Don’t look down your nose at flight attendants – we’re probably staying in a nicer hotel than you and paying £30 a night

IT’S funny being a flight attendant – a lot of the people treat you as if you’re a servant and passengers do look down on you sometimes.

However, the reality is, we’re able to have a pretty luxurious lifestyle sometimes – often much more than you’d realise.

When we travel for our holidays, we’re usually in at least business class – and we’re paying a lot less for it.

And then when we arrive, we’re staying in amazing resorts, for just a fraction of the price that the general public is paying.

The hotels are always my favourite part of a trip away because I know I’m going to be staying somewhere really fabulous.

In this week’s blog for Sun Online Travel, I’ll explain exactly how it all works and why we end spending a relative pittance for top class stays.

The main takeaway from this is that if you want a job that lets you stay in some of the best hotels and resorts, you should think about becoming a flight attendant.

Each airline will have its own deals and arrangements in place with hotels, but they’re usually extremely good.

We’re able to make the most of sizeable crew discounts at these associated partner hotels and we’re always treated extremely well.

The price varies depending on the deal we have with each resort, but I know some four and five star places where we can pay as little as £30 a night.

It’s not always that cheap because the deals change depending on when we travel.

For instance, if we go off season, when the hotels are likely to be emptier, it’s much cheaper.

But if we go in the summer, it’s a bit more expensive because there’s much more competition for rooms and the resorts could be making more money as a result.

However, it’s still worth their while to look after us and allow us to check in cheaply.

This is because the airline uses those resorts and hotels for its staff whenever we’re flying to those destinations.

Therefore, the accommodation gets a lot of continued custom and money through those arrangements.

My friends and family can’t believe some of the places I get to stay in – and neither can I sometimes.

We’re really lucky that our airline has arrangements in place with some really nice hotels. Others might not be as fortunate, but we’re always treated extremely nicely.

It often softens the blow of dealing with arrogant people looking down on me during my flight.

I’ll either be staying somewhere much nicer than them when we arrive. And if not, they’ll have spent a fortune for the pleasure.

Meanwhile, I can just save my money and enjoy exactly the same level of luxury.

When I arrive at the hotel, there are some things I insist on when checking in.

Safety gadgets

Staying safe in hotels can be difficult, particularly for female cabin crew members.

I’ve heard of some FAs having people trying to get into their rooms, and almost succeeding, with very easy tactics.

A lot of us now carry door stops with alarms that can be wedged under the door.

If anyone tries to get in, it will push the door onto the wedge, which will then make a horrible noise, waking everyone up and alerting them to a dangerous situation.

Meanwhile, this other flight attendant uses a safety routine to make sure her room is safe.

And this £8 item is another popular gadget that keeps hotel guests secure.

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