How to improve hotel rooms

[Lewis Clark]

I also hate the configurations where you need to put the room key in the slot to enable power in the room which prevents charging of devices when you are out. I've tried using room keys from other hotel stays and it doesn't seem to act as a workaround.

Just ask for one additional key from the front desk. Leave it in the slot to keep the power on all the time.

 

[BigNick]

Just ask for one additional key from the front desk. Leave it in the slot to keep the power on all the time.

Most of these slots can be kept happy with a credit card, or even a couple of business cards. Only once have I seen one that needed the chip from the actual hotel key card.

 

[travelover]

1) Get rid of the nasty bed covers. I know they are never washed, so the first thing I do is try to find a place to put it out of the way.

2) Offer a choice of pillows. Not everyone likes a fat foam pillow that acts like a Pogo stick under your head.

3) Pay your employees. I should not have to tip a person that I have never and will never meet.

 

[6miths]

Always, always put an exhaust fan in the bathroom. And while your at it the heating elements behind the mirror to keep the condensation off.

 

[samclem]

I wish the budget hotels with the "in the wall" heat pump AC/heater units would finally upgrade them to have a wall thermostat in the room rather than a "hotter/cooler" knob in the unit itself. The thermostats in the unit are never good at knowing what the temp in the room is. It helps a >little< if you run the fan continuously (which also helps with the thin walls/noisy neighbors issue. "Hey you guys, get a room!" Oh, they already did!).

Other peeves: Is it too much to ask to have a light on the ceiling? For whatever reason, lamps (with translucent shades) and wall sconces (direct illumination, not aimed up) seem to be favored, and sometimes the glare is amazing.

 

[Scratchy]

Never have a curtain enclose the shower. They are impossible to properly sanitize. Sliding or swinging door please.

 

[ckelly78z]

I would like to see a small nightstand on each side of each bed. I need a place to put my glasses, and a bottle of water, possibly a phone when I go to sleep.

I also like to see an A/C unit that has a "fan always on" option for added white noise to prevent hearing neighbors moving around.

I appreciate the complimentary coffee, but would prefer some hot chocolate.

A list of local resturaunts on the night stand is another must.

 

[Sanstar]

Beds that are so high off the floor I feel like they need a step ladder.

 

[Koogie]

Beds that are so high off the floor I feel like they need a step ladder.

That's also a complaint DW has (she's "vertically challenged") In some hotels with pillow top kings she practically has to take a running jump to get up into
bed.

Makes nocturnal bathroom visits particularly amusing.

 

[Starsky]

Agree with all the previous comments. U.S. hotels are behind the time on a lot of amenities and are just catching up with the card activated lights and due flush toilets. Soundproofing is the most common problem, but I also like having various pillow options, and once even slept on a Tempur mattress [at a Holiday Inn Express in Baltimore] - all hotels should use them, if nothing but for marketing - it made all the difference in the world, and I woke up feeling like a million bucks. (I went home and bought one the very next day!)
My one unsung complaint is that I wish hotels would get rid of carpet and use hard flooring. Very few do this, but I find slightly sticky old carpet to be the very nastiest part of the hotel stay since it's never really cleaned.
After traveling in Japan, I'd be ready for a nice warm automatic toilet... confusing, but ultimately wonderful!

 

[CRLLS]

As already stated, my big wish is for a wall thermostat. One that doesn't take a masters degree to figure out the controls. I think I am fairly capable but some thermostats simply do not adjust as one might expect. And one that doesn't automatically shut off or reset to default conditions when you leave the room for a while.

 

[braumeister]

some thermostats simply do not adjust as one might expect.

Some are adjusted so they can't be adjusted.
Here's a slightly older thread about that.

http://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f46/rigged-hotel-thermostats-85156.html

 

[pacergal]

A Tip for the curtains if you forget the clothes pin--use the clothes hanger with the clips for pants--works well!

 

[HFWR]

I’ve noted a few HIE that have been remodeled with tile flooring, wall thermostat, and a glass partition (not sliding) for the shower.

Then again, this carpeting was from an older HI in Cody, WY....

 

[brett]

We don't like a room with an HVAC unit under the window. Makes too much noise when it comes on and goes off.

We only travel with a 20" carry on roller each. What do like is a place to put BOTH. Often we get a luggage stool, seldom two, and often the second bag straddles the chair or goes on top of the desk or drawer unit, or on the floor.

We also want some sort of device to make coffee. We travel with our own decaf because DW drinks this. Decaf is hard to find in some places where we travel. We usually stay for 2-3 nights so we also like a fridge to store some milk for coffee, or perhaps juice or beer.

 

[RunningBum]

Agree with all the previous comments. U.S. hotels are behind the time on a lot of amenities and are just catching up with the card activated lights and due flush toilets.!

Um, most people aren't fans of the card activated lights here, at least if they control the outlets (device charging) too.

No idea what a due flush toilet is, unless you mean "deuce", but those have been around for quite awhile!

 

[Chuckanut]

On tub showers, Shower splash doors that extend about two feet max from the shower head are usually insufficient. Water ends up all over the floor

 

[Wincherr]

I’m surprised this wasn’t mentioned more. Those darned duvet covers. Besides the cleanliness issues, who in the world sleeps under 4” of “stuff”. Every time I check in, I immediately rip that thing off the bed and pray there is a blanket in the closet. I have written Hilton over and over about it.

 

[zoomie78]

Should have at least 4 usb chargers, 2 on each nightstand light would work. So I can surf online while iPad/phone are charging

Check behind the TV for an extra USB, most TVs have one now that will provide charging for one of your devices.

 

[zoomie78]

I always bring a couple of clothes pins. They are handy to clip the drapes to ensure they stay closed and don't have a gap in the middle.

If you forget the clothes pins, you can use a hanger that has the clips to hang pants that most rooms have.

 

[Hawkeye]

Laminate flooring! Easy to mop clean. Too many hotels, even nice ones, have really crappy smelly dirty carpet.

 

[foxfirev5]

Hampton Inn used to post, and maybe still does, a note on the headboard that they changes the sheets. DW went wild over this. Furthermore she wants to know when was the last time you saw a duvet cover on a laundry cart?

 

[zoomie78]

No! It's not possible to clean a coffee maker with water well enough to make decent tasting tea. You need vinegar. Even those little pod-based machines where you can take out the pod and its holder won't give you clean hot water once they've been soaked in coffee flavored steam for a while.

Do not want to say this, but as a retired airline employee, I can tell you many flight attendants do not carry a clean pair of undies for each day they are away. They are very clever in how they can have a clean pair of undies for each day. They also are good at making grilled cheese sandwiches with the iron.

 

[isisdave]

Lots of budget hotels in Europe have no phone. Want room service or the front desk? Use your cell to call!

 

[morriss003]

One of the best small rooms we've stayed in was at the Motel L in Alvsjo, Stockholm. We were amazed at how well it was designed. The headboard looked like it went straight up, except that there was a hand hold and when you pulled on it another bed folded out above. The bathroom looked like an artist had done the designs in the shower. The worst room we ever stayed in was at a hotel near the train station in Milan, Italy.

My ideal room would have fast speed internet, a desk with a lamp that had several fast USB ports, a Sleep Number bed with several varieties of covers, sheets, and pillows, a Keurig with a variety of coffee pods, a kitchenette with a microwave, dual sinks, a mini fridge that was placed on a stand so the top was at shoulder height, a rice cooker, a bathroom with toilet paper that did not feel like sand paper, a walk-in shower with plenty of hot water and fawsets that needed more than a tiny movement to increase or decrease the temperature, a plush bathrobe, and double-paned windows that blocked all sound from outside the room.