Ever wonder about soundproofing in Hotels, or lack of?

[dumpster56]

Man just back from a place last night. Paper thin walls hallway noise etc.

Plus most people are well just loud. Party down the hall, TVs blasting people just opening and closing their doors. And this was a well rated clean newer place.

Gotta get a corner room next time.

 

[simple girl]

Ever think of traveling with a sound machine? (i.e. it makes white noise and blocks out other noises)

That's what we do.

 

[kramer]

I was thinking of bringing an inexpensive pair of noise cancellation headphones with me for a long trip to Asia. They just way a few ounces and are useful on flights, too. You can get them that run on AA or AAA batteries. I think you can turn them down so that you can still hear loud noises if you want (like someone shouting FIRE).

I am not sure if it is safe to have the cancellation going in your ear all night? And how comfortable it would be to sleep with them on. I wouldn't be wearing them every night, just when I was in a particularly noisy place. Noise is a much bigger problem in the developing world.

I have seen a pair that are basically just a thin cord that connects what is placed over the two ears.

Anyone with experience?

Kramer

 

[stargazer08]

Shoot, I could use these at home!!! Waiting with baited breath to hear from anyone about the feasibility of using these at night.

 

[Nords]

Shoot, I could use these at home!!! Waiting with baited breath to hear from anyone about the feasibility of using these at night.

Every New Year's Eve I sleep with a pair of orange foam cone-shaped earplugs.

They work like a charm and I wouldn't be able to hear the sirens anyway.

 

[MikeD]

I used to travel for fun stuff like huge gun shows or fireworks displays with buddies or my adventurous BIL. Almost all of them snored. I started carying a few pairs of some little foam ear plugs I got for two pair/dollar. At first they are slightly uncomfortable but I got used to them.

Mike D.

 

[haha]

I wouildn't want to diminish hearing at night for the same reasons I don't like to walk around with earphones during the day.

People are supposed to maintain situational awareness; at least I want to.

Ha

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

I heard that wearing earplugs all the time can cause excessive wax buildup in your ears.

And as Ha suggests, it might suck to not hear the fire alarm going off.

I might suggest trying big old concrete building types of hotels, or the scatterer townhouse "extended stay" varieties. Better insulation in the former and more distance between people in the latter.

One other trick I used to use when traveling on business was to find a handful of bed and breakfasts in the area and try those out. They often have a lot of vacancy during the week when its not a holiday week. Quieter, sometimes cheaper or the same price, and much better food. Just dont tell your office travel person about it. I made that mistake and after that all the B&B's were filled up with people from my company

 

[Moemg]

I wouildn't want to diminish hearing at night for the same reasons I don't like to walk around with earphones during the day.

People are supposed to maintain situational awareness; at least I want to.

Ha

If I did not diminsh hearing at night my SO would wake up with a pillow over his head !

 

[laurence]

I was thinking of bringing an inexpensive pair of noise cancellation headphones with me for a long trip to Asia. They just way a few ounces and are useful on flights, too. You can get them that run on AA or AAA batteries. I think you can turn them down so that you can still hear loud noises if you want (like someone shouting FIRE).

I am not sure if it is safe to have the cancellation going in your ear all night? And how comfortable it would be to sleep with them on. I wouldn't be wearing them every night, just when I was in a particularly noisy place. Noise is a much bigger problem in the developing world.

I have seen a pair that are basically just a thin cord that connects what is placed over the two ears.

Anyone with experience?

Kramer

I have the sony brand, they are great. My company, with discount, pays $200+ a night yet the rooms are still noisy. I sleep with the Sony's on, and it blocks out the talking and T.V., but doesn't block out things like Fire alarms ( I found out in person - false alarm). No actual data to back this up, but the phones do better blocking out continual noises than sharp, new ones, and they may reduce noise, but you aren't in a soundproof state by any means.

I couldn't sleep with earplugs, the sensation of having something stuck in my ear keeps me awake.

General travel tip. Get a suite whenever possible. Some hotels are all suites now, and the second set of doors between you and the hallway is so worth it, no plugs/headphones needed.

 

[SteveR]

I have slept with foam ear plugs for over 15 years and find I don't sleep as well without them. I am a very very light sleeper so even the cat moving around at night will wake me up. In all those years I never failed to hear the alarm clock at 5:15AM or any other important sound.

Speaking of noisy hotels....We stayed at one last year that was by far the worst I have ever been in and I have been in a LOT of hotels with decades of business travel. Even with the ear plugs the place was unbearable. We were exhausted by the time we left. No one person to blame...just the whole place and the outside street noise.

My experience with noise cancelling headphones is that they only work for noise that is constant in frequency and duration. People talking and other sharp or short duration sounds are not blocked. I would like to see them make a headphone that is truly noise blocking to all noise and will not allow human speach either. With all the crowding in the world today and the use of cell phones everywhere we now have to endure a lot more noise than we used to. I don't want to hear your phone conversation.

 

[kramer]

Thanks for the informative replys.

I will probably be staying in noisy digs in Asia since I am a budget traveler. Plus, developing countries are just plain noisy. So that part is unavoidable.

I did a little reading on this last evening and you guys are right, these things are more to block out low frequency and continuous sounds. They are much less effective at high frequency and sudden sounds. For the higher frequencies, they are depending more on the passive part (the ear muff or plug). A lot of the reviews mentioned ear discomfort from extended wear because of the ear muffs pressing hard against the head.

I think I will experiment sleeping with ear plugs (I have some already) and see if that would work for me. It is just less complicated and a simple solution is better than a complex solution. I am not real sensitive to noise, so this is not a huge issue for me, but getting your sleep is important on the road. Hopefully, if I didn't wear them all the time, wax buildup would not be an issue.

Kramer

 

[MikeD]

I am a very very light sleeper so even the cat moving around at night will wake me up.

Hey, me too! Well, back when I still had my hearing. People wouldn't believe me when I'd tell them that I was awakened by the sound of birds walking on my roof.

Mike D.

 

[bssc]

I try for suite, not because of people outside but because DW has trouble sleeping and loves to watch TV. For me, the TV will wake me up while it puts her to sleep. So, having a door helps.

 

[lazygood4nothinbum]

just back from two days in sarasota and three in tampa. in tampa stayed at cheap motel filled with both paintballers and yankee rookies.

i gotta solution to your noise problem:

party harder than they do.