A slight correction- catnip is in the family Lamiaceae, which includes mint and sage. Valerian is in the family Caprifoliaceae.
Interested in how many have trouble falling asleep in hotels?
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Matthew
Touchdown! Greaser!
I never sleep well my first night in a new place.
Hotels? I want it cold, dark, and with a steady white noise from the AC.
Too many hotel rooms have an oversized AC. It will blast out cold air for a minute, then shut off for a half hour while the room gets all stuffy and the humidity level rises again. Even keeping the fan on full time doesn’t help in those cases.
Last place I stayed my room was right above the lobby entrance. Both days at 6am the housekeeper was dropped off by her boyfriend on the motorcycle with loud pipes and stereo.
Hotels? I want it cold, dark, and with a steady white noise from the AC.
Too many hotel rooms have an oversized AC. It will blast out cold air for a minute, then shut off for a half hour while the room gets all stuffy and the humidity level rises again. Even keeping the fan on full time doesn’t help in those cases.
Last place I stayed my room was right above the lobby entrance. Both days at 6am the housekeeper was dropped off by her boyfriend on the motorcycle with loud pipes and stereo.
I spend 180ish nights per year in a hotel. Honestly feels like home away from home. Usually sleep pretty good day or night, though it doesn't help when the house cleaner in the room over is banging their vacuum into the wall.
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SoonerAviator
The key is to try and stay in the top floor. No banging above you. Of course it can take the elevator ride longer. Some hotel apps let you choose the room you want to stay in, so I choose a room at the back of the hotel away from elevator or ice machine.
I was born there, but only been back once. . .
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Kayoh@190
Back in the day when I was traveling 5-8 months of the year, (when I was young and stupid, now I'm no longer young) I checked the location of the room - always away from the elevator, the ice machine, the housekeeping closet, and not overlooking the parking lot. If I didn't like the pillows, housekeeping usually had foam pillows available by request.
bflynn
Final Approach
What are you saying?
Maybe stay in hotels where guests don’t get attacked in their rooms would be a stronger strategy? I dunno.
JOhnH
Touchdown! Greaser!
I have stayed in several hotels like what @Sundancer was describing. But I never stayed in one twice.
To a point. Some cats are unaffected by catnip, but they get high on valerian- there's a different compound in valerian that gives them the munchies. Another way to get your cat high is Actinidia polygama, also called silvervine, a species of kiwi fruit.
That’s a good idea. A few years ago in Vegas we got put in a room at the very end of the hallway of Harrah’s. Unbeknownst to us, there must’ve been a bachelor party going on and they had loud music, screaming and yelling all night long. WELCOME TO VEGAS! Hahaha!
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SoonerAviator
I was staying in the DoubleTree in downtown Pittsburgh which, at the time, was a $300+/night hotel room. Around 1am, there was a heck of a commotion that went on for about 30 minutes in the room next door where it sounded like someone almost got punched through a wall. Some girl screaming, two guys yelling at each other, something to the effect of "you ever come back I'll kill you". Honest to God, I got down on the floor on the other side of the bed for about 5-10 minutes because the conversation had moved towards gun play. It spilled out into the hallway, and there was plenty of noise for a while after that between hotel staff/security/etc. I've never had any other disturbance in 9 years of almost monthly hotel stays on business. Sometimes is doesn't matter the quality of the hotel or the price for the room, lol. Of course that could have just been downtown Pittsburgh!
Sorry we disturbed you.
If that stupid woman would have kept her mouth shut and not opened the door for her husband, none of that scene would have happened.
CJones
Final Approach
Once you hit a certain level on their member program, you can get a discount on the mattresses. I need to order one before my Titanium Elite status runs out at the end of this year (switched back to Hilton this year).
Ted
The pilot formerly known as Twin Engine Ted
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iFlyNothing
Yes, we have that discount and that's part of why we're planning on buying one.
Laurie stays in both Hilton and Marriots, with enough nights to be top tier on both.
The hotel I typically use in Dallas has the thermostat mounted just a couple of inches above the wall-mounted TV. Of course, the TV creates a local warm spot, so I have to crank the thermostat up to about 78 or else the room becomes a freezer. Then when I turn off the TV I have to remember to turn the thermostat down again or the room becomes a sauna.
CJones
Final Approach
Same here last year. I decided to put all my eggs in one basket and went with Hilton this year. Might toggle back to Marriott next year - they seem to be slightly 'nicer' than the Hilton brands I usually end up at. It just depends on where the projects are and what's available in the area.
Ted
The pilot formerly known as Twin Engine Ted
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iFlyNothing
Generally the Marriots seem to be nicer than Hiltons from what Laurie's found, but they do both and it just depends on where they're going and what's convenient. For us having the baskets split works well as both hotels have their various benefits and Laurie's on the road enough we get to maximize both.
Shepherd
Final Approach
First night, and last night.
Usually OK on the nights between.
Usually OK on the nights between.
Did you know someone that knows someone that “woke up in a bathtub of ice with their kidney removed”?
Jay Honeck
Touchdown! Greaser!
Speaking of sleep disruption in hotels, we have run into a problem (both in our hotel, and when we travel) with the government-mandated "Eco mode" on all new HVAC systems.
This mode cycles everything off and on -- including the blower fan. There is nothing more disruptive to sleep than that!
