Living in hotels: the cleaning staff is your enemy

I've spent a lot of time in hotels over the years. One thing I've learned is that when you check-in, your hotel room is never the way you want it. The chairs are in the wrong places, the ottoman is in the wrong place, the lights need to be adjusted, that giant duvet needs to be chucked into the corner of the room, the ironing board put out where you can use it, and so on.

After a couple of hours, you will have gotten everything in proper order. You get to sleep, then go out the next day. But until you learn the principle that I will convey to you in this post, when you get back that evening you'll find tragedy has struck: the devilish cleaning staff has placed everything exactly back where it was when you checked in, as if they thought that all your work rearranging things had been some sort of accident.

So the first key to a happy stay in your hotel room is never let the cleaning staff in. Ever.

Yes, after a few days, the towels may be getting a little musty, and the toilet paper running low. The cleaning staff will start to look at you oddly. If there is a Filipina cleaning your floor, by this point she will be getting frantic about being denied the chance to get in and clean up after you.

Be strong! You can hold out. Just remember, it is your happiness that is at stake.