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

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

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https://www.fodors.com/news/photos/most-important-special-requests-to-make-when-booking-a-hotel

James March

It never hurts to ask!

Whether you’re going all out on a luxurious five-star splash or your budget’s more cookie-cutter, staying at a hotel always holds an element of excitement. It’s something away from the ordinary and the mundane. Your regular life is temporarily suspended.

But for some of us, the perfect stay shouldn’t be expected on booking. There are some special requests–made at the front desk or in advance–that can improve your experience immeasurably, especially if you’re staying for several days. These can be related to comfort, safety, or even the smallest of your idiosyncrasies.

Here’s a look at some common special requests when booking a hotel:

1 OF 9

Asking for a Lower Floor

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.

2 OF 9

An Early Check-in (or Late Check-out)

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.

3 OF 9

Amenities for a Big Occasion

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).

4 OF 9

A Bathtub

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.

5 OF 9

Being Near (or Far!) From the Elevator

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.

6 OF 9

The Corner Room

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.

7 OF 9

Extra Towels

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.

8 OF 9

Distance From the Ice Machine

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.

9 OF 9

The Celebration Request

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.

You Might Be a Canadian Citizen Under Canada’s New Citizenship Law

Kiev.Victor/Shutterstock

https://www.fodors.com/world/north-america/canada/experiences/news/canadas-new-citizenship-law-could-make-you-a-citizen-by-descent

Scott Laird 

A new Canadian law removes limits on citizenship by descent, allowing descendants of Canadians—potentially generations removed—to claim Canadian citizenship with proof of lineage.

Canadian officials are seeing an increase in citizenship applications following a December 2025 Canadian Senate bill that removes limits on eligibility for Canadian citizenship by descent. The changes to the law mean that significant numbers of “Lost Canadians,” several generations removed from a Canadian ancestor, could claim Canadian citizenship for themselves.

Previously, Canada’s citizenship law had limited citizenship by descent to the first generation born abroad to a Canadian parent. A 2023 Ontario court decision ruled those limitations were unconstitutional, and the Senate bill affirms that decision.

As a result, anybody with a Canadian ancestor—including a grandparent, great-grandparent, great-great-grandparent, great-great-great-grandparent or earlier, who has documentation proving their lineage and their ancestor’s Canadian citizenship can apply to have their citizenship affirmed by Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). The Canadian ancestor or any of their descendants must not have formally renounced Canadian citizenship.

The Senate law makes Canadian citizenship retroactive and immediate—even if the interceding ancestors never sought to affirm their own Canadian citizenship before their death. The law also recognizes the right to Canadian citizenship for those whose ancestors were born in and later emigrated from any part of what is today Canada, meaning even those born before 1947, when a separate Canadian citizenship distinct from British nationality was first created, or before 1867, when Canada was formally established as a dominion.

The wave of requests now arriving in Canada from Lost Canadians abroad has spurred a Reddit thread on the topic, as posters discuss the types of documentation required and how to navigate the forms needed to claim citizenship. IRCC estimates it currently takes around 10 months to process an application.

Once completed, a successful application recognizes the applicant’s Canadian citizenship and issues a certificate of citizenship. There is no residency requirement, and no citizenship test or oath ceremony, because the law views a successful application as restoration of citizenship to which the applicant was always entitled, not a naturalization of a new citizen.

American citizens can acquire a second citizenship without renouncing their existing citizenship. One benefit of acquiring Canadian citizenship is the ability to acquire a Canadian passport, which allows visa-free travel to 181 countries, making it the world’s 8th most powerful passport. The U.S. passport is the 10th most powerful, allowing visa-free travel to 179 countries.

There’s little downside to affirming Canadian citizenship. Many legal obligations for Canadians are based on residency, not citizenship, so Canadian citizens living abroad don’t need to pay Canadian income taxes on earnings outside Canada or serve on juries. Likewise, Canadians abroad don’t qualify to participate in Canada’s national healthcare, and most have previously lived in Canada in order to vote in federal elections.

Applicants need to provide documentary proof of their Canadian ancestor, and birth certificates and marriage certificates demonstrating their link to that ancestor. In the absence of primary documentation, such as birth certificates, Canadian officials have been able to make determinations based on secondary documentation such as census rolls. Records issued by Canadian authorities are preferred.

Some immigration lawyers will help applicants gather documents and complete the application for a fee. Canada’s rules require that applicants using a paid third party, such as an attorney or notary, must file a separate form declaring they’re using a representative. A lawyer or notary must be a member of a Canadian law society, and other immigration or citizenship consultants must be accredited by the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants.

