Living in a Hotel Full Time: Extended Stay Hotel Living

Whether you are left stuck staying at a hotel for a few weeks or a few months, you can begin to feel trapped and want to go home. This post on living in a hotel full time will give you everything you need to make your hotel room feel more like home!

Sometimes we have no choice but to stay in a hotel long term- maybe you are moving into a new house and need a temporary place to live, maybe you are visiting a new state and need to stay there long term, or maybe you are just traveling! Regardless, your hotel should feel comfortable for your time there.

We have a list of genius hotel hacks to improve your stay, which might also be helpful to make your room more comfortable and inviting. However, if you are staying in a hotel long term, your room might need a little more sprucing up!

Making your hotel room more comfortable will give you more peace of mind to continue your daily routines, and stay at ease during this difficult transition!

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Bring personal touches

One of the most important items you need when living in a hotel full time is to bring personal items from home. Home doesn’t feel like home without those little touches that make it feel, well, you! Your hotel room shouldn’t feel any different, especially if you will be there for a while!

Consider bringing pictures of your loved ones to put on your nightstand or walls. You can also bring a favorite painting or poster from home to decorate the room in your own style. Wall art and pictures can make a huge difference in terms of making things personal!

Additionally, if the hotel room has pictures or items that you hate, simply take them down! You won’t want to stare at that ugly painting for months, so place it in the closet until you leave. This is your temporary home, after all, so feel free to change things up a bit!

Think about bringing more of your favorite items from home. Maybe you have a special mug you love drinking your coffee out of in the morning or a scented candle that reminds you of home. Bring these items along with you to bring back that homebody feel!

Use your own pillows and blankets

There is just nothing quite like the feeling of sleeping on your own pillow, in your own bed. While hotel beds are typically pretty comfortable, after awhile it is hard not to miss your own bed!

Consider bringing your own pillow for a better night’s rest, that is, if you like your home pillow! If not, think about bringing your own pillowcase. Having something from your own bed might help you sleep better and feel more comfortable.

Additionally, consider bringing your own sheets for the bed. Some suggest hotel beds are not the cleanest, especially the comforter. You can read more about other items to never touch in your hotel room.

Place the old sheets in the closet so they are out of the way. You can always let room cleaning staff (if you choose to get room service) to not wash your sheets if you aren’t comfortable with that!

You might also want to bring your own blankets from home. When you get home from a long day at work, you will want to snuggle up on the couch and watch Netflix for the rest of the night (we all do this right?!). Having your own cozy blanket from home will make you more comfortable in your home away from home.

Bring your favorite snacks and drinks

We all understand how important food and drink is to our overall happiness, right? So, make sure you have your favorites stocked up!

Consider bringing your own coffee grounds with you. Often times the packets of coffee at the hotel are not that great. You won’t want to wake up every morning to a mediocre pot of coffee! Simply bring your own so mornings are just as you remember them.

If you don’t like how the coffee maker works, or it just doesn’t make your coffee just right, bring your own! They don’t take up too much space, and coffee is important!

Additionally, bring your own teabags. Yes, hotel rooms typically have teas provided, but if you have a special tea you love to drink before bed, bring it with you! It is certainly small enough to pack and store in your room.

Go grocery shopping

During the first week or so, make a point to go grocery shopping. It is understandable you might be eating at restaurants more than usual until you get situated. Once things calm down a bit, do some meal planning and head to the supermarket.

Unfortunately, this isn’t a long term vacation (unless it is, then good for you!), so you might not want to be eating take out and going out to eat every day. Make a point to plan out some meals, and focus on eating healthy!

Stock up your hotel room refrigerator with the essentials, which might look different from household to household. Because it will be completely empty, you might need a lot! Try to plan meals that don’t require any obscure ingredients.

Additionally, stock your pantry with all your favorite snacks! Since you will be living here, after all, you will want some munchies.

These tips will prevent you from ordering room service, which can easily add up! If you do decide to get room service (let’s face it, it will happen!), opt to pay as you go instead of adding it to your room’s account. This will help you keep track of how much you are spending, so you aren’t left with a giant bill at the end of your stay!

