Staying in a hotel over shabbos, what to do?

amother

Thu, Dec 28 2023, 3:13 am

Any tips for staying in a hotel over shabbos? What do you do about the door locks, the lights, the sensors , the fridge etc etc etc. what are things I will need to do? Are there any questions in advance that I need to ask the hotel? Sensors, lights that turn on by opening doors, walking by etc. thanks

amother

Coral

Thu, Dec 28 2023, 3:18 am

many problems…
Call the Bais horaah of Lakewood
732-905-9992
You can call anonymously if you want
Go through each issue with the rav who answers

amother

Thu, Dec 28 2023, 3:21 am

amother Coral wrote:

many problems…
Call the Bais horaah of Lakewood
732-905-9992
You can call anonymously if you want
Go through each issue with the rav who answers

Well they have the list of issues or I have to have the list of issues?

DrMom

Thu, Dec 28 2023, 4:32 am

Ask for a mechanical key.

Bring duct tape for the fridge so you can tape over the switch that makes the light turn on when the door opens.

Ask for a low floor.

Keep the bathroom light on and leave the rest of the room dark, or bring a shabbat timer for a lamp, or bring a kosher lamp or a small LED light that you can cover with a coffee can or other opaque container.

amother

Coral

Thu, Dec 28 2023, 5:16 am

amother OP wrote:

Well they have the list of issues or I have to have the list of issues?

You just wrote them out in your op. Tell the rav what you are concerned about. He will tell you if there are ways to make it work and let you know if there’s anything else you need to be aware of.

amother

DarkGreen

Thu, Dec 28 2023, 5:45 am

Hotels will also arrange in advance to let you into your room prearrange this in advance so you don’t have to carry ID etc
Check out staircases in advance
Avoid automatic doors and toilets/faucets tho these you can cover the sensor with a tissue in advance
Make sure you have precut tissues as well
Put out a do not disturb sign on door so maid doesn’t come in and shut off your lights etc
Prearrange/check request if necessary a small frognin the room and make sure the light is off/tape or remove light bulb

amother

Bellflower

Thu, Dec 28 2023, 7:13 am

We always use these for hotels on shabbos:
https://www.amazon.com/YnFag-H.....0d276
Magnetic and no one knows your door isn't locked. Works every time. Also, low floor, preset lights and make sure housekeeping doesn't come because they reset everything and lights become a problem.

amother

Hydrangea

Thu, Dec 28 2023, 7:31 am

In general, older hotels will be better. Another issue is climate control systems that turn on and off based on opening and closing the front door of the room, and the balcony door if there is one. In some places, main lights in the room are motion detected. Make sure you have contact info for the hotel when you call the rav.

amother

Thu, Dec 28 2023, 8:01 am

amother Hydrangea wrote:

How would having the contact info of the hotel help when calling the Rav?

Would the main desk know about motion detection and climate control?

DrMom

Thu, Dec 28 2023, 8:03 am

amother OP wrote:

How would having the contact info of the hotel help when calling the Rav?

Would the main desk know about motion detection and climate control?

I assume they would. If not, they can call someone on staff who would know.

If I were you, I'd gather all my questions for the hotel ahead of time and ask everything in one call (or email), rather than contacting them over and over again.

DrMom

Thu, Dec 28 2023, 8:07 am

amother Bellflower wrote:

How does this work? Does it just keep your door from locking by blocking the recess in the door frame where the little thingamajog enters when the door is closed? So your door just stays unlocked the entire time?

doctorima

Thu, Dec 28 2023, 10:15 am

Here's a great article from the Star-K that discusses the halachic issues involved:

https://www.star-k.org/article.....tels/

amother

Cerise

Thu, Dec 28 2023, 10:37 am

Be wary of the bathrooms on the lobby or other main ones as some will automatically flush and the soap dispensers in the main bathrooms may be a problem. So bring liquid soap and can't hurt to also bring an extra box of tissues.

amother

Gladiolus

Thu, Dec 28 2023, 10:37 am

Op make sure the hotel actually have manual keys for the room, and stairwell if needed.

When we vacationed in Switzerland, the hotel we stayed at only had automatic doors at the entrance. Also the stairway doors needed a key card. the staff refused to give us a mechanical key for the stairwell. ON Friday We tried bribing the front desk receptionist, to pay her to open the stairway door for us on Shabbos, but another jewish couple stopped us, saying that they had tried it the week before - and she took the money but refused to open the doors on shabbos....

Laterally last minute we had to arrange a differed hotel for shabbos.
It was real agmas nefesh.