of the room makes us feel like the room has been thoroughly cleaned, even if the maid only changed the linens. It’s connected with a psychological perception of the color white — which is associated with cleanliness. Another bonus of dealing with white textiles is that they don’t need to be sorted by color when washing — that’s the reason why robes and towels in hotels are also white.
4. Why do some hotels skip room number 420?
In North America, cannabis lovers use the number 420 as a code for their parties. This slang has spread all over the world and that’s the reason why some hotel owners try to avoid any hint toward these activities. Some owners even change the number plates on the doors with 420 using very unusual methods, like 419+1.
3. Why do they keep disposal bags in the bathrooms of hotel rooms?
These disposal bags are usually located near the toilet itself. They are offered to guests who want to throw something away in the trash can that is not meant to be seen by others, for example, feminine hygiene items. Not only do these bags help hotel owners provide a comfortable environment for their guests, but they also protect the sewer system from blockages due to foreign objects.
2. Why do they keep the TV and AC remote controls in a plastic cover?
A remote control is the dirtiest thing in the room because thousands of visitors have touched it. Maids in good hotels always remember to disinfect it with the help of special cleaners. After disinfecting it, they put the clean remote in a plastic cover. Remote controls in more expensive hotels are usually replaced by waterproof ones so that the personnel can wash them just like the other items in the room.
1. Why do maids fold the edge of the toilet paper roll?
Susan Blackmore, a researcher of memes, considers this toilet paper meme one of the most popular memes of contemporary culture. But in the hotel business, it is considered hygienic to fold toilet paper. This helps the guest understand that no one has used the room since the cleaning and all the guest needs to do is tear off the part touched by the maid. Some hotels turn the tradition of folding toilet paper into a real art.
Bonus: Towels in this hotel are protected from theft by a sensor.
Have you ever seen any other bizarre things in hotels and did you manage to figure out the secret behind them? Please tell us about it in the comments!
Preview photo credit Depositphotos.com
