Holidaymaker shares 'genius' hack to turn on hotel lights without your key card - and people are shocked at how easy it is

Daily Mail​

15-05-2025

A holidaymaker has shared a 'genius' way to turn on the lights in a hotel room without using a key card.
The use of key cards to activate room lights and power might have become commonplace in many hotels across the globe, but the practice can also cause an inconvenience to some guests.
If the key card is removed, electric outlets are also deactivated, making it impossible to charge devices while the room is unoccupied.
Equally, for guests who wish to use the bathroom during the night, it can be hard to find and place the key card in its slot to switch on the lights.
Thankfully, lifestyle blogger Nia Braidford has shared a practical solution to switching on the lights in a hotel room without the need for a specific card, as reported by the Express.
Taking to TikTok, she explained to her followers in a video: 'Sorry, I might have been living on a foreign planet but you know when you're in a hotel and you have to put your key card in the thing to make the lights work, like the little pocket.
'Well, my mother has taken the card so now the lights aren't meant to work, but did you know you can put any card in?'
Brandishing a Holland & Barrett rewards card, the TikToker inserted it into the key card slot, which, to her surprise, proved successful in switching on the lights.
In the comments, over 300 viewers praised Nia's 'genius' trick, as one said: 'I literally would have sat with no lights! Every day is a school day.'
A second wrote, 'Nice hack. I didn't know,' while a third commented, 'That's genius!!'
A former hotel employee added: 'Doesn't even have to be a card! When I was a hotel housekeeper we used to use folded up scraps of paper to do it.'
Nia's claim has been backed up by dozens of holidaymakers on Reddit who have shared photos of their credit, energy and membership cards in their hotel room's key card slots.
However, a number of seasoned hotel guests warn that swapping the key card for another card doesn't always work.
One user wrote: 'Doesn't work, I have been in 4 different hotels in the last month, 3 needed a card for power and none of them worked with a random card.'
Another said: '80% of all the hotels I was in in SE Asia this year required a true room key, not just a random card.'
A third recalled: 'We tried that once, but they changed the key (I'm guessing it was the code in the strip or something?) so that only the new one worked in the door and lights. Ugh, so frustrating!'
Elsewhere, an expert has revealed a little-known hack that allows non-guests to indulge in free food and drink all day at chain hotels from just £25 per person.
Most would think executive lounges are reserved for hotel guests on their member schemes, where they're generally offered complimentary breakfast, canapes, drinks, and other premium amenities.
However, many lounges can actually be accessed by non-guests for a set price - and some kids can even go free.
David Haines, a concierge at Park Plaza Westminster Bridge, explained to The Sun that his hotel offers adult guests access to the executive lounge for £55, while children aged 12 to 18 can visit for £35, and children under 12 go free.