19 Clever Hotel Hacks for Your Next Family Vacation

1. Stay at a hotel that lets you borrow common household appliances like Crock-Pots and blenders.

• Candlewood Suites offer guests a chance to borrow desk fans, blenders and Crock-Pots, small hand tools, and games to give the comforts of home to your hotel room.
• Voted one of the 10 Best Hotel Chains for Families by Parents magazine, Hyatt House allows guest to access their extensive list of items to borrow–from humidifiers, curling irons, yoga mats, and more.
• If you don’t own a Firestick or Chromecast, select Marriott locations are allowing guests to log in to their membership accounts to watch movies and shows on the room’s TV instead of your mobile devices or tablets.

 

2. Use pillows as a divider to give kids their own sleeping space.

 

3. Don’t pay for room service–get restaurant meals and groceries delivered to your hotel room for free.

If you’re in one of the major cities that has this service, check out Amazon Prime Now! Get restaurant meals and grocery goods delivered right to your hotel room (bye-bye room service charges!). Did you forget to pack deodorant or batteries? Maybe you accidentally forgot a few personal items? Order online and get it delivered to your door in less than 2 hours.

Don’t have Amazon Prime? Try it now for free.

 

 

4. Use the ironing board as an impromptu dining table.

You can adjust it to your child’s seated height.

 

5. Use the hotel room’s coffeemaker to make instant foods like oatmeal and ramen.

Try foods like oatmeal, ramen noodles, instant rice, mac & cheese cups, and dry soup mixes. For the more adventurous room chef, bring along a pack of microwave steamer bags and steam fresh veggies, fish, or even chicken tenderloins right in your room.

 

6. Turn a phone into a Wi-Fi hotspot if your hotel charges for Internet.

Keep in mind that turning your phone into an Internet hotspot for your laptop (aka tethering) isn’t the same as using your regular data plan, so check with your provider.

Learn how to turn your phone into a hotspot here.

 

7. Stick your phone in a cup or ice bucket to amplify sound.

This works especially well for your wake-up alarm!

 

8. Roll up a towel and wedge it under the door to block the hall light and noise.

 

9. Keep the drapes shut and block unwanted light with the clips from a hanger.

 

RELATED: How to Rent an RV for a Buck

 

10. Keep toothbrushes off dirty counters with clothespins.

Packing one or two clothespins is just smart all around. You can use them to keep curtains shut and hang wet clothes when needed.

 

 

11. Plug up the sink with coins and plastic when it’s time to do laundry.

If your hotel room doesn’t have a sink plug, try this and save some cash by skipping the laundromat.

 

12. Bring your Amazon Fire Stick or Chromecast to play your family’s favorite movies and shows.

Avoid those pricey in-house movie rental fees and extremely limited viewing channels. All you need is an Internet connection and a TV with USB ports to watch your faves on the go.

 

13. Use the USB slot on the back of your hotel room’s TV to charge your phone.

 

14. Use the free laundry bag or ice bucket liner to hold dirty diapers.

 

15. Bring dryer sheets and use them to get rid of stale odors.

Lay them in your luggage, across the air conditioner to freshen a room, and in stinky dirty diaper bags.

 

16. Place a damp towel near the A/C unit for a makeshift humidifier.

Because we all know how dry and uncomfortable hotel rooms can be.

 

 

17. Use the free shower cap to separate shoes from clean clothes in your luggage.

 

18. Use the shower’s steam to remove wrinkles from clothes.

Let your clothes steam and pull the wrinkles out by hand.

Warning: People report this can sometimes set off the alarm in the room if the detector is near the bathroom door!

 

19. Bring painter’s tape, and use it to turn the carpet into matchbox car roads and game boards.

 

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