Are You The World’s Worst Hotel Guest? Here’s How To Tell (and Redeem Yourself)

The myth of travel hacks, debunked

There's no secret formula for cheap flights. Here's the truth about travel "hacks."

• Inconsiderate hotel guests disrupt other travelers with excessive noise and disregard for hotel rules.
• Guests should be mindful of hallway conversations, especially during quiet hours.
• Three questions to ask yourself to avoid being a bad hotel guest: Are you violating house rules? Are you getting extra attention from staff? Would your behavior be unacceptable outside the hotel?

A few hours after Matt Rogers checked into his hotel in Dallas, he heard rhythmic grunting noises outside his door. They were coming from one of the worst hotel guests ever.

"He was doing his workout in the hallway," Rogers said. "It was really obnoxious."

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Rogers knows a thing or two about working out – he's a personal trainer himself – but he said there's a time and a place for it. The guest should have headed to the hotel gym, which was open at the time.

But, for heaven's sake, keep it down in the hallway.

That's not the worst of it: Apparently, the obnoxious hotel guest was totally unaware he was being, well, so obnoxious.

Annoying hotel guests will be front and center again this summer as Americans embark on their annual vacations. They'll make noise, trash rooms, ignore the house rules and irritate other travelers. And, like the guy working out in Rogers' hallway, they'll have no idea that they are the world's worst hotel guests.

"They forget that they’re not in their own living room," said Rachel Wagner, an etiquette expert. "If they’re with family members or sports team members for an event, it’s easy and natural to continue conversations down the hall after getting off the elevator, forgetting that others may have an early morning flight and are trying to sleep."

My pet peeve is hotel guests who think they're shooting an adult movie next door. Look, if you're going to make the kind of noise that keeps the neighbors up all night, maybe you should wait until you get home. Just a suggestion.

It turns out there's a litmus test – three simple questions – that will help you know if you're a bad guest. I'll also tell you how to be a good guest. And if you think it's too late for you, I have some hopeful news. I'll get to that in a sec.

So here we are, having to do something your parents should have taught you. I'm about to reveal how you can know if you're the world's worst hotel guest. (OK, technically, I'm going to defer to my expert sources.) Here are the questions you should ask:

▶ Are you violating any of the house rules? Hotels post house rules and will often share them with you when you check in. For example, they'll tell you when it's check-out time – usually noon. They'll tell you what's allowed in your room and what isn't (no parties, no weapons). They'll also disclose the hotel's "quiet" hours. And, of course, stealing is never allowed. "Simple acts like lowering your voice in common areas can make a big difference," said Raymond Yorke, a spokesman for Redpoint Travel Protection. If you're not following the rules, chances are you're a bad hotel guest.

▶ Are you getting a lot of attention from the hotel staff? "You can know you are a bad guest if the hotel's staff are paying extra attention to you, more than any other guests," said Sarah Bajc, owner of Camaroncito EcoResort & Beach, an all-inclusive eco-resort on the Caribbean coast of Panama. "They will be checking in with you more proactively, ensuring you are OK." Wait, isn't that what hotels are supposed to do with guests – take good care of them? "Most good guests are self-sufficient and happy to ask for something without being needy," said Bajc. Good to know.

▶ Are you doing something that would be unacceptable outside the hotel? Here's a fact: Paying for a hotel room doesn't give you the right to do whatever you want. Brenda Beltrán remembers a recent hotel stay in Madrid with a particularly difficult guest. He yelled into his phone while walking down the hallway. He made bizarre complaints about the hotel vibrating. And he demanded extra pillows be delivered to his room – then berated the staff for interrupting him when they delivered the cushions. "He made everyone tense," recalled Beltrán, who works for a telecommunications company.

If you answer yes to any of these questions, chances are you're a bad hotel guest. So, how are you supposed to behave? For the answer, I turned to Wagner, our etiquette expert.

Wagner shared her experience during a 13-night stay at a Hilton property in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where she was caring for her husband as he recuperated from surgery. Her approach to being a good guest is simple yet effective: Be courteous, thoughtful, and respectful.

“I try to be respectful when checking in or when I need something," Wagner explained. "I don’t request housekeeping every day – only every two to three days. I leave dirty towels in a neatly folded stack on the bathroom floor, not strewn around. And I leave a tip on the pillow each day that housekeeping is provided, usually $4 to $5.”

But it’s not just about the room or the tipping. Wagner makes it a point to acknowledge the hard work of the housekeeping staff whenever she encounters them.

“When I see housekeeping staff in the hallway, I always smile and say, ‘Good morning, have a great day.’ They work hard, and I want them to feel valued and appreciated. It’s a small thing, but it can make a big difference,” she said.

If you feel like you’ve already crossed the line into bad guest territory, don't worry. There's hope for you. Take, for instance, the story of Nick Burchill, also known as the worst hotel guest ever. 

Burchill had opened his window and left boxes of pepperoni pizza in his hotel room at the Fairmont Empress in Victoria, British Columbia. It attracted a flock of hungry seagulls that tore into the takeout and defaced his room. After the incident, the hotel banned him for life.

Burchill wrote an apology to the hotel 17 years later.

"I have matured and I admit responsibility for my actions," he said. "I come to you, hat-in-hand, to apologize for the damage I had indirectly come to cause and to ask you to reconsider my lifetime ban from the property."

The Fairmont lifted his ban. 

So, if you’ve been a bit of a Burchill in the past, don’t worry. Just remember to be polite, follow the rules, and treat the hotel staff with respect. And maybe, don't leave the pizza out where the seagulls can find it.

Christopher Elliott is an author, consumer advocate, and journalist. He founded Elliott Advocacy, a nonprofit organization that helps solve consumer problems. He publishes Elliott Confidential, a travel newsletter, and the Elliott Report, a news site about customer service. If you need help with a consumer problem, you can reach him here or email him at chris@elliott.org.