In our hotel, we have our housekeepers over-ride the default setting and set the units to "cool". This keeps the fan on all the time. Unfortunately, guests often turn the units off and on, and they automatically restart in "Eco mode".
Then, when they check out, they complain about the "loud AC unit".
This mode cycles everything off and on -- including the blower fan. There is nothing more disruptive to sleep than that!
In our hotel, we have our housekeepers over-ride the default setting and set the units to "cool". This keeps the fan on all the time. Unfortunately, guests often turn the units off and on, and they automatically restart in "Eco mode".
Then, when they check out, they complain about the "loud AC unit".
JOhnH
Touchdown! Greaser!
Lord give me the strength to keep from getting this thread locked.Speaking of sleep disruption in hotels, we have run into a problem (both in our hotel, and when we travel) with the government-mandated "Eco mode" on all new HVAC systems.
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SoonerAviator
I would have been satisfied if I heard both sides of the story before the war started, lol. At least I'd know whose side to be on!
bflynn
Final Approach
Speaking of sleep disruption in hotels, we have run into a problem (both in our hotel, and when we travel) with the government-mandated "Eco mode" on all new HVAC systems.
This mode cycles everything off and on -- including the blower fan. There is nothing more disruptive to sleep than that!
In our hotel, we have our housekeepers over-ride the default setting and set the units to "cool". This keeps the fan on all the time. Unfortunately, guests often turn the units off and on, and they automatically restart in "Eco mode".
Then, when they check out, they complain about the "loud AC unit".
Maybe a placard explaining the eco-mode and how to make it quiet? I presume they can raise the temperature so it's not an icebox?
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chartbundle
The number of hotel thermostats and A/C units I've had to look up on-line to override their 'eco' stuff is too damn high.
Worst case:
Yes, that's a Raspberry Pi Zero strapped to a thermostat, the pi was running a loop to warm itself up and thus make the thermostat think it was too warm so it would actually cool the room.
Worst case:
Yes, that's a Raspberry Pi Zero strapped to a thermostat, the pi was running a loop to warm itself up and thus make the thermostat think it was too warm so it would actually cool the room.
Jay Honeck
Touchdown! Greaser!
Yes, we have that, and it's in the Book that is in every hotel room. (You know, the one that shows all the TV channels, local restaurants, etc. The Book that no one reads.)
The 5% don't read things like that. They just quietly suffer, and complain later.
The basic rule of hospitality is that 16% of Americans have an IQ of 85 or lower. Everything in a hotel must be designed to be used by these people. The government-mandated "Eco" mode on HVAC units is simply beyond these folks.
Not amusing. Not at all.
JOhnH
Touchdown! Greaser!
I thought it was so funny it should have been in the joke thread.
Were YOU that husband she let in?
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SoonerAviator
Give me three steps, mister . . .
dell30rb
Final Approach
I do... usually I am concerned about what's outside of the hotel
Zeldman
Touchdown! Greaser!
I woke up in a hotel in Florida counting gun shots. 18, followed with a 2 or 3 second delay, then 18 more shots. All from the same gun. Then within seconds there were many police cars, a helicopter plus dogs. No more sleep that night due to noise.
Turned out the police were chasing a car that the occupants had committed an armed robbery. The chase ended when the suspect car crashed into the retaining wall around the hotel parking lot. 36 shots into the car and no one was hit.
Turned out the police were chasing a car that the occupants had committed an armed robbery. The chase ended when the suspect car crashed into the retaining wall around the hotel parking lot. 36 shots into the car and no one was hit.
CJones
Final Approach
Are you sure they were being chased by cops and not Storm Troopers?
Can't say which/where those mythical hotels might be . . . if you're targeted, bad actors generally don't think "Oh gee, he's in an upscale hotel; we won't bother him there. . .". I only offer up a couple hints that apply anywhere.
As a general rule, it's self deception to assume you are secure in a public accommodation - from a four-star on down to Fred's Fleabag. One may be a bit more (or less) secure, but that's just a matter of degree. Just saying, don't be a person who is surprised by the worst - it's great if all goes well, of course.
Had a colleague wake up dead in a hotel - natural causes, if severed carotids naturally leads to death. In a U.S. city, by the way. Brute force entry. . .others with less dramatic and/or final encounters around the world.
Probably staying in the same places that my airline puts us up in! Although I hear it’s a lot better than what Pinnacle/Colgan/Mesaba put our pilots up in.
Scrabo
Pattern Altitude
Valerian smells like 2 week old socks but the cats love it, never seen increased munchies from them, yeah catnip was hit and miss with our 5.
Scrabo
Pattern Altitude
Does anyone use a noise machine in a hotel room to help them get to sleep ?
There is an app called pink noise I used once, worked for me but the wife just found it annoying
It does more than pink noise to be honest
There is an app called pink noise I used once, worked for me but the wife just found it annoying
It does more than pink noise to be honest
bflynn
Final Approach
Bad actors do tend not to target upscale hotels because security is better. Nobody wants to go to someone’s room knowing they’ve been recorded by two dozen security cameras along the way. At Bob’s Excellent Notell, you’re lucky if there’s one.
But I get it, you go where you can. I frequently see pilots at the places I stay, but I guess some get to double up at the Motel 6?
But I get it, you go where you can. I frequently see pilots at the places I stay, but I guess some get to double up at the Motel 6?