Travel Tips From a Road Pro

“The following items first appeared in Dawn Gilbertson's weekly Travel newsletter.

 

I spent about half of January in hotels, with more stays coming up. But that's nothing compared with Hilton Hotels & Resorts CEO Chris Nassetta. He estimates he spends about 80% of his time on the road.

 

I had a chance to speak with him recently in a suite at the chain's storied Waldorf Astoria in New York, which reopened late last year after a $6 billion makeover. Hilton manages the property and it is the flagship for its Waldorf brand.

 

Here are some of his hotel pet peeves and travel must-haves:

 

-- Bathrooms showers. "I'm famous inside the company about being a nut about showers. How you turn the water on, making it easy, not getting cold water in your face, pressure, hot water."

 

-- Lighting. "If people need to have a Ph.D. and put glasses on to turn on a light, that's a problem."

 

-- Towels. "The number one thing (Hilton) customers said three or four years ago was, 'I don't have enough towels' and 'I don't like the quality of the towels.' We forced the whole system to replace all of their towels and make sure they have enough."

 

-- A portable Bose speaker. Nassetta told me he never travels without his speaker, which he says you can get for about $60 on Amazon. He even gifted them to his children to take on the road. He packs it in his briefcase and puts it in the bathroom when he gets to his room. "I love music and I play music when I shower," he says. "It's what gets me going and sort of, like, mellow on the day." He doesn't need it at the chain's new Tempo hotels, where he says he insisted on Bluetooth speakers in the bathroom mirrors.

 

-- A collapsible portable charger that also turns his phone into a bedstand clock. "Don't ask me how it does it," he says.

 

What are your latest hotel pet peeves and hacks? I'll go first: spotty Wi-Fi, no bathrobes and tiny garbage cans. My hack: Ask for a steamer if there isn't one in the room. My Hyatt in New York had one in the room and I was so happy to use it instead of an iron.

 

Garage prices

 

Hotel parking rates are often sky high in major cities. Do your budget a favor and see what the rate is for garages near the hotel or try an app like SpotHero. Sometimes you'll even be parking in the same garage the hotel uses for valet parking, just at a lower rate.

 

United's challenge

 

"In 2026, we're drawing a line in the sand. We are not going to allow them to win a single gate at our expense in 2026."

 

-- United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby, on the airline's battle with American Airlines in Chicago. Both airlines have hubs there, and American recently won additional gates so it can add more flights.

 

Cheers and jeers

 

Cheers to the Hyatt front desk employee who shared the password for the employee Wi-Fi network when I expressed my repeated issues logging on to the regular network.

 

Big jeers to Uber for making it practically impossible to complain, at least via the app, when a ride is canceled.

 

My 4:30 a.m. reserved ride to the airport recently was canceled at the last minute. A new driver was found but that delayed my pickup by nearly 20 minutes.

 

When I tried to register a complaint, the app would only let me complain about the ride I did get, not the driver who canceled (beyond giving her a poor rating). Seems to me you should be compensated in these cases, even if they get you to your destination. An Uber spokesperson apologized for my experience and said the company needs to make the process clearer. He recommends contacting Uber Support via the activity tab in the app. The completed ride will show up but the agent can help you with the first driver cancellation. (The company refunded my ride after I reached out.)

 

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To subscribe to Dawn's Friday newsletter, go to wsj.com/newsletters.” [1]

 

1. Travel Tips From a Road Pro. Gilbertson, Dawn.  Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 17 Feb 2026: A13.