Sharon and I disagree about the optimal temperature of a hotel room. While we’ve reached an agreement on the daytime and evening thermostat temperature at home and if/when we’ll turn on the bedroom fan, the deal’s off when we’re on the road.
This is somewhat due to wondering if we set the thermostat to 71 degrees, will the room ever get that cold? If not, can we use any of these tricks to force the thermostat to go to the temperature we set it to?
We’ve learned to adjust to the room temperature by varying the number of blankets and wearing lighter or heavier pajamas, but we’d prefer a room with the temperature we set on the wall. And regardless of what temperature Sharon sets the thermostat, I can always change it once she’s sleeping (Note from Sharon: and then I re-reset it when I get up to pee).
However, we’ve learned that hotels don’t agree with our ideal room temperature. In fact, they think they know the optimal room temperature and will do everything they can to keep the room at that temperature while you’re gone.
Even more concerning is that Energy Star said the in-room temperature overnight should be set to 82 degrees. This suggestion got social media buzzing and it appears that Energy Star has since removed that suggestion (and the entire page) from its website.
Our ideal temperature might be because we’re from the NY/NJ area and moved to Florida. At home, we keep our thermostat overnight at 71 degrees. Energy Star’s recommendation says that’s at least 7 degrees too high. OMG? Their suggestion is to start at 78 degrees and work from there.
The key is to establish a program that automatically reduces heating and cooling in your home when you don’t need as much. In order to save energy, consider a temperature set-up of 7 degrees in summer and a setback of 8 degrees in winter when your home is unoccupied for long periods of time and a 4 degree adjustment when occupants are asleep.
While I’m sure the hotels would love if people kept the temperature that high, I have no intention of sitting in a hotel room, sweating, and turning down the temperature one degree at a time until it’s comfortable enough for me to go to sleep.
I don’t mind that a hotel would want to keep the room at a higher temperature when there’s no one inside, but the idea doesn’t work when you try to put it into practice. Using motion detectors or forcing a guest to insert a key to turn on the A/C means the room will be overly warm all day. Would you like to return to an 80-degree room after being out all day? Me neither.
Final Thoughts
Much like Sharon and I have compromised on the room temperature of our home, I’m hoping we can come to the same arrangement with hotels. I promise not to set the room thermostat at the lowest possible setting to cool the room down faster when we return if the hotel promises not to shut off the A/C while we’re gone. I’d tolerate them turning it to 76-78 during the times of the day I’m not there, but only if the system works as it should, and I can get the room back down to a more comfortable temperature when we return. If they set the thermostat to lie to me about the current temperature and restrict the range I’m able to program, then I will do everything I can to set the room for the temperature I want.
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10 comments
Like you, I’m from metro-NY and live in Central Florida, and like you I used to want my in-room temp to be around 72. But with global warming on my mind, I’ve made a concerted effort to change that. I feel I have to do my part for the long-term health of the only planet/home we have, and while I haven’t been able to turn off my a/c completely, I’ve gotten to the point where I’m now actually more comfortable with the thermostat at 79/80, and am freezing when it’s at 72-76. The key, for me, is airflow, so ceiling fans and/or open windows make it easy to adjust.
I agree that airflow is the key to setting the temp higher.
82? OMG, that is sweltering. 67-69 is better for sleeping…
A/C is the single biggest issue I have when traveling. Many thermostats are not accurate and there are so many different types of systems. Some hotels (older ones in Europe) have a master “A/C or Heat” switch and even when it’s supposed to be cool, it’s not. When I’m at home (in Texas) I usually keep daytime temp around 73 with a fan going, but at night it has to be 68-70.
I’m with @Gene. 67 (or lower) for sleeping. 74 is fine during the day if I’m just sitting at my desk working but if I’m moving around it has to be cooler than that.
66 to 72 is batter for sleeping
I try to get at least two keys and leave one in the key holder all the time. A few times the cleaning staff removed it.
In some countries the hotel deactivates the a/c compressor in the middle of the night. You might leave your air on while you sleep but then wake up at 3am sweating because it was centrally switched off. We don’t stay at such places now, but this used to happen to us enough, particularly in Asia, that I would always call and ask before making a reservation.
71 is insane to me.
Then again, I’m 2/3 polar bear.
I would kill someone if the room temp was 82…I keep it at 68 at home and hubby has xxtra blankets… At hotels I try to over ride the thermostat or call the engineer and bribe them…. It usually works out to 68 degrees-then.