Our room in the Eastland Park Hotel in Portland Maine, during our July 2010 vacation.

If you find yourself staying in a hotel room for a handful of days, use these tips to make your stay more comfortable.

One – Ask for an extra flat sheet. I don’t know about you, but when I stay in a hotel room I’m kind of loathe to lounge about on top of the comforter, or on the couch cushions. Depends on how posh the place is, of course, but tossing the spare flat sheet over the bed or couch aids in my own personal comfort level.

Two - Unpack. Utilize dressers and drawers and hangers. You don’t really realize how off-putting it is to literally live out of a suitcase until you have to do it for a few days. Reserve one of the dresser drawers to stuff your dirty clothes in, which also prevents you from losing a sock under a bed or something. Then when you’re ready to go home, stuff all of the dirty clothes into a plastic bag (there’s usually one somewhere in the room for utilizing the hotel’s cleaning service), stuff the plastic bag in your suitcase under your clean clothes, and that’s one less sorting nightmare you have to deal with when you get home.

Our room at The Cody in Cody Wyoming, during our vacation in July 2009.

Three – Bring dryer sheets. Strategically placed dryer sheets – inside the pillow cases on the hotel room bed, in the bottom of dresser drawers, tucked in the pocket of a hanging coat, inside your suitcase – bring a sense of freshness and homey comfort to the linens that surround you.

Four – Bring your own coffee mug. This may sound silly to you, but to me nothing screams “I’m staying in an impersonal environment” more than drinking coffee out of those dinky disposable cups provided in most hotels. My first cup of the day is a comfort and a necessity to my mental well-being. Even mediocre coffee becomes adequate when I’m able to sip it from my favorite mug.

Five – Add your own personal touch. It doesn’t have to be extravagant or excessive. Slip a framed picture of your loved ones or your dog or what have you inside your suitcase when you pack, then place it on your bedside table. Buy a cheap bouquet of flowers from the local grocery store and place them on your desk. Burn a scented candle. Listen to CD’s or watch movies on your laptop – out loud, not on your headphones. Bring your favorite robe and fuzzy slippers. Buy a small stockpile of beverages and munchies (get one of those cheap-o Styrofoam coolers at a local gas station and fill it with ice, if you don’t have a fridge in your room). Do whatever you need to do to make your environment less sterile and more “you”.

What are your tips for making your hotel room more comfortable? Feel free to share them in the comments!

Photo credits (all): Tiffany Joyce. Pictured: The Eastland Park Hotel in Portland, Maine; and The Cody in Cody, Wyoming.