Housekeepers are among the hardest-working staff in hospitality, though they often make the lowest wages (and receive the fewest tips). And while you may never see them, an experienced housekeeper can read your room — and by extension, your habits — like a book. Here are five things in your hotel room that the staff at your hotel will definitely notice.

Whether You Know the Key Card Trick

These days, many hotel rooms activate their lights and power outlets via a card slot by the door. However, some guests quickly realize that you don’t need the actual room key to use it — any key-sized piece of plastic (or even a business card) that fits will keep the lights activated when you leave the room. (Sometimes, though, housekeeping will simply remove the substitute “key” after cleaning the room, thereby circumventing the clever workaround.)

How Organized You Are When Traveling

Tidying your personal items is part of the job, and neatly (or even decoratively) arranging your belongings during housekeeping service is usually standard procedure. But a bathroom counter scattered with loose toiletries and clothing strewn all over the furniture will require more time to pull the room together, and the housekeeper is likely to notice your lack of tidiness.

If You’re Secretly Smoking

Most hotels are now strictly nonsmoking, and the staff can almost always detect cigarette or vape residue upon entering the room. (And if they don’t catch it, automatic detectors will.) The odor permeates curtains and upholstery faster than most guests assume, regardless of whether a window is opened or a ventilation fan is turned on. Smoking is one of the things staffers are trained to flag, so if you want to avoid a hefty cleaning fee, light up in a designated area.

How Environmentally Conscious You Are

That “save the Earth” sticker on your suitcase won’t mean much compared to the pile of towels you leave on the bathroom floor. Along with recyclables discarded in the regular trash, a tower of plastic water bottles, and emptying all the single-use, plastic-wrapped disposable amenities in the room, those towels tell housekeeping that — at least when you’re on the road — environmental concerns aren’t high on your list of priorities. 

If You Know How To Tip

The American Hotel and Lodging Association recommends $3 to $5 per night as a gratuity to your hardworking housekeeper. But — perhaps because guests may not encounter them personally — housekeeping is one of the least-tipped jobs in a hotel. Reports show that fewer than one-third of hotel guests leave a tip for housekeeping. Because staff is usually instructed not to assume that loose cash is meant for them, aim to leave your money on the pillow or with a short thank-you note, so housekeeping is sure to benefit from the (much-appreciated) gratuity.

One Mystery Habit

Lastly, there’s one hotel habit that housekeeping won’t be able to easily decode. You may just want to sleep in or have the room serviced after you’ve left for the day, but the “do not disturb” sign doesn’t always make that clear, and staff may only make note of it at the time of their usual rounds. Housekeepers see only that it’s up, not why, so unless you notify the front desk otherwise, don’t assume that your room will be made up if you remove it later in the day.