The bill only affords citizenship to descendants of Canadians—not spouses, although once Canadian citizenship is affirmed, it would be possible to sponsor a spouse for permanent residency in Canada.

There are no clear estimates on how many Lost Canadians are expected to exercise claims to citizenship, but some projections have placed that number in the hundreds of thousands.

IREFAC: ‘Boring’ stability, controlling costs, bountiful Bay Area

Investors at ALIS are bullish on the industry’s long-term prospects and say the focus should be on costs compared to RevPAR predictions.

https://www.hotelinvestmenttoday.com/ALIS-Conferences/2026/IREFAC-at-ALIS-Boring-stability-controlling-costs-and-a-bountiful-Bay-Area?

By Rob Schneider

LOS ANGELES — Investors on stage at ALIS' popular IREFAC panel agreed that hospitality remains a secularly growing sector with long-term tailwinds, albeit with current cyclical challenges.

With that in mind, Shai Zelering, managing partner and head of hospitality investments at Brookfield, was asked how he’s thinking about hotel investment right now and whether he’s on offense, defense (or special teams).

Zelering’s answer focused on stability — and the boring.

“When you compare [hospitality’s] performance to the S&P 500 and other sectors, to me, you have to ask yourself, am I in the business of buying durability or buying hope?” he said. “As long-term investors, we look at the mispriced real estate [for] particular hotels and see incredible opportunities.

“I think that people will look back two to three years from now [and see] this as one of the best buying opportunities, as long as you're a long-term investor and you're really looking at the capability of the business,” he said, noting Brookfield would definitely be on offense.

So where would he be looking?

“I would buy those boring hotels in secondary, tertiary markets where I see really good dynamics and labor from infrastructure and manufacturing,” he said. “If you think about the investments that [the U.S.] is going to have and you think about the CHIPS Act and all this, that money hasn't even worked through the system. We're going to see, over the next 18 to 24 months, that it manifests itself in capital spending and infrastructure. The spending on manufacturing for defense is going to increase. I would look specifically at those [secondary] markets — it's not the top 10 markets because I feel that they are less business-friendly. I would buy the most boring stuff — branded, working [assets] with durable cash flow.”

Zelering was a member of the “IREFAC — The financial gurus tell it like it is” panel on the final day of ALIS by Northstar at the JW Marriott/Ritz-Carlton Los Angeles L.A. Live in Los Angeles. The panel included Larry Kwon, managing director of New York City-based Moelis & Company; Leeny Oberg, CFO and executive vice president of development for Marriott International; and Louis Sternivou, senior managing director of New York City-based Eastdil Secured. Mit Shah, CEO of Noble Investment Group, and Scott Trebilco, senior managing director of Blackstone, co-moderated the panel.

Focus on cost control

Kwon, whose company last year served as the exclusive financial advisor to Aimbridge’s $1.2 billion restructuring, was asked about the broader ecosystem of what owners and third-party managers are thinking about these days. He said the industry’s focus is often on performance, but the real story lies in costs and cash flow.

“We're obsessed with RevPAR as an industry… but really the story is around cost structure and margin and cash flow,” he said. “We can sit here and debate valuation for 45 minutes and maybe never talk about cash flow. That's just the type of world that we live in.”

Kwon said in his discussions with owners and operators, there’s a lot of talk about control.

“There's a general focus on control, what you can control and don't worry about the rest. None of us can control what's going to happen out there in the world. None of us can control the macro environment. But [we can have] a religious focus on cost structure, labor costs, labor friction cost and the hidden costs on the P&L.

“There's a lot that the management companies can do to really create discipline around that, and I know that a lot of companies that we spend time with around the third-party management space are thinking about how they can serve their clients more in the context of giving them at least visibility on cost.”

While no one can claim to have a crystal ball for what will happen to RevPAR over the next 12 months, Kwon said companies should at least have a “hazy crystal ball” for what the cost side of the P&L will look like.

“A lot of the [third-party] managers that we're spending time with are really starting to think of themselves less as hotel companies and more as professional services organizations. They are ultimately providing a service to their clients,” he said.

Calling for San Francisco

When asked what types of calls he’s fielding from buyers, Stervinou said he’s hearing a lot about a quickly recovering market where he is based.

“The call we’ve received the most is, ‘I want to participate in the San Francisco recovery.’ We didn't get those calls two years ago. Three years ago, we were begging people to actually come and visit the city, and they just didn't have time for it. Now you can underwrite high single-digit or double-digit market growth. The reason you can do that is a growing corporate market. You have a really resilient and growing group [business]. The market is supported by a mayor who will actually go to the pitch with the meeting planner and call the CEO handling the big group to secure that business, which is unheard of, right?”

