An Iron in the Hotel Room?

Pick better travel clothes. The big issue is unless it is a dual voltage iron, it will not work well with a converter.

I have yet to find an Italian hotel room with an iron and ironing board like you get at Marriott, etc., here at home. It just "isn't done". Ditto Frank's response...or iron them all before you leave home and live with the packing wrinkles (which are far fewer than "never-been-ironed" wrinkles). I have in the past very discreetly used a travel iron in my hotel rooms in Italy, but as minimally as possible and with great caution and thoughtfulness. Might I suggest a few travel-friendly wardrobe essentials from TravelSmith? www.travelsmith.com

I usually steam my clothes in the shower and that gets out 90% of the wrinkles - but I bring mostly knit clothes. You could bring a travel iron if you had the correct converter. But I have yet to find a travel iron that gets hot enough to get out more wrinkles than simply steaming.

Downey Wrinkle Release, careful packing, steaming while in the shower, and then if all else fails, ignore the wrinkles still there.

If you're not too worried about a small bit of bulk and little extra weight, check online or at a place like Bed Bath and Beyond...you can get a small travel iron with built-in converter for under $20 (maybe half the size of a full iron). They get plenty hot...just like a full-size iron. Just don't forget to ensure the voltage switch is in the proper position, or you'll quickly burn up your new iron (same goes for anytime you might use it back home...switch it back).

I use a travel iron. Works great.

There is nothing worse than a wrinkled tourist!! :-) As others have said, I like to pack clothes that don't require ironing. Since sometimes that is hard to do, 2 years ago I packed a travel-sized steamer that worked great. You fill it with water from the sink and voila - no wrinkles. I am not sure where we got ours, but you could probably get one on eBay for less than $20. Or try Bed,Bath and Beyond, Walmart, etc...
Since then though I have developed a real liking for staying in apartments, which normally supply an iron. That's an added bonus of staying in an apartment or short term rental. Hope that helps!

For numerous trips over the years I have used the Eagle Creek Packing Envelopes for shirts, blouses, slacks and skirts. Things stay virtually wrinkle free! Here's a youtube demo: scroll down http://www.backcountry.com/eagle-creek-pack-it-folders#reviews I've had complements on my "freshly pressed blouse" when
it has just been taken out of the Envelope after a 12-hour flight! Hanging up things while you take a shower is also a good hint.

We've had one hotel room with an iron and board (out of something like 25 rooms). It's not a common thing here. I would bring the travel iron. Don't worry about being discreet, no one will say anything. We bring a full size one and small board with us everywhere we go and no one has ever said a thing.

Catherine, My approach to this issue is similar to the methods used by the others who have replied here. As Frank mentioned, it's a good idea to use "travel friendly" clothes that are easy to care for without an Iron. I always use Tilley clothing during travels. Steaming clothes in the shower is also a useful technique. There's no way I would ever travel with an Iron, as it's just one more thing to haul around Europe. I don't have the room for it in my Backpack, and don't want to carry it. Also (and perhaps more importantly), having a few wrinkles in my clothing really doesn't concern me. Happy travels!

Thank you for all you terrific insights and advice. I really appreciate your sharing your experience and suggestions. You good folks are most kind. May all your journeys be enhanced for having helped this fellow traveler. Warm regards,
Catherine