Before ever resting your head in an unfamiliar bed, follow checklist of steps to keep the germs away. Plus, find out which seven hotels he names among the worst in the world.

Want to know the No. 1 dirtiest thing in a hotel room? The remote control.
Think about that for a minute.
But wait — there's a lot more dirt about hotels that you probably don’t know.

In years of traveling, and years of staying in hotel rooms, I've developed a protocol I use every time I check in, which I’m about to share with you.

The first thing you need to do in your hotel room is to walk over to the bed, remove the comforter and toss it in a corner. Never look at it again.

Then, pull out a packet of disposable disinfectant wipes — which you should always carry when you travel — and wipe down the doorknobs, telephone … and remote control.

Next, walk over to the bathroom and take a look at the drinking glasses. Do they look clean? Perhaps they are. But you need to consider this: Most hotel maids are responsible for cleaning a dozen or so rooms in one eight-hour shift, which means that some items are going to get the short shrift. If your room was the 11th or 12th in her shift, there's a good chance she was running out of time. And if that’s the case, some maids have been known to give the glasses a cursory wipe or rinse before putting them back on the counter. My advice: Turn the hot water on in the bathroom and run the glasses under that water for at least two minutes before you even think about drinking from them.

The same goes for coffeepots, mugs and even the ice bucket (which is why most hotels provide a liner). Never assume that shared items in a hotel are as spotless and sanitary as they are in your own home.

Finally, you should call housekeeping and ask for extra pillows. Why? Because odds are the new pillows from downstairs are fresher and cleaner than the ones on your bed. And that goes double for the extra pillows stashed in the closet.

Bottom line: Assume the worst and then be proactive about cleaning it up.

How to tell if your hotel has good service

Just because I travel 400,000 miles a year doesn’t mean I enjoy only four-star properties. To me, a “good” hotel isn’t about the thread count of the sheets, the size of the room, the view or having brand-name shampoo in the bathroom. Other than sleeping and showering, most of us don’t spend a whole lot of time in our hotel rooms.

No, the real criteria for a good hotel room are safety, location, light in the room (not "mood lighting" but light you can actually use to work and read), Internet connectivity, water pressure and, perhaps most important of all, great service. If someone at the hotel anticipates my needs and follows through to meet them, I’ll be a loyal customer.

It's called service. And there's a sure-fire way to determine if your hotel really is service-oriented. I call it my Diet Coke test.

Here’s how it works: Ask for any carbonated soft drink at a bar, and chances are it comes out of the “gun.” It's either too syrupy, overly carbonated or has an aftertaste of another brand of soda. It’s much better to be served a drink that comes from a can or a bottle.

Several years ago, I stayed in a Surat and asked the waitress for a can of Diet Coke. She insisted that it wasn’t possible because sodas were served from that gun dispenser. When I pointed out that there must be cans of Diet Coke in the vending machines and for room service, she grudgingly got me one.