The 9 Most Important Special Requests to Make When Booking a Hotel

Personally, I love staying on the highest floor possible, but that’s because I’m a sucker for a great view. But many take an understandably more practical point of view.

If you’re traveling for work or limited on time (or limited patience in general), requesting the lowest floor possible is good for avoiding idle waiting around for the elevator. A quick jaunt up the stairs is no bother if you’re on the first floor too.

Also, if you’re safety-minded and worried about the (unlikely) chance of a fire or emergency, then you might request a room below the 10th floor, as this is around the limit for fire service ladders. For others, the ground floor can feel a little too close to the real world, and you might want a couple of floors of separation.

Everyone loves arriving in a new city for the first time, but nobody wants to be lumbered with their bags all day. This is particularly acute for North Americans taking the red-eye flight to Europe, who arrive in London or Paris at busy lunchtime periods and are unable to check in until 4 p.m. Yes, you could drop your bags and return later, but wouldn’t a shower and some downtime be preferable?

Early check-in requests are often granted free of charge too. Conversely, you may have to pay a fee for late check-out requests, but it’s worth asking should you need an additional hour or two.

Traveling for a wedding, party, or a big work event? You’ll want to keep that expensive suit or dress crease-free and looking good for the big night. But don’t assume that your hotel has every amenity you need to get yourself looking sharp, lest you fall into a serious panic with only a few hours to go.

Irons, ironing boards, hairdryers, and coat hangers are common items in this regard, so it’s always worth checking ahead to confirm these will be in your room. Higher-end hotels shouldn’t have issues with this but don’t take that for granted (this situation happened to me once, but thankfully the hotel was in my city so I was able to make a dash back to my apartment and grab a few items. And yes, it was stressful).

Nice hotel bathrooms can always add an extra flourish of comfort or luxury to a trip, and they come in all shapes and sizes, with myriad layouts. Sometimes they are equipped with a shower-bath combo, other times just a walk-in shower, and occasionally a separate shower and bathtub.

There are some instances when a bathtub is key, and this is a common request when booking. Parents with small children often have specific needs when traveling, and a bathtub is one of them. It’s also a common request for people who have endured long journeys, especially if it involves multiple flight connections or a long hire car drive. Unwinding in a bath just hits differently.

For some people, the distance your room is from the elevator can make all the difference–and you might want to request a change.

Too close to the elevator and light sleepers might suffer from a broken night’s sleep, thanks to the noise–the clatter of luggage or cleaning equipment, the chatter of guests, or even simply the ”bing” toll when it reaches your floor and the doors rumble open.

On the contrary, too far from the elevator and everything will take longer, especially if you’re in a Las Vegas-style behemoth with labyrinth corridors and thousands of rooms. A lengthy walk is also the last thing you want if you’re tired from a long journey or a big night.

A more niche request is asking for a room in the corner of the hotel. Seems a little odd, but there’s sound logic behind it.

If you’re in an interesting city, these rooms usually have multiple windows looking in separate directions, giving you more views for travel wanderlust (I once had an extra window that the hotel doubled up into a perfect reading nook). Occasionally, but not always, they’re bigger than the rest of the rooms on the floor. Perhaps not by much, but the additional room never hurt anyone.

Finally, in a corner room, you’ll likely have one less neighbor, which is always a bonus.

A common mistake hotels make is not supplying enough towels. Arriving at a hotel as a couple and finding merely one towel or two is a fairly common occurrence and the phone call or walk down to the front desk is one that we’ve all done some time or other.

Luxury hotels will usually have a smorgasbord of large towels, hand towels, wash towels and more, but budget options will be hit and miss, and thus some travelers will request additional ones in advance.

Similar to light sleepers requesting a room away from the elevator, ice machines can be notorious for their noise. The crash of ice cubes falling into people’s containers and the machine’s whirring aren’t ideal sounds to hear late at night or early in the morning if you’re nearby. If you have issues with sleeping in hotels, it’s always wise to call ahead and find out if there’s a room you can book that’s on the quieter side.

Hotel stays are often part of special occasions, and hotels love to provide that extra treat.

The mention of a special celebration can often result in a bottle of champagne in an ice bucket, a sweet treat, or other thoughtful placed in your room on arrival. Hotel employees are often made aware of celebrations, which results in well wishes throughout the stay.