Ex-Hotel Manager Reveals Tips for Spotting Red Flags in Your Room

In a series of TikToks, Melissa Hanks, a former hotel manager, divulged the hidden realities of hotel rooms that might send shivers down your spine. From checking dirty AC-filters to warning of the usage of the ice bucket, these tips might be helpful for your upcoming staycation.

First thing first, Melisa ensures to check the AC-filters.

Upon arrival, Melissa meticulously checks the air conditioning unit’s filters for cleanliness, then shifts her focus to the mattress, keenly investigating for the elusive bedbugs. She advocates ditching the top sheet on hotel beds. “I’m sorry to tell you they do not get washed every time someone stays in a hotel,” she stated.

Then, she suggests to check bedbugs in some areas.

Addressing queries about bed bug detection, Melissa provides a step-by-step guide. She emphasizes refraining from placing anything on the bed until a thorough check is conducted to avoid carrying unwanted hitchhikers back home.

Detailing her inspection process, Melissa explores the mattress, pillows, and even behind the fabric-covered baseboards, shedding flashlight on potential hotspots for bedbugs. Her advice extends to flipping the mattress.

“You can also flip the mattress up, check the other side. If there’s a box spring on the bed, also check that.”

If bed bugs are discovered, Melissa recommends requesting relocation to a different room on the opposite end of the building, assuring viewers that an infestation in one room doesn’t guarantee the presence in others.

She, personally, will never use an ice bucket after what she had witnessed in the past.

Continuing her cleanliness crusade, Melissa opts for individually wrapped plastic paper cups over potentially unwashed “glass glasses.” She outright refuses to use hotel ice buckets, citing their dubious history, even sharing a personal experience of cleaning vomit from them. For ice, she suggests using plastic cups from the dispenser, evoking a wave of shared horror stories from viewers.

“At a hotel I worked at, a guest had been using the bucket for salsa or soup or something. The entire room smelled like rotted fruits and veg,” wrote one viewer. While another added, “I had a guest poo in one ice bucket. We threw it away.”

For breakfast, she advises to come within 30 minutes after it opens to ensure the food is fresh.

In another TikTok video, Melissa shifts focus to hotel breakfasts, providing live examples as she navigates a morning buffet.

While showcasing her hotel spread, Melissa discerns the dark hue of scrambled eggs, a telltale sign of their extended stay. She advises early attendance to a breakfast buffet, ensuring the freshness of the offerings. Critically appraising the state of bread buns lacking individual wrapping, warm milk left unattended in a jug, and visibly unwashed cereal dispensers, Melissa imparts essential insights for all guests to heed.

Do you want to know more about hotel tips? This article will show you some secrets that hotel staff hide from you.