Hotels, Motels, and the Holiday Inn

I was recently asked to weigh in on hotel etiquette, more specifically, etiquette for room service. As this is a broad subject, I'd like to break it down to a couple topics:

• What is appropriate attire to wear when accepting room service?

Although hotels are meant to feel like a home away from home, it's important to remember some discretion when stepping out of your room or when others will be coming in. Try to be as covered up as possible. Lounge wear (sweats, pajamas) is acceptable. In a pinch, most hotels keep white robes in the closet near the door. Although I'm sure hotel employees have seen it all, it's best to prevent yourself from overexposure and potential embarrassment for the room attendant.

• Should I tip on top of the included 18% gratuity for delivered food?

Generally speaking, I don't tip on top of included gratuity in restaurants or for room service. Some wait staff go above and beyond when setting up a room service meal. In this case I suggest tipping a few dollars in cash rather than adding an amount onto the ticket.

• Should Housekeeping be tipped?

Tipping housekeeping is something that has become more prevalent as of late. Showing this appreciation is partly due to the fact that many hotels are cutting back on their cleaning staff and housekeeping employees are having to take on more rooms. A couple dollars a day will suffice. If you leave the room especially messy, I recommend tipping a little more. I also recommend doing a little pickup yourself before leaving the room for the day. Housekeeping doesn't generally interfere with your personal affects, however leaving them scattered all over can make it more difficult for them to properly clean the room.

• When is it OK to submit a complaint to management?

There are those who expect five star service at a two star price, and will gladly vocalize these expectations. Please do not allow yourself to fall into this category. Unfortunately, the situation may arise that the essentials of your stay are over-looked or service is sub-par (Items I would include with this are unclean linens, anything that is visibly dirty, a rusted iron, or broken utilities). When this occurs, go to the front desk and ask for management. Patiently explain the problem, taking the approach that you thought it important to inform the hotel of the situation in hopes to prevent this from occurring with future guests, rather than complaining. Do not cause a raucous. A good hotel will provide some recompense for the inconvenience, however do not express that this is expected. If you feel your concerns were not adequately addressed, end the conversation by thanking them for their time, but regrettably you will not be returning for a future stay.

Fly The Friendly Skies. Part One.

Summer time is a great time to travel. The kids are out of school, the weather's warm, and a little getaway is ever so tempting. There are, of course, some courtesies and etiquette guidelines I'd like to gently remind all you jet setters of out there.

Timing.

• Give yourself and your party plenty of time to check in and get to the gate. Rule of thumb is one hour for domestic and two hours for international. Please add a half hour to both estimates if you're traveling out of a notoriously large and busy airport like JFK or LAX.
• Waiting will be inevitable. All of the traveling public is going through the same process and standing in line as well. Grumbling about the inconvenience to neighbors or airline staff will not help speed up the process one bit. It also won't make you any friends.

Preparation is key.

• Research any new FAA regulations that may be in place prior to leaving home.
• Get yourself ready while waiting. Pull out your ID and boarding pass, have your liquids already gathered together in a clear bag, remove bulky clothing and jewelry, separate your laptop from its case.
• If you are traveling with little ones, give them a head's up beforehand of what to expect while traveling. The entire process is trying on adults, it can be even harder for youngsters. Prepping them on what to expect at each step of the trip might help. Even better, make a game out of it.
• Take the length of your flight and your personal needs into consideration and plan accordingly. Do you get warm easily? Wear layers. Cold? Bring a blanket or sweater. Bothered by light? Have an eye mask handy.

Travel with a polished appearance.

• As fashion writer, Derek Blasberg puts it, the airport is one of the last great places to meet single men who can afford to travel, so why show up to your flight looking like a hot mess?  I've mentioned the importance of taking pride in one's appearance before, and flying is no exception. Business contacts, romantic contacts, old friends, or gasp, a celeb! can all be found on the same 747 you're about to board. Ditch the Juicy suit and opt for a classic ensemble.
• My current go to travel outfit is a pair of jeggings (the comfortable hybrid of jeans and leggings), mid-height heels, a tank top, jacket, and plenty of accessories (jewelry is a light and easy way to dress up one's outfit). I keep in my bag a sweater, hair scarf or hat, sunglasses, and ballet flats.
• If you check a bag (which I unfortunately always do), you should also keep an entire change of clothes with you in your carry on. This is in anticipation of the unlikely but unfortunate event that your luggage decides to take a later flight.

Movin' On Up

After quietly celebrating a year of blog posts, I've decided to step things up with this blog. After all, if you're not moving forward....
Changes and improvements will slowly come about, including a simplified format and name. Millennial Manners has always been the URL here, so it seemed fitting to match the name.

Stay tuned and stay classy,

C

Going up

Living in an apartment, one thing I spend quite a lot of time in on a daily basis is my building's elevator. I must admit I'm a bit frustrated by the constant lack of courtesy.
For those of us who are frequent  riders, may I suggest a few simple guidelines:

• If you have called the elevator, upon its arrival please WAIT two seconds after the door has opened to allow any and all passengers to exit. Even if it is 3 AM, there is still a chance someone else is needing to get off the lift and there is nothing more frustrating than running into someone who simply couldn't wait for the doors to open. (as I recall from my days of working in a downtown office, this problem was even more prevalent during rush hour when there is a car full of expectant riders and a car full of those exiting.)
• Although we are the generation who is perpetually in a hurry, please remember some consideration for your home and work neighbor. If you see a person out of the corner of your eye rushing to catch the elevator, hold the car. This is especially true when said neighbor is carrying armloads of groceries.
• And finally, for some lovely icing on the cake, a small comment or conversation is an easy way to be neighborly. It can be as simple as "Have a nice day." This small token will be appreciated and likely remembered by your fellow passenger.

How to Eat Crab Properly

The other day, my love and I were out for drinks enjoying a rare sunny afternoon. Through conversation, it occured to us that the coming weekend would commemorate our three year anniversary. We decided to spring for something special as a celebration and made our way to the marina for a seafood extravaganza. We dined on shrimp cocktails, oysters, and a main course of crab.

Though we both thoroughly enjoyed our meals, I couldn't help but notice all the crab meat that had been lost due to my poor execution. If I knew the proper way to eat a whole crab, perhaps the mallet wouldn't have slipped out of my buttery hands and flown across the table. Plus, I really dislike the feeling of not knowing what the heck I'm doing.

With a little research, here is what I have learned:

• Pop all legs and claws off at the knuckle. Set aside.
• Flip crab so that the hard shell is facing down (put it on its back).
• With thumbs in place on both ends, separate shell from body.
• Remove guts and goo from center of the body.
• Using your knife (and not a mallet, as this crushes the meat and shell) gently separate the body from underlying "soft" shell. This should expose all the meat, finally allowing easy access to your dinner.
• When eating legs, it's best to open at the joints, using a knife to gently separate.

For a full tutorial I found this video. I love how serious our young narrator is with producing a You Tube "How To" video while his friends play in the background.



The other element I love about a shellfish dinner, are the accessories one is provided for proper eating. There are not many times past the age of 3 where it is appropriate to wear a bib while dining and wipe your hands on a towelette before leaving the table.