More Hotels Are Removing Dressers From Their Rooms. Here’s Why

by SharonKurheg

When you check into a hotel room nowadays, you have a few things you hope for. A comfy bed. Decent WiFi. Cable. At least a few plugs you can use. Maybe some USB ports. A lack of bed bugs (here’s how you can check ahead of time).

A chest of drawers? Don’t hope too hard for that, because they’re becoming rarer and rarer depending on where you stay.

Why? Blame younger people 😉

No, seriously. According to CN Traveler, hotels are noticing that a minimalist look is more attractive to younger guests. They’re not looking for bells and whistles and are absolutely happy with a space that’s just clean and efficient. So in hotels that cater to adults in their 20s or so, dressers are out and shelves are in.

There are other reasons too. Newly built hotel rooms are getting smaller and a lack of a big piece of furniture like a chest of drawers makes the room feel bigger. Plus, people who are only staying in a hotel for a night or two and/or in the room as a single reportedly tend not to use the dresser. So why supply one?

But that’s not all. Carpets are being replaced by laminate floors, which are much easier to clean. Tubs are being ripped out and replaced with glass-walled showers. And if you want a desk, well, you might be lucky and get a table. Otherwise, there’s always the lobby (or use this hack). I guess they’re using the KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid) design methodology.

Meanwhile, hotels are offering other storage solutions to replace the lack of drawers, such as installing hanging rails, hooks, shelving, open wardrobes, and even drawer space under the bed.

Over the past couple of years, we’ve stayed at several places that had some of these more modern designs…

  • When we stayed at the Moxy in Phoenix Tempe a few years ago, there was no chest of drawers. As you can see in the photos in that post, we had a small closet for hanging things and there were some hooks on the wall. We only stayed one night and didn’t miss having drawers at all.
  • When Joe went on his first business trip, he spent a week at the Hilton Garden Inn in Charlotte. As shown in that post, the room had a long table that acted as a desk, TV stand, table lamp holder and 2ish feet for putting stuff down. Several shelves and metal wire pull-out bins were across from the bathroom, where a closet would normally be. Joe said he didn’t really miss having drawers; the bins and shelving were enough for his 1-week visit. But storage space did start getting cramped when I surprised him by showing up for a long weekend (that was SO MUCH FUN!) and there were now 2 people in the room. He also said since the bins were just wire, it prevented him from storing anything small in them.
  • Our rooms (we stayed in two different rooms, one night each) at the TWA Hotel at JFK also used the long table design. The room had a small closet but no drawers.
  • When we stayed at Motel One, in Munich,  in late 2019, I think that’s when I felt the cons of “small, clean and efficient.” The room was very small – no more than 10′ x20′ (not uncommon in Europe), including the bathroom. As you can see, instead of drawers there were 2 small areas for hangers and 3 shelves. And the “desk” was a table with an ottoman. There was also minimal space for our luggage. Overall, not ideal for our 3-night stay. But the lobby was great if we wanted to hang out there.

A few other hotels we’ve stayed in during recent years have these newer setups without drawers, but I think you get the point.

For hotel guests in their 40s, 50s or older, there are still plenty of hotel chains with drawers and computer desks. Families can still find rooms with tubs to give their kids a bath, and carpeted rooms are still out there to muffle sounds a little.

But if it’s a hotel brand that’s more aimed at Generation Y, or is just trying to be more modern, the trend is not to have drawers.

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10 comments

DaninMCI February 13, 2020 - 12:25 pm

Unless I’m staying for like a month I wouldn’t normally use drawers in a hotel room.

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GUWonder February 13, 2020 - 1:05 pm

Most people under 50 nowadays seem to live out of their suitcase when away for a trip that is less than 5 days long. Even many people older do too. The suitcase as de facto drawer/shelf seems to be rather common.

Most of my hotel stays are 1-2 nights long, and unpacking and placing the entirety of my carry-ons or even checked-in luggage in hotel drawers for such a stay is not desirable for me.

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Jinxed_K February 13, 2020 - 2:26 pm

Long as that folding luggage table is available to keep the suitcase off the floor, I’m fine with not having a dresser/drawers.
There was one hotel in Japan I stayed that was so cramped that I had to put my suitcase on the sofa since there was no other place to put it without it getting in the way of normal movement around the room. Least the TV was watchable while sitting on the bed.

Think my only must-haves in a hotel room would be a bed, bathroom, power plugs, TV (don’t even need cable), table and chair. Usually choose my hotels based on location and brand, not individual amenities.

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Tony February 13, 2020 - 2:41 pm

i’ve never once used a dresser in a hotel room, even for a 5-night stay.

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Nick February 13, 2020 - 2:52 pm

I hardly ever unpack for a hotel stay except for anything that needs to be hung/wrinkle free. However the lack of a desk is a big problem. I always need room to spread out and charge electronics. Sometimes sit for a snack and on occasion do some work. I think the desks should stay and the in room phone should be moved there vs next to the bed. I’d rather have that extra space for other things.

All set with the tubs too. Only time i’m soaking in a hotel is if it’s in a larger Jacuzzi. Not having kids, i don’t know how this would effect parents.

As for carpet vs laminate floors, can’t really comment on this due to limited experience. I have a feeling the hard floors would feel cleaner but noise is still a larger factor.

Overall i don’t mind a more minimalist room, but enough of these super soft mattresses and pillows. Those ruin my trips more than anything else, you need some support….

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Bob April 26, 2021 - 1:57 pm

Interesting stories and reactions. But looking at the room(size) and equipment, living out of the suitcase … but where can you put that suitcase for this purpose ? Is there a dedicated space, like in the old days ?

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Ed August 19, 2021 - 1:08 pm

I traveled almost every week for 20 years and never used the dresser. Either stay packed or empty the suitcase on the spare bed.

I have stayed a few hotels recently that didn’t have a desk – that is inexcusable. Lobby workstations are not a substitute for having a work desk in the room.

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Robert D August 20, 2021 - 12:20 am

If I’m there more than 2 nights, I have to unpack. I despise living out of a suitcase!

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Jack May 10, 2022 - 9:31 pm

I loathe hotel rooms that do not have a lot of drawers

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Kari Hadley June 27, 2022 - 9:52 pm

My husband and I often travel for 2 weeks at a time, usually splitting the stay between 2 cities. We have 3 suitcases (1 quite large), and 4 other items. I do unpack into the drawers, as the clothes in my space bags gets rather mashed. I have started bringing foldable mesh boxes to unpack my toiletries so I’m not constantly running back and forth from the bathroom.

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