A few days ago, I heard a colleague share this story: He checked into a hotel and, being a very particular person, always made it a habit to change into pajamas before going to sleep. That evening, as he was getting ready to rest, he slipped on the pajamas provided by the hotel—and as usual, reached into his pocket. To his surprise, he pulled out a lighter. Normally, if he’d spotted that item, his sense of self‑preservation would have kicked in immediately: upon discovering the lighter in his pocket, he would have instantly realized that those pajamas had almost certainly been worn by someone else, and that the hotel staff hadn’t bothered to wash them first—they’d simply handed them straight to him for use.

In our daily lives, for a variety of reasons, we sometimes need to go out on errands or be away for several days. In such situations, we have to find a hotel to rest up and, based on our own circumstances, choose accommodation that suits us. If you’re a migrant worker, you’ll generally prefer budget hotels or guesthouses; those who can afford better conditions usually opt for upscale hotels. High‑end hotels not only offer attentive service and a beautifully appointed room environment, but they also provide guests with fresh, clean underwear. However, I’ve never stayed at such a hotel—given my own financial situation, I’m afraid I’d never be able to sleep in such an expensive establishment. Just thinking about waking up to find hundreds of yuan gone would keep me wide awake all night.

The colleague went to confront the staff member, because he knew there was a lighter in the pocket of that pajama set—what did that mean? The server didn’t offer a reasonable explanation and instead said they were willing to handle the matter discreetly, even offering to send the colleague a 100‑yuan red envelope.

The colleague thought that nothing is easy, so they didn’t pursue the matter further.

When checking into a hotel, be sure to first inspect the following three points:

First, start by checking whether the indoor environment is clean and verifying that the bedding on the bed is tidy and free of dirt. Next, you should also inspect the room for hidden cameras—although the likelihood of finding one is quite low, we still can’t afford to be complacent; being extra cautious is never a bad idea.

Second, after checking into the hotel, be sure to inspect the kettle in your room beforehand.

In most hotels, guests are provided with water jugs. These jugs may have been used by the previous guest—some hotel staff are rather lazy and only wipe the outside of the jug clean, without bothering to inspect the inside. I’ve fallen for this trick before: a few years ago, my colleague and I were staying at a mid‑range hotel on a business trip. It happened to be summer, and after taking a shower in the evening, I wanted to brew some hot water to drink—I don’t like drinking beverages; when I’m thirsty, I just sip plain boiled water.

As I was about to pour water from the kettle, a colleague reminded me to check the inside of the kettle. When I lifted the lid, I spotted a clump of whitish material inside. The sight nearly made me gag—I couldn’t bring myself to take a closer look at what it was. Instead, I grabbed the kettle and headed straight for the server. The server was a young woman in her late teens; when she saw what was in the kettle, she became visibly distressed. She came from a rural area and had a financially struggling family—she’d dropped out of school to come work. The girl pleaded with me not to go to the boss, saying that if I did, she’d be fired.

I, too, came from a rural background. When I saw that server, I was reminded of my own experiences—my journey was pretty much the same as this little girl’s. I had been brimming with resentment, but after hearing what the little girl said, I decided not to go confront the hotel owner. I’m quite familiar with working as a hotel server; in that kind of situation, even if I did go to talk to the hotel owner, he’d simply shift all the responsibility—and the resulting costs—onto the server. The hotel owner would never end up footing the bill himself.

Not only might that girl have her wages docked, she could even be fired. The girl showed me her fingers—turns out, while wiping down the cups, she had accidentally cut her hand. Fearing that getting her fingers wet would make the injury worse, she hadn’t bothered to clean the inside of the water kettle. I’ve always been a very kind person; after learning about the little girl’s situation, I didn’t say another word. For some reason, years later, I still can’t forget this incident—and I wonder how that little girl is doing now. I truly hope that after working at the hotel for a while, she’ll be able to go back and continue her studies.

I remember that little girl saying she wanted to go back to school, but at the time my abilities were limited, so I couldn’t help her.

Third, no matter what kind of place you’re staying in, it’s best not to take off your underwear when you sleep. Don’t ask me why—keeping this habit is actually good for you. The above are my years of experience staying in hotels while traveling, and I hope to share them with all of you here. If you have even better tips, please feel free to share them—I’ll be happy to learn from you.

In daily life, everyone will inevitably go out at some point—no one can stay at home their entire life. When you need to stay overnight away from home, be sure to remember the three points mentioned above.