The Worst Thing You Can Do in a Hotel Room, According to Travelers

Taking decorative items into hotel rooms and smoking in non-smoking rooms are the most unacceptable behaviors among hotel guests, according to a new traveler survey.

In preparation for the upcoming summer travel season, YouGov surveyed a wide range of U.S. hotel guests, revealing insight into what constitutes good hotel etiquette.

The survey found that 93% of respondents find it unacceptable for guests to pocket items in their rooms, making it the most frowned upon behavior among the various issues surveyed. Smoking in non-smoking rooms follows closely, with 92% of respondents disapproving.

Other widely disapproved activities include going out with hangers and Bibles (86% and 67% disapproval, respectively) and bringing pets into the room without prior permission (83% disapproval).

Taking towels home is also frowned upon, while using a towel only once is widely accepted behavior, although hotels are increasingly discouraging the practice to save on laundry costs.

Leaving a room late without asking and talking loudly in the room after 10 p.m. is also rejected by almost 80% of those surveyed.

Bringing visitors into the room without prior permission is more acceptable, with 58% saying it is fine, while 28% disapprove – as long as they keep it to a low standard. More than 80% of those surveyed find it acceptable to call the front desk to complain about the hotel’s noisy neighbors.

The survey also found that people are divided when it comes to leaving a hotel room without paying (48 percent disapprove), as well as the age-old debate over tipping housekeepers (35 % say it’s okay not to tip).

Older Americans are stricter on many points of etiquette. People 45 and older are more likely than younger adults to find it unacceptable to bring pets into rooms without prior permission (87% to 78%) and to allow children to jump on beds (72% compared to 56%).

Meanwhile, young adults are stricter about other behaviors. A third of adults aged 18 to 44 disapprove of bringing visitors into hotel rooms without prior permission, compared to about a quarter of older adults. Younger customers are also more likely to say it is unacceptable to complain about noise.

The YouGov poll was conducted online among 1,152 adult U.S. citizens between May 23 and 26, just before the Memorial Day holiday that unofficially kicks off the summer travel season.

According to a report from SiteMinder, U.S. hotels expect a significant increase in international travelers this year, part of a continued post-pandemic tourism rebound. Foreign tourists now account for 40% of reservations at U.S. hotels, up from 24% last year.