Key facts
- A Hotels.com study revealed unusual guest habits, including washing underwear in kettles and taking food from breakfast buffets.
- One in three hotel guests admit to smuggling food from breakfast buffets.
- Over a third of respondents book rooms with fewer guests than they intend to use to reduce costs.
- 23% of surveyed individuals consider using hotel kettles for washing underwear to be a significant faux pas.
- Etiquette expert William Hanson has released a guide with 10 'dos and don'ts' for hotel guests.
A new study by Hotels.com, in collaboration with British etiquette expert William Hanson, has shed light on the peculiar habits of hotel guests. The research, which surveyed 2,000 British adults, revealed that many travelers engage in behaviors ranging from washing underwear in hotel room kettles to smuggling food from breakfast buffets.
According to the findings, one in three hotel guests admit to taking food from the breakfast buffet for later consumption. Furthermore, over a third of respondents regularly book rooms with fewer guests than they intend to accommodate to minimize costs. While these practices are common, a significant portion of guests, 23%, consider using the in-room kettle for washing underwear to be unacceptable.
In response to these findings, Hotels.com and Hanson have launched the 'Grand Etiquette Hotel Guide,' offering practical advice on modern hotel manners. Key recommendations include treating all hotel staff with genuine respect, maintaining quiet in corridors, practicing moderation with alcohol, refraining from smoking indoors, keeping rooms tidy, using kettles only for beverages, and avoiding excessive souvenir-taking from rooms. The guide also addresses the contentious issue of reserving sunbeds with towels, emphasizing that physical presence, not just a towel, secures a lounger.