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NOISY HOTEL?

Seven Ways To Get a Good Night’s Sleep

There’s not much worse than a noisy hotel at the end of a long, hard day of traveling. If ever there was a time when you need sleep, this is it. What to do?

First, you can ask the desk to give you a different room. Don’t be shy. Most hotels aren’t actually booked to capacity even when desk clerks tell you they are. If the noise level for your room is intolerable, demand a different room.

Actually, there’s a simple solution to street, highway and airport noise permeating your hotel room. Upon check-in, request that you be assigned a “quiet room.” For example, if street, airport or highway sounds are particularly loud on one side of the hotel and not the other, ask for a room “in the back” or “on the quiet side” of the hotel.

Finally, the best solution to a noisy hotel room is a “white noise” machine. “White noise” is background sound that doesn’t register in your mind but mutes the noise that disturbs sleep. Yes, you can pack one of these machines in your suitcase.

OK, so now you’ve handled the problem of noise. What else can interfere with your sleep? The list culprits includes the following:

Hunger – Don’t go to bed hungry if you want a good night’s sleep. An empty stomach comes in a close second to noise as a major cause of travelers’ inability to sleep in a strange hotel room. Solve this problem by always carrying nutritious snack food that can be consumed even in the middle of the night when the hotel’s restaurant is closed and room service is in hiatus until morning. Crackers, cheese and fruit can be very satisfying just before going to bed.

Temperature – A room that is too hot or too cold can make it difficult to sleep. If you are unable to adjust the room temperature to a comfortable level, call the front desk and ask for assistance with the thermostat. One way to deal with stuffy hotel rooms where windows don’t open is to pack a small fan in your suitcase. Often, the breeze from the fan and the ambient noise it makes can lull a weary traveler to sleep.

Odor – Let’s face it: Some hotel rooms really stink. Pack a bottle of Febreze and use it liberally on carpet and furniture as soon as you get to your room. An aerosol container of Febreze or other room freshener also can do wonders to eliminate the nasty odors of old tobacco, musty drapes and moldy bathrooms. If your efforts to sweeten up the room are unsuccessful, call the front desk and ask for a “clean room” with no odors.

Light – Most domestic hotels have black-out window coverings that work so well you don’t know if it’s day or night when you wake up. However, many hotels overseas have nearly sheer curtains and no shades on their windows. Pack a handful of clothes pins. Use them to keep your black-out drapes closed completely. Or, use them to attach your extra blanket to the curtain rod. (Ask for an extra blanket if necessary.) If these measures don’t work, grab your sleep mask and sack out. Yes, you should have your own personal sleep mask, and it should fit snugly enough to block out all light.

Uncomfortable Pillow – In most cases, hotel pillows are the pits. They’re insufficient to support your neck and head because they have virtually no body to them. Or, they’re hard as rocks. If you wisely packed a couple inflatable pillows in your carry-on bag, this would be a good time to haul them out. Another solution is to pack a small memory foam pillow. If you didn’t pack your own pillow, call the front desk to ask for a more substantial pillow or, at least, an extra pillow.

Uncomfortable Bed – Try out your bed as soon as you get to the room. If it’s too soft, too hard, too lumpy or too whatever, head back to the front desk and ask for a room with a better or newer bed. This strategy doesn’t always work, but it’s worth a try.

One way to get exactly what you want in a hotel room is to specify your requirements when you book your reservation. Yes, you can do this online. No matter what Web site you use to book your accommodations, there’s usually a comment window where you can ask for a clean, quiet room with good ventilation and a working thermostat. As for the bed and pillows, that’s usually something you have to deal with on arrival.

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