There's no changing the watercolor sailboats bolted to the wall, but you can make a hotel room feel more like home. When you make your reservations, ask about options that can give your bed a more familiar feel. For example, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts' Wyndham ByRequest program allows you to choose between foam or feather pillows. If you travel to one city a lot, try to stay at the same hotel every time. The hotel staff will value your business and offer you upgrades if they can, says Cheryl Rosner, president of Hotels.com. She also suggests packing travel candles to light in your room.

Gordon Elliott, host of the Fine Living Network's The Genuine Article and a frequent traveler, says to bring your own alarm clock. "Hotel clocks are always hard to work, and you never know if the guy before you set it for 4:30 A.M.," he says. And download some of your favorite music onto your laptop so you can play that instead of the radio, says Elliott.