The Simple Hotel Safety Trick a KLM Flight Attendant Swears By

Most travelers walk into a hotel room, drop their bags, and fall onto the bed without a second thought. But for those who spend a large portion of their lives in hotels, the arrival routine looks very different. Esther Sturrus, a flight attendant with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, has built a following of more than 200,000 people on TikTok by sharing the kind of practical travel wisdom that only comes from years of constant movement. Her videos have clearly struck a nerve, because one of them has now been viewed more than 39 million times.

In that viral clip, Esther walks viewers through the very first things she does upon entering a hotel room. Her checklist is surprisingly methodical and reflects a level of situational awareness that most casual travelers simply never develop. She starts by changing out of her travel clothes and taking a shower, which helps her reset after a long flight while keeping outside contaminants from spreading through the space. She also carefully inspects the mattress for bed bugs, a step that is easy to overlook but can spare you from a genuinely unpleasant experience.

The tip that has generated the most conversation, however, comes from a follow-up video she made in response to viewer requests. The trick requires nothing more than a standard water bottle. The idea is to slide or roll it under the bed as soon as you enter the room. If the bottle travels all the way through and comes out the other side, you can settle in with confidence. If it does not emerge, that could signal that something, or someone, is blocking its path. Esther is clear that the bottle “has to come out on the other side,” and she also notes that a blocked bottle does not automatically mean danger, since bed frames or under-bed storage can sometimes stop it. Even so, she recommends treating any obstruction as a reason to proceed cautiously, and if you have genuine concerns, to find a staff member rather than investigate on your own.

@esthersturrus What is the first thing you do? 😇 #myklmmoment #klm #klmcrew #crewklm #klmairlines #klmroyaldutchairlines #flightattendant #stewardess #cabincrew #cabincrewlife #cabincrewgirls flightattendantlife #aviationlife #aviation #uniform #royalbue ♬ girls like me don't cry (Sped Up) – thuy

The reaction online has been a mix of relief and mild alarm. One commenter wrote, “The water bottle check under the bed though,” while another admitted, “Never even occurred to me that someone could be under the bed, new fear unlocked.” A third joked, “Imagine you don’t throw it hard enough, end up accumulating empty bottles below because you can’t reach it.” The lighthearted responses are understandable, but for solo travelers especially, the tip costs nothing and takes about three seconds.

Esther’s hotel advice does not stop there. In the same video, she suggests placing a “do not disturb” card between the door and the wall as it hangs from the doorknob when you leave the room. When you return, if the card is hanging straight rather than tucked against the wall, someone has entered during your absence. She also recommends using a hotel drinking glass as a makeshift speaker by placing your phone inside it when you want to listen to music without headphones, and using a paper cup as a toothbrush holder rather than placing your brush on the bathroom counter. Small habits, collectively, that make a stay feel more controlled and a little more like home.

Beyond what happens inside the room, travel experts have also weighed in on what to do immediately after a flight. Dr. Annie DePasquale, a family medicine physician and founder of Collaborating Docs, recommends washing the clothes you wore on the plane as soon as possible. She notes that transmission risk from other passengers “increases within about one row or one meter,” and that “coughs and sneezes can still send droplets onto your sleeves, lap or scarf, even with strong cabin filtration in place.” Running your travel outfit through a wash cycle is a low-effort way to address that.

What makes Esther Sturrus’s tips feel useful rather than alarmist is that they are rooted in repetition. She has stayed in enough hotel rooms across enough countries to recognize patterns that most people never encounter in a lifetime of travel. Her approach is less about fear and more about building a reliable routine so that checking in anywhere in the world feels manageable.

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, where Esther works, was founded in 1919, making it the oldest airline in the world still operating under its original name. Bed bugs, despite their reputation as a budget-travel problem, have been documented in five-star hotels and luxury resorts just as frequently as in economy properties, which is exactly why the mattress check matters regardless of where you’re staying. The human eye can also be deceived by dim hotel lighting, so running a hand along the seam of the mattress in a well-lit spot can catch things a quick glance might miss.

If you have a hotel safety hack or a travel routine that has served you well, share it in the comments.