Hotel life!

As corporate pilots, we stay half of the year in hotels. Different hotels all over the world. Sleeping in hotels so often may sound like a dream come true for most people. For me, it was like this as well when I started flying. I always saw myself like Kevin from Home Alone in a big hotel, with a big bed and everyday room service for breakfast lunch and dinner. Like I said its a dream, but unfortunately, as a pilot, you are not a millionaire and you can simply not pay for that.

As a pilot on a private jet, I stay about 16 nights per month in a hotel. With some luck, we sleep in a different hotel every night. With sleeping in a different hotel it also means you have to pack and unpack your luggage every single day. You have stuff with you for these 16 nights so you are fully packed. Living out of a suitcase we call that. A hotel you take for a holiday or that you take if you are there for work are different in many ways. If I’m away for work I prefer a hotel with good internet, an iron in the room, a comfortable bed (pilot fatigue is something we don’t want) and preferably close to the city so you can find more restaurants. When you are 16 days on duty you only eat restaurant and hotel food, often a pizza or a burger of some sort. So if you have a hotel closer to the city you can find more restaurants and something that you like that day and helps you to stay a bit healthier. There is one more thing: A desk. Often when people go to big hotel chains like Marriott or Holiday Inn they find a desk in their room. In a business hotel, you want to have this, I want to have this so I can work from here and write my blogs for example. If you really want to know if you are in a hotel build for pleasure or work just have a look to the rooms and see if you can find a desk, this is often a good indicator in what kind of hotel you are staying.

I look for clean hotels, hotels with a certain standard, clean sheets on the bed and a toilet where you don’t find the skid marks from the person who stayed in the room before you. It sounds maybe funny but it happens, it really does. When I stay in a business hotel I always look how clean it is and I know that it’s not always a choice but I would always pay a little more if that would guarantee a better hygiene.

If you have any questions regarding this blog feel free to ask in the comment section below.

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