Unpack immediately

One of the first things you should do when you are living in a hotel full time (besides these things to look for in a hotel room) is unpack immediately! Everyone knows it is no fun to live out of a suitcase for weeks on ends, and things can quickly get unorganized and lost.

Hang up your clothes in the closet- you may need to ask the hotel for more hangers or bring your own. Use the dresser drawers, nightstand drawers, bathroom cabinets, and any other compartments for items. Utilize all spaces in your room so your belongings aren’t thrown all over the place.

By getting organized in the beginning, your room will slowly start to feel more like home, and you will know where everything is. When you are done, put your suitcases in your car so they are out of the way.

Also, consider getting a laundry basket, or designating a spot for dirty laundry. Inside the closet is probably the best place for this!

In terms of what clothing to bring, consider it like packing for a 2-3 week vacation. Bring enough so you have options, but not too much where you are bringing your entire closet! You can always keep extra clothes in your car, too.

How to do laundry at a hotel

Many hotels will offer laundry services for visitors, so take advantage of that if you can, especially if the price is included, or at least reasonable.

However, having to bring your laundry up and down the elevator and waiting for it to be finished so no one takes your dryer can be frustrating. Sometimes you just have a couple of things you want to wash!

For a quick and easy way to get laundry done in your hotel room, consider these SinkSuds travel laundry detergent packs! With these, you can get your laundry done in the sink or bathtub in minutes!

Otherwise, find a nearby laundry mat, or bring a friend lunch in exchange for using their washer!

Bring your own toiletries

Another important tip for living in a hotel full time is to bring your own toiletries. Although it can be fun to try out all the new shampoos and soaps hotels give you, this isn’t always suitable for long term use.

Especially if you have sensitive skin, you don’t know how your skin will react to new soaps and lotions. Additionally, your hair might begin to act differently with new shampoos and conditioners, which can be frustrating!

Bring your own toiletries, so you can get ready in the morning just like at home. Your skin will thank you for the consistency, and you won’t have to worry about squeezing out every last drop of those tiny shampoo bottles!

You might also want to bring your own washcloth or loofah, depending on what you typically use at home. These are just things that are easy to bring, which will help it feel more like home!

Sanitize immediately

During the first day or two, make sure you are cleaning and sanitizing your room completely. Hotel rooms have a lot of germs, and there are many items to never touch in your hotel room!

Grab a pack of disinfectant wipes, and do a quick wipe down of the room: surfaces, remote, door handles, light switches, etc. You don’t need to go crazy with the cleaning, but freshening things up a bit will help give you peace of mind that things are clean in your room!

While you most likely won’t have a vacuum, you can avoid the dirty floor by wearing slippers around the house, and having a designated spot of shoes by the door.

Additionally, if you choose not to get room service, make sure you designate chores in the hotel room. As you will be here for a while, things won’t stay clean forever! Even just quickly wiping things down with a disinfectant wipe can be enough to keep things tidy and clean.

Rearrange the room

Who says the bed needs to stay there? If you aren’t happy with how your hotel room is organized, move it around! It is your room after all for the next few weeks to months, so you might as well get comfortable!

Maybe you want to move the bed near a wall, or turn the couch in a different direction- go for it! Just make sure to put it back how it was before you leave. Consider taking a picture of the layout before moving things, so you remember how it looked!

Another good idea, especially if you have children or other people staying with you, is to build dividers with the furniture to make different “rooms”. This can help kids feel like they have their own space.

If you do move furniture around, be prepared for the floor underneath to be less than clean! You can always ask the hotel staff to bring up a vacuum if you need to clean up the floors.

Use the hotel amenities

It’s not every day you get to live in a hotel, so make sure to take advantage of all of the perks!

Work on your health at the hotel gym. They are typically hardly ever used, so equipment should be in great shape! It is also a great way to get out of your room for a bit and have some me-time.

If there are free breakfasts or happy hours at your hotel, make sure you go! Having free breakfast every day will save you tons of money in the long run.

Additionally, get in that pool or hot tub! This is awesome especially if you didn’t have one at your old home. If you are feeling bored and cooped up, get that swimsuit on and go relax!

Thank you for reading our tips for living in a hotel full time! We hope that this information will be helpful in your extended hotel stay! If you have any comments, questions, or concerns, feel free to leave a comment below! We would love to hear from you!