sleepy

It seems like no matter what we do to ensure quite and privacy in the morning, I can never, ever seem to sleep in at a hotel, e.g. beyone 9:00 am. Either housekeeping is banging on the door wanting to clean the room, the people next door sound like they're moving their entire household in and out, or the kids down the hall party all night!! Anybody have similar stories? Any tips?

Anon

Have you considered buying some earplugs and hanging the "Do Not Disturb" or "Privacy Please" sign outside your door?

sss

either you are uneasy with new surroundings or you are selecting lowend dives. I only had problems when I selected a budget budget hotel for merchant marines along the Bosforus sea in Turkey. I am female and was thinking how stupid I was being tosaving a buck....a few years back now. Just a guess of course but I just don't have a problem sleeping even though I am frequently a woman traveling alone.

Emily

As a frequent business traveller, many of my nites are disturbed by all kinds of things - airplanes, kids, parties, or the rain on the flashing outside of the hotel window that sounded like gunfire!! I could go on forever....here's what I do....ask for a quiet room when you check in - usually the staff will be clued in as to what parts of the hotel are quieter than others. Put the "do not disturb" sign on your door.Ask for the top floor - not always possible. Know the hotel and if you find a good one...keep going back!!If something looks wrong on check in, change rooms immediately - your first reaction to a perceived problem is usually correct.

Chuck

Choose better hotels.

Put out your "Do not disturb" sign.

I can't think of a time during the past 5 years I've been awakened by anything at a hotel except the alarm clock.

zzzz

Tylenol PM--works every time.

Chris

Some people are much lighter sleepers than others. My husband and I usually are very sensitive to noise in any hotel, no matter how luxurious or expensive. Our solutions: (a) we bring a "noise machine" (they sell them at Hammacher Schlemmer) to block hall and "next door neighbor" noise; (b) we bring a fan -- on a driving trip, it's required for packing. When not driving, we've even bought them in the town we're visiting and left them behind -- a worthwhile $20 investment for a good night's sleep. Love it when a hotel room has a guest-controlled air unit where you can crank up the fan noise too. How I envy those of you, like Chuck, who can sleep through anything.

xxx

Oh please, I am so curious, what is a "noise machine"?
How does it block noise as you mentioned?

What's

A noise machine creates what's called "white noise". There are many types of white noise: sound of air blowing, mountain stream recording, waves on the seashore, or simple low grade humming noise.
It drowns out novel background noises for people who are easily distracted. My roommate in medical school used to require one on at all times while studying. (Good thing she decided to become a psychiatrist instead of an ER doc or surgeon).

obvious...

Ever heard of earplugs? Permanently in my suitcase...

Chris

Speaking as a Sleepless Expert, earplugs have their use -- if I'm trying to nap on a plane or train ... but in a hotel, husband and I can't talk to each other with 'em, worry about not hearing a fire alarm, a knock on the door, etc. etc. White noise is so much more sooooooothing.

cg

My husband got me a great little noise machine for Christmas from Sharper Image. It's a combination travel alarm and noise maker with a bunch of different sounds (rain, stream, waterfall, fireplace, train, traffic, thunderstorm, etc. etc. etc.). It has earphones and batteries for use on the plane or wherever. We have a big one from Brookstone that we use at home, and I liked it so much that I wanted one to take everywhere. I'm a VERY light sleeper and really love the falling rain sound.

Arabella

Thanks for the info, cg. That sounds perfect for light sleepers. Here's the info I found on it:

Travel Sound Soother 20 with LCD Alarm Clock
#SI601TNM
$69.95

Enjoy 20 relaxing sound environments — wherever you are!

*Features 20 digitally recorded natural soundscapes.
*Includes 120-minute timer and ramp-up alarm with snooze.
*Backlit LCD shows time, date, year and temperature in °F or °C.
*Comes with earbuds, handstrap and soft travel pouch.

Chris

I'm laughing at myself as I write this, so no nasty retorts, please. In a pinch, remember you can always go the low-road: if you sense it's gonna be noisy, hike down to the local drug store, buy a $20 box fan, crank that thang up, and you'll sleep like a baby. And don't be too embarassed to (a) carry it through the lobby to your room (I make hubby do it) or (b) take the call from the hotel about the item you left behind, ma'am...

Kevin

In my experience places with an outside hall are quiter than the big hotels with loud slamming doors. We have better luck sleeping at a Red Roof Inn than a Hilton. The door slamming at most major hotels with inside halls are terrible.

Beryl

I agree about the doors! They are either so big and heavy they shake the walls, or paper thin, so you can hear EVERYTHING in the halls, including people's TV's leaking out. At a hotel in Williamsburg, the doors were louvers for God's sake!! Not only could I hear everyone on the floor, they could hear us doing ... well anything.

If hotels can't do a better job of helping peace and quiet, I wish guests could -- laughing and yelling down the halls, blasting TV's early and late, slamming dresser drawers into the wall where I'm sleeping. Do people not have any idea how noisy they are??

xxx

Thanks for telling me about the noise machines.
I have seen them before but never knew they had that name.
Wish they had them around when I was still in school, I think they would have helped me study as well.
I think I will get one and try it on long flights, as I hate flying.
Thanks everyone.

Tony Hughes

It's the inconsiderate guests I cannot stand. People who know perfectly well they are making a noise yet dont seem to give a toss. Even had a cleaning crew enter the room after banging very hard despite the DND notice hanging there.

barbara

I've travelled all over the world with small portable fans and even a battery powered one for Europe. A combination of the white noise and air circulation is great. I also have a bad back and pack a twin size foam orthopedic pad when I travel. It adds to the luggage (although little weight) but has saved many a vacation with multiple hotels for me!! Do what you need to do to get the most out of your trips!

Pris

I swear by earplugs and a blindfold, but asking for a quiet room when you check in is sometimes useful -- they'll often put you in a part of the hotel or motel where not all the rooms have been booked and may remain empty.

Otherwise, a big nuisance for me is the middle-of-the-night alarm clock going off -- see my other post about that.