How to Check Out of a Hotel — And Why Gen Z and Boomers Are Arguing About It 🏨🚪

Apparently, we can’t even agree on how to leave a hotel room without it turning into a generational debate.

A viral TikTok from last month shows one traveller confidently strutting out of her hotel without stopping by the front desk. The caption?
“For older generations: This is how you check out of a hotel. You just walk out.”

Her point: the front desk doesn’t need your room key, and they don’t need you announcing your departure like you’re in a rom-com airport scene.

RELATED: HOTELS ARE NOW CHARGING $50 TO PUT YOUR OWN STUFF IN THE MINI FRIDGE

The Ghost Exit Backlash

While some praised the “just leave” method, the comments section quickly became a hospitality etiquette battlefield.

• “Younger generations — this is how you leave if you don’t want to be kind and maybe give someone else the early check-in they really need,” one person clapped back.
• A former housekeeper chimed in: “It makes our jobs a lot easier if you’re polite and let someone know.”
• And, of course, the social extroverts weighed in: “You do you… I’m not afraid of a minor social interaction.”

Why the Front Desk Stop Still Matters

Hotel experts say checking out in person is mostly a courtesy — but it can be a useful one. Letting staff know you’re gone could speed up early check-ins for other guests and give housekeeping a head start.

Plus, there’s the practical perk: avoiding unexpected charges. Stopping by the desk lets you dispute any mysterious minibar items or “room service” orders that definitely weren’t yours before they hit your credit card.

Bottom line: If you want to ghost-exit your hotel room, that’s fine. But maybe don’t ghost your manners in the process.