How to get a peaceful hotel room

I like Sound Oasis Sleep Therapy Pillow Speakers with volume control, thin stereo speakers that you place under your pillow to envelop your head with music or white noise from your digital device (from about $22 online), though when it comes to blocking noise for me, nothing can beat the Tranquil Moments Bedside Speaker & Sleep Sounds device from Brookstone ($99.99).

It’s got a dozen sound programs (including “ocean surf” and “white rain”) and refined volume control that you can bump up bit by bit until you’ve masked the chatter of hotel room neighbors, voices in the hallway and, as I can attest, outrageously loud snoring from an adjacent room.