Don't Leave Room Service Dishes Outside Your Hotel Room — Do This Instead

Ordering hotel room service is one of life's great pleasures. Although it's certainly not one of the most affordable ways to eat while traveling, everyone deserves the unparalleled luxury of having a comforting meal delivered straight to their hotel room every once in a while. However, once you've finished your indulgent pancake breakfast in bed or late-night club sandwich (or perhaps an even more interesting room service request), what should you do with the dirty dishes?

Many people simply toss the empty (or half-empty) tray into the hall without a second thought — ordering room service is all about convenience, after all. However, it turns out that there is a better way to dispose of your room service dishes without lifting a finger. Instead of leaving the dishes outside your room, many hotel workers prefer that guests call housekeeping or room service so they can come pick up the tray directly from the room.

Leaving your dirty room service dishes in a hotel hallway has become widely normalized, but it can be a bit of a faux pas for several reasons. For one thing, it's simply unpleasant for both workers and guests (no one wants to walk by smelly, half-eaten plates of food as they rush to the omelet station at one of the best hotel breakfast buffets). More importantly, it's at best a hassle and at worst a dangerous tripping hazard, especially for hotel workers maneuvering large carts through narrow hallways (as someone who has worked in a hotel, I can attest to this).

Calling housekeeping or room service to collect your dishes takes about 10 seconds, and many hotel workers will thank you for it. Of course, hotels are not a monolith, and some may prefer that guests leave dishes in the hall or do something different entirely. If you have any doubts, you can always ask when your room service is delivered — or simply call to clear things up.