Rule number one is don’t be afraid to ask. After all, isn’t that the key to all happiness? Ask and it is given, as one of my favorite spiritual guides, Abraham-Hicks, would say. So here are my go-to tips for pre-paving my way to a fabulous hotel experience, no matter the destination.

Before the trip even begins, I always call the hotel. I let them know if my flight is arriving early so that I can request that my room be ready, and I ask if it’s possible to get an upgrade.

When I arrive at the hotel, during my check-in, I ask for a bottle of water, inquire again about the room upgrade, and ask for a room with a view.

Now here’s the most important tip: when you enter your room, don’t immediately unpack. Take a look around, make sure that there are no remnants of the previous guests. Here’s a little story to illustrate this point: I was visiting my son for Mom's weekend at his university, and was running late for dinner. I checked into my hotel, dropped my overnight bag in my room, did a quick refresh in the bathroom then dashed off for the night.

I came back to the room late that night after a fun evening that included a few glasses of wine. I quickly undressed, brushed my teeth and crashed. The next morning, I woke up groggily, swung my legs off of the bed, and in the dark room as I gazed around in my morning haze, I looked down at the space in front of my feet to find dog droppings. The previous guest did not clean up, and that was the first sight that greeted me that morning. So, I learned my lesson and I pass this along to you: ALWAYS do a thorough inspection of your room upon arrival and if it does not meet your approval, for any reason, ask for a change.