Flight Attendant-Approved Hacks for Sleeping Well in Any Hotel Room

If anyone knows how to get quality sleep in a hotel room, it’s a flight attendant. After all, some flight attendants stay in hotels up to 200 nights each year, so they know a thing or two about turning any hotel room into a home away from home. From dreamy pillowcases and luxurious eye masks to pest deterrents and aromatherapy sprays, here are a few flight-attendant approved products and tips to guarantee a peaceful slumber on your next getaway.

Curate Your Own Sleep Kit

Ask any flight attendant, and there’s a good chance they will have go-to sleep aids that help them rest after a long day in the air. Vera, a Boston-based flight attendant, suggested on TikTok that travelers create their own sleep kits in a compact toiletry bag. She explained, “You’re in an unfamiliar environment. You never know how bright it’s going to be in the room, how loud the hallways are going to be. So I have a kit that helps with all of that.” 

Vera’s must-haves include a contoured eye mask that blocks out excess light without putting pressure on the eyes and a set of high-quality earplugs designed for sleeping. (The Loop Quiet 2 comes with four different tip sizes for a comfortable, custom fit.) 

Another item in Vera’s sleep kit is lavender oil, which she says is now part of her daily wind-down routine. If you’ve never tried aromatherapy to help you fall asleep, consider the Pillow Mist by Baloo, which was ranked the Best Sleep Spray of 2024 by the Sleep Foundation. It combines calming scents of lavender and bergamot and comes in a 3.4-ounce TSA-compliant bottle. 

Clip Your Curtains

Picture this: You arrive at your hotel well after sunset and get into bed, only to be abruptly woken up at sunrise by light streaming through the curtains that you thought were drawn closed. Fortunately, flight attendants have a hack for this: a humble clip. 

TikTok user Sisterhood Women Travel shared this bit of advice from a clever flight attendant: Clip the curtains closed to avoid being woken up earlier than you want. No clips? Look in the hotel closet for a hanger with clamps, which will work in a pinch. Frequent travelers might also consider investing in their own set of lightweight plastic clips, which can not only block out light, but also be used to organize electronic cables, seal bags, or hang wet clothes in the bathroom. 

Bring Your Own Pillowcase

Tinsley, a flight attendant who shares her travel tips and tricks on TikTok, says that she always packs at least one pillowcase from home. Not only can sleeping on your own pillowcase from home be more comfortable, but it can also save you from coming into contact with bacteria and unwanted allergens that may be lurking in dirty sheets. 

According to allergist Dr. Tania Elliott, sleeping on a hotel pillowcase is one thing she would never do because of the commercial-grade detergents used by hotels. While they may remove dirt and bacteria, these detergents can cause irritation, which may disrupt your sleep. 

A simple hypoallergenic cotton pillowcase suits the needs of most travelers; for an upgraded option, consider Blissy silk pillowcases, which are made from 100% pure mulberry silk dyed with nontoxic chemicals.

Block the Noise

From late-night arrivals to weddings and events, you never know what might wake you up when staying in a hotel. Another recommendation from flight attendant Tinsley is to bring a portable sound machine. She uses the compact Hushh portable white noise machine from Yogasleep, which features three different white noise sounds and measures 3.5 inches in diameter. 

If you prefer more sound options, the Dreamegg White Noise Machine is slightly larger, measuring 4 inches in diameter and weighing half a pound, but it features 21 different noise options, along with a timer and volume adjustment. 

Check for Unwanted Guests

Before settling in to catch some z’s, many flight attendants have one more critical check: the bedding. Your first approach is to always examine the bed and upholstered furniture for unwanted roommates, namely bed bugs, mites, lice, and other pests. But you may also consider bringing your own repellent: After a run-in with hotel bed bugs 15 years ago, flight attendant Chelle now always sprays the hotel room bed with repellent.

“I spend about 180 days a year in hotel rooms,” Chelle explained on TikTok. “It’s the first thing I do when I get to my hotel room.” There are many pest spray options on the market: Chomp! is a naturally formulated peppermint-scented spray that targets bed bugs and dust mites. For a scent-free option, Hygea Natural also targets bed bugs, dust mites, lice, and allergens; both sprays are TSA-approved.