When checking into a hotel, many people use towels on door handles or to block gaps under the door, but not everyone understands the safety reasons behind these habits.

Flight attendant Cici, known on social media as Cici.inthesky from Florida (USA), shared that safety during hotel stays is her top priority. To ensure this, she always follows several personal rules after entering a room — one of which involves the hotel towel that many people overlook.

She said she always hangs a hand towel on the door handle. This habit helps prevent anyone from peeking through the door’s peephole or attempting to enter the room from outside.

Placing a towel on the door handle

In reality, many hotel doors still have very small peepholes that are hard for guests to notice unless they look carefully. Hanging a small towel on the door helps cover it, preventing anyone from seeing into your room.

Rolling a towel on the door handle

Rolling the towel and placing it between the inner door handle creates a temporary safety latch. This helps you quickly detect if someone tries to open the door from outside.

Hanging a wet towel on the door handle

Many people wonder why a wet towel should be placed on the hotel room door. This tip is meant for fire emergencies.

If a fire breaks out, using a wet towel to cover your nose and mouth can help reduce inhalation of toxic smoke.

If a fire occurs while you are staying at a hotel, the wet towel hanging on the door can be a lifesaver. You can grab it immediately and escape, instead of wasting precious minutes running to the bathroom to wet a towel. This can significantly save evacuation time.

Additionally, hanging a damp towel on the door handle helps add moisture to the room. When the air conditioner is on, the air can be quite dry, and a damp towel makes the room feel more comfortable.

Placing a towel under the door

Many hotels are located near nightclubs or highways, making noise unavoidable. Noise can also come from loud guests next door. Placing a towel under the door helps reduce noise.

A towel also blocks the small gap under the door, preventing insects or bugs from entering the room.

Since hallway lights usually stay on at night and light from other rooms can disturb you, covering the gap with a towel also helps block unwanted light, reduce stress, and make your stay more restful.