There is one hotel service that I rarely use, but sometimes it’s exactly what I need and worth every penny….sending out the laundry.
Using a big suitcase, even for business travel, means adding both the physical burden of lugging the thing around, and the fiscal burden of paying to check it on most US airlines.
Once you learn how to pack a carry-on suitcase properly, you’ll have maximum clothing for minimum effort, but to happily live out of that carry-on for extended trips you’ll probably need to do laundry.
I’ve spent some interesting time washing things in hotel sinks and sitting in laundromats around the world (Tumbleweed Laundry in Marfa, Texas even has a coffee and ice cream place attached) but on business travel, I need dirty clothes to disappear in the morning and reappear magically cleaned at night while I’m in conferences and meetings.
The laundry form in the photo above (prices are in ringgit) is from the Seri Pacific Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; the cleaning selections include a safari suit, sarong, Baju Melayu (traditional Malay men’s suit) and women’s kebaya suit.
Everything was returned to me in immaculate condition. The only problem was that they were returned in several paper packages placed on a shelf in my hotel room closet; I didn’t see them up there, so I spent a few frustrated minutes wondering if I’d see them again, until the front desk told me where to look.
A “lost in translation” moment that ended well!
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Yes, well worth it sometimes, even at inflated biz hotels rates.
In much of Asia though, a walk around the block will often turn up a local laundry service charging by the kilo instead of the piece. Not as convenient, of course, but when I was in SE Asia this summer the going rate was around $1 to $1.50 per kilo. One hotel we stayed in did the drop-off and pickup and charged $2 per kilo.
Hi Tim, that’s a good idea, and saves time which is the key thing on business travel. I didn’t see any near my particular hotel, but that certainly doesn’t mean it wasn’t available.