So you’re going to host a companion (or multiple companions) in your hotel room or suite. You’re in for a great time! Here are some tips to ensure it’s a comfortable experience for everyone.
Double check your hotel name and address – and your room number
Let’s start with the basics. Make sure that you are inviting your companion to the correct hotel – and send them the address, too, to make sure they go to the right place. Many of my outcall clients send the hotel name and address with their very first inquiry, which helps me plan travel time well in advance, and eliminate any last-minute confusion around where they are staying.
Many cities have multiple Hilton, Marriott, and Hyatt properties, and hotels can sometimes be confused for one another. So, double-check your hotel info, and send your companion plenty of information to help them find you.
If you are having your companion come directly to your room, double check you have the right room number. It sounds silly, but nerves can get the best of us. And if you are a frequent traveller, all those room numbers can blend together.
Help us get to the starting line
Perhaps you’re already thinking ahead to the grand finale of the evening. It’s going to be spectacular, so I don’t blame you. But what about the starting line?
I find that in this era of high-security hotels, simply finding my client is often the most challenging part of the whole date. So help us out! If your hotel doesn’t require key cards for the elevators, you can simply give your companion your hotel name and room number (make sure this information is accurate!) and they should be able to proceed directly to your room. Help us by giving us directions to the elevators, any tips on parking, and any other information on the hotel’s layout or quirks.
Many of the hotels in NYC and other big cities, however, are tricky to enter. They often require keycards for the elevators, have heavy security, and may have multiple lobbies and elevator banks. When a client says “I’m in the lobby,” I sometimes have to ask, “which one?” If you take a single thing from this article, it’s this: give us detailed directions to where you are, and help us find you.
As you check in, make a note of the following:
- From the front doors, where are the elevators?
- Do the elevators require a key card to operate? If so, you need a plan for your companion.
- What areas of the hotel will be accessible to your companion, and are thus possible rendezvous points?
- If you are meeting your companion in a potentially busy area, like the lobby or hotel bar, how can you help them find you easily? How will they tell it’s you? A companion’s worst nightmare is approaching the wrong person thinking it’s their client – and yes, this does happen.
As you prepare to meet your companion, take a note of the hotel’s layout. Put together a plan for meeting your companion, and give them detailed instructions to the rendezvous point. You won’t insult us by giving us lots of information – it’s better to over-share than to leave us wandering around lost.
If you wish to meet in the hotel’s bar or restaurant, give your companion detailed instructions on where you are, how to find you, and even what you are wearing and what you are drinking. You can send your companion a selfie, to give them a perfect visual cue.
Recently, I met a client at a hotel bar. Easy, right? Not so. Unbeknownst to me, this particular bar sat behind an unmarked door. I spent too many frustrating minutes roaming the hotel’s ground floor, feeling helpless and like a prank was being played on me. Did this bar even exist?
My frustration finally yielded to blind courage, and I slid open the unmarked door. My client was sitting in eager anticipation right behind it. If only his smile had beamed through the door! All’s well that ends well, but a heads-up that the bar sat behind that mysterious door would have been nice.
I’ve been told a client was waiting at the bar, only to find the hotel had multiple bars. Great for patrons, confusing for me. So be specific about where you are. Are you on the ground floor? Up some stairs? Up on a particular floor? What signage or landmarks are nearby? Are you standing or sitting? What are you wearing? All of that information helps us find you quickly. And again, we will not be insulted by plenty of guidance!
The elevator key card problem
Many hotels in big cities currently require a key card for the elevators, so if you’d like your companion to simply ride the elevator up to your room, you are out of luck. As you check into your hotel and head up to your room, make a note of this, and formulate a plan for meeting your companion.
Whatever your plan is, organize it in advance, so you and your companion aren’t confused or scrambling as the date is supposed to start. Email or text them to verify their preferred method and double check instructions.
Tidy up your room
Before your companion arrives, tidy up your room, just like you would tidy up any space where you are hosting a guest. Put away your valuables, electronics, clothes and personal items, and clear off tables as much as possible.
Minimize visual clutter so you and your companion can focus on each other, and so your stuff won’t get dirty or damaged. Tidy up the bathroom as well, which leads me to my next point:
Set out the envelope someplace obvious
Most companions will write on their ad or website where they like the envelope to be set. Usually, this is the bathroom.
Place the envelope on the bathroom counter in advance of their arrival. The envelope should be easy to spot and set in plain view on a clean, uncluttered bathroom counter. Your companion will arrive and excuse themselves to the bathroom to freshen up and collect the envelope: easy peasy. It’s a faux pas to make your companion ask about the envelope.
However, this is only one potential situation. Check your providers’ preferences.
Ensure you have enough towels
Some hotels are stingy with the towels. As you settle into your room, check that you have enough towels, including at least one clean and dry one for your companion to use. If multiple companions are coming over (lucky you!) make sure there is a fresh towel for each of them. Your companion(s) may or may not shower, but it’s best to have plenty ready, just in case.
Set out water bottles
Like tropical plants, companions appreciate frequent watering. Assume your companion will arrive thirsty, and set out some water bottles for them.
You can also ask your companion in advance what beverages they like, and bring them. Depending on the time of the day you meet, this may be soft drinks, juices, coffees, wine, champagne… the list goes on. Just make sure that you buy sealed bottles only, and that you open them in front of your companion – unfortunately, drinks can be tampered with. Order beverages via room service, bring them up together from the hotel bar, or raid the mini bar together.
Observe food rules
If you wish to bring some food for your companion, check their dietary restrictions and allergies beforehand. The same rules apply to food as to drinks – bring sealed and store-bought food only. Or, order food together, via room service or a food delivery service like Doordash.
Oops! It’s housekeeping
Housekeeping may come a-knocking, especially if your meetup is in the morning. I’m sad to say that I have been in a hotel suite where housekeepers made an awkwardly timed entry. Whoops!
To help prevent such intrusions, put the Do Not Disturb hanger on your door, and secure the deadbolt to help keep overeager housekeepers from crashing your party.
Be mindful of how you leave the place
Let’s see… swinging on chandeliers? Making full, opulent use of the deep soak tub? Room service feasts? Multi-round pillow fights? Strip poker? What happens in the hotel room stays in the hotel room – just don’t leave too much of a mess for hotel staffers.
If items like towels are strewn about, consolidate them into a pile. Consolidate dirty glassware spread throughout the room. Put trash where it belongs. If the room is a disaster, make it into a slightly smaller disaster before you leave. A little effort goes a long way, and makes things easier for the underpaid housekeepers that keep hotels running. It never hurts to leave a tip, either.
Are you a sex worker or client with tips or experiences to share? We'd love to hear from you!
The Good Client Guide destigmatizes sex work while providing guidance on how to be a better client and ally. Better experiences for workers mean better experiences for clients! To make this happen, we’re welcoming submissions from both providers and their customers.