Stervinou said there are a number of positive things happening in San Francisco right now (not the least of which is the Super Bowl it’s hosting in two weeks).

“We’re going to get a lot of eyes and great notoriety,” he said. “The real benefit of all this is you are buying at an extreme discount to replacement cost… So, you can buy in this market, underwrite growth, and you're buying it at a COVID discount still.”

Parting advice

Oberg was awarded the Jack A. Shaffer Financial Advisor of the Year award at the conference and will also retire from Marriott at the end of March. She was asked at the end of the session about any advice she would offer to a younger generation in the audience.

“It's probably a theme along what you've heard this morning… whether it's investors in equity markets or whatever, there is this desire that I want to wait for the bottom price, or I don't want to sell until the very top price. I think it's a mistake,” she said.

Oberg said while you have to do the fundamental research, when the general outlook has enough stability and enough positive factors, you need to move.”

“In our business, change and moving are good over the long term. I would say, don't try to perfectly time it. I mean that in your careers, I mean that in how we allocate capital. You really need to think about it over the long term.”

Southern markets drive US hotel construction

According to Lodging Econometrics, the Dallas pipeline remains the leader, with several familiar Sunbelt cities close behind.

https://www.hotelinvestmenttoday.com/Regions/North-America/Southern-markets-drive-future-US-hotel-construction?

By Rob Schneider

NATIONAL REPORT — Dallas continues to lead the U.S. in hotel construction pipeline, according to year-end data from Lodging Econometrics.

The Dallas market leads the nation's hotel construction pipeline with 193 projects and 23,720 rooms. Atlanta is second with 159 projects and 17,804 rooms, Phoenix is third with 124 projects and 16,303 rooms, Nashville is fourth with 120 projects and 15,983 rooms, and Austin is fifth with 120 projects and 14,120 rooms.

Phoenix leads the projects under construction part of the pipeline with 35 projects and 4,829 rooms, followed by Dallas with 34 projects and 3,663 rooms, New York with 29 projects and 5,689 rooms, Miami with 24 projects and 4,843 rooms and Atlanta with 21 projects and 2,206 rooms.

Dallas continues to lead with the largest number of planned construction starts in the next 12 months, with 74 projects and 8,202 rooms, with Atlanta second with 58 projects and 6,658 rooms, followed by Austin (51 projects/5,499 rooms), the Inland Empire in California (44 projects/4,467 rooms) and Nashville (42 projects/5,981 rooms).

Dallas also leads in projects in the early-planning stages with 85 projects and 11,855 rooms, followed by Atlanta (80 projects/8,940 rooms), Nashville (59 projects/7,648 rooms), the Inland Empire (59 projects/5,908 rooms) and Orlando (51 projects/10,777 rooms).  These project counts underscore substantial activity in the U.S. hotel sector, particularly in the South and Southwest.

Hotel renovation and conversion activity remains steady across the U.S. through the end of the year, with prominent World Cup markets Houston and Atlanta leading with 35 projects each and 5,411 and 4,314 rooms, respectively. Washington, D.C. has 34 projects and 3,963 rooms, followed by Chicago with 29 projects and 5,397 rooms, and New York with 28 projects and 7,293 rooms.

The fourth quarter saw 285 new project announcements nationwide, with Phoenix leading with 12 projects and 1,347 rooms, followed by Atlanta (8 projects/854 rooms) and St. Louis (7 projects/725 rooms), followed by Tampa (6 projects/664 rooms) and the Inland Empire (5 projects/535 rooms).

Looking ahead to 2026, Phoenix is forecast to lead with new openings (23 hotels/3,326 rooms), followed by New York (22 hotels/3,795 rooms), Dallas (19 hotels/2,295 rooms), Austin (13 hotels/1,738 rooms), and the Inland Empire (12 hotels/1,024 rooms).

LE's extended forecast shows continued growth, with new hotels in 2027, led by Dallas with 37 new hotels and 3,198 rooms, followed by Atlanta (28 hotels/2,554 rooms), the Inland Empire (18 hotels/1,693 rooms), Phoenix (17 hotels/2,078 rooms) and Los Angeles (15 hotels/1,769 rooms).

DUHC&S | Strategic Hospitality Consulting & Advisory

We transform hospitality and tourism businesses through strategic solutions, operational efficiency, and comprehensive renovation. With over  40 years of experience  working with brands like Hilton, Hyatt, Sheraton, and Sonesta, we enhance asset value and profitability through:

*Business reengineering and renovation

*Operational excellence and brand standards (GSI +90%)

*Market penetration and commercial strategies

*Key partnerships and disruptive innovation

*Hotel openings and repositioning

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✅ +120% asset valuation growth

✅ Successful projects across 6 Latin American countries

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