reunite the extended family on vacation

3 Common Hotel Amenities You Might Not Be Taking Advantage Of

24 October 2014 by Katie Hart

If you travel occasionally, you might feel like you are pretty familiar with the types of amenities that most hotels offer. Instead of digging deeper to find all of the ways that your hotel might be able to help you out, you probably settle for the complimentary continental breakfast and extra travel shampoos. However, here are three common hotel amenities that you might not be taking advantage of, and how they can make your life a whole lot easier.

1: Laundry Service

Don't you hate all of the laundry that comes along with travel? In addition to returning to the normal grind when you get home, you might also be looking at several loads of laundry. Fortunately, there might be a way to avoid all of that hassle and arrive with a suitcase full of clean clothes.  

Most hotels provide cheap laundry services, while some even offer it for free. When you take advantage of these services, your clothes will be washed, dried, and even pressed for you, if you wish. To take advantage of hotel laundry service, all you need to do is fill the available laundry bag with your dirty clothes and notify the front desk. Usually, if your laundry is picked up in the morning it will be cleaned and ready to go that night.

With the help of laundry service, you can arrive home without being short on all of your favorite outfits for a few days.

2: Child Care Needs

Parents everywhere shudder when they think about travelling with their children. In addition to carting along a slew of specialized kid-equipment, children can have a hard time adjusting to a new environment, even if they know that it is temporary. Parents might also struggle to have a good time on their trip if their kids are around, because they just won't get a break. Fortunately, most hotels offer these great amenities, which might help you with your tiny tots.

• Stroller: Instead of taking up valuable trunk space for that stroller, ask if your hotel has one you can use. Most places have a few different available types so that you can get out and check out the sights.
• Portable Crib: Are you worried about sharing a bed with your baby on your trip? To avoid posing serious suffocation risks to your child and to allow you to get some sleep, most hotels offer portable cribs that you can set up right in your room.
• In-Room Babysitting: Although you love your children, you might wish that you could get away with your spouse while you are visiting an exciting vacation spot. Fortunately, many hotels offer cheap in-room babysitting, so that you can take a little time for yourself. 

Before you leave for your vacation, call the hotel and ask how they can help you with your kids. You might be able to leave bulky equipment at home and plan a special night out with your sweetheart.

3: Business Centers

Travelling alone for business can be difficult too. You might find yourself struggling to prepare documents for interested investors, or dealing with laptop problems without the help of your regular IT person. Fortunately, because business travel is hotter than ever, about 88% of hotels offer a business center that can help you to get a little work done.

These business centers generally offer free use of computers, Internet connections, fax lines, scanners, and even printers. Some hotels even allow business professionals to use free conference and meeting rooms, just in case you need to get together with any of your coworkers.  With the help of hotel business centers, you can have access to all of the important equipment that you use back at your own office, even while you are away from home.

Being familiar with all of the amenities available to you might be able to help you to take some of the hassle out of your vacation or business trip. 

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