Here’s how to hack hotel thermostats.
It’s no fun to wake up shivering or sweating in the middle of the night while staying in a hotel room.
First, you have to locate the thermostat. Then you have to decipher mysterious icons on the control panel and, if overseas, calculate what the temperature would be in Fahrenheit.
It used to be hotel thermostats and their attached heating and cooling systems simply had “on” and “off” buttons with “cooler” and “hotter” temperature settings. Too cold? Turn the knob to the right. Too hot? Crank it to the left.
Now, hotel thermostats are far more sophisticated, often offering preset temperature limits, complicated menus, and motion-controlled sensors that disable cooling and heating systems while guests sleep to cut costs and keep visitors from accidentally setting a temperature that’s too extreme for comfort.
With growing gas supply and energy concerns in Europe, hotels across the continent are weighing whether they should set tighter temperature limits on their thermostats, forcing guests to sleep in colder conditions in winter and warmer settings in summer.
While the eco-conscious way to cope would be to throw on another blanket or open a window, these solutions sometimes are not available or enough to keep you comfortable.
So, what should you do? If you’ve exhausted all available options for adjusting your in-room temperature and still find yourself feeling uncomfortable, try these hacks to take control of the temperature.
Note: Before resorting to these options, ask your hotel’s front desk for help, as they may have a way to adjust the temperature for you. Remember to also be careful about how you handle your room’s equipment so you don’t accidentally damage the heating and cooling unit.
Honeywell hack #1
Honeywell has been a longtime supplier of thermostats to hotels. Its systems are commonly found in many chain hotels and motels, including Comfort Inn and Holiday Inn, so odds are you’ll encounter one while on the road.
If you’re staying in a room with an older Honeywell thermostat, there’s a hack to bypass the preset temperature controls. While pressing the “display” button, press and release the “off” button or power icon. Then press and release the up arrow or the “increase temperature” button to bypass the temperature controls.
Note: This won’t work if the hotel has installed a newer Honeywell Inncontrol thermostat, as it is programmed to prevent this hack. If you encounter one of these units, keep reading for what to do.
Honeywell hack #2
Frequently installed in Hyatt and Starwood hotels, Honeywell’s Incomm thermostats have an easily-activated “VIP mode” that overrides its temperature limits. Press and hold the “display” key, then tap “off/auto,” “up,” and then release the “display” key. Your room will now be in VIP mode for the next 72 hours, which not only unlocks a broader range of temperatures but also deactivates the system’s motion sensor, keeping your room at your chosen temperature while you sleep or duck out for a brief moment, allowing you to wake up or return to a perfectly chilled or heated room.
Trane hack
Often found in Accor hotels, the digital Trane thermostat can also be tweaked. Start by holding down the central button labeled “override.” Once you see “PswrdSet 0,” keep pressing the “override” key until you see “cool min” (or “heat max,” as conditions warrant) and use the arrow keys to adjust the temperature downward or upward.
Once you’re happy with the setting, leave the buttons alone for a moment and the system exits back to the main screen where you can select your newly-unlocked temperature. Note: The unit doesn’t automatically revert to its original setting, so you should consider resetting this before check-out.
Lonix hack
The Lonix thermostat is another popular global choice. Access the secret menu by simultaneously depressing the up and down keys, then tap either directional key until you see ‘CH-C’
Press ‘M’ (second from the left), and you can again tweak the lowest available temperature. As with the Trane unit, the settings on the Lonix are retained until manually adjusted again.
GE or Amana wall unit hack
General Electric and Amana (Whirlpool) are major suppliers of heating and air conditioning units for hotels and motels. These systems typically feature wall thermostats, which guests use to control a heating/cooling unit that has had its controls disabled.
To bypass the wall-mounted thermostat and adjust the temperature directly from the heating and cooling unit, pop off the cover of the unit. Set the temperature for the room via the set of controls underneath the display board and reinstall the cover.
Note: All other settings on hotel thermostats should be left untouched; tinkering with options you’re unfamiliar with has the potential to damage or disable the system, which you’ll have a hard time explaining to hotel management or your travel/liability insurer.
Twist’s Take: Is your hotel room’s temperature too hot or too cold to permit a good night’s sleep? These hacks may help you circumvent preset temperatures for a more pleasant stay.
