Asking for a fridge and microwave in your room

Ask for a fridge or microwave when you book, again before you arrive, and in writing both times. Decide first what each item is for: halal fallback meals, baby milk, or both. A clear request is easier for a front desk to say yes to than a vague one.

What does a fridge or microwave do for you?

• Halal fallback meals: a fridge holds sealed food you have bought and read, and a microwave heats it when no restaurant fits your standard.
• Baby food and milk: a fridge keeps milk and purees cold, and hot water or a microwave warms them.
• Budget: a cold drink, fruit and bread from a shop cost less than hotel prices.
• Late arrivals: you can eat something you carried when the kitchen is closed.

How do you ask for it?

Put the request in the booking notes, then send a short message to the hotel. Say what you need and why, name the dates, and ask for a written reply. Avoid asking for “a good room”, because a front desk cannot act on that.

“Hello, we are travelling with a young child and would like a fridge and a microwave in the room, or hot water if a microwave is not possible. Could you tell us if these are available, whether there is a fee, and confirm in writing?”

What should you check before you arrive?

• Is the fridge or microwave in the room, or on another floor?
• Is there a fee, and is it per night or for the stay?
• Is the unit promised for your room, or only “on request when available”?
• Does the plug fit your adapter? The rice cooker and kettle guide lists plug types by country.
• Is there a kettle, and can staff supply hot water at odd hours?

What should you check at the door?

Check before you unpack, because it is easier to move rooms early.

• Open the fridge and feel that it is cold. A fridge that has just been switched on is not ready.
• Check that the microwave is clean and turns.
• Look for what earlier guests may have left inside.
• Photograph anything that is broken and tell the desk at once.

What about a shared microwave?

Some hotels keep one in the lobby or on a floor. Use a covered dish, wipe the plate, and avoid heating food that might spill and mix with what others have cooked. If this does not suit your standard, ask whether staff can heat food in a separate kitchen, or choose a room with its own appliance.

Your next step

List what you want to keep cold and what you want to heat, then send the message above to each hotel on your shortlist. Keep the replies together with the private-stay requirements builder. For the rest of the room and privacy decisions, see the hotels, rooms and privacy hub, and to understand what a meal claim means, read the five halal claim states.