Hotels are constantly trying to figure out what they can do so you’ll stay at their brand over the other guy’s brand. And it’s not a new phenomenon; it’s been ongoing for decades. Don’t believe me? Holiday Inn did just that.
Unfortunately, unlike Holiday Inn’s innovation, which became an industry standard, more hotels nowadays seem to make decisions – and yell it from the rooftops, no less – that they think make them look cool. Or that quietly saves them money. And they think we don’t notice. Except we do.
The other problem is that unlike Holiday Inn all those years ago, which was truly innovative, the vast majority of the well-known brands under the Hyatt-IHG-Hilton-Mariott-et-al umbrellas just copy what the other hotels are doing.
Here are some glaring examples:
Hang your towels & save the environment
I don’t remember when it started, but the hotel industry noticed that if they asked guests to keep their towels, in the name of environmentality, instead of having them replaced every day, many of them would follow through.
Of course, they never mention how much money they save on however many fewer towels they have to wash every year, do they? But it’s less money coming out of their profits and it’s not as if they pass the savings on to us. Ca-ching!
And if they’re asking us to hang our stuff, don’t you think it’d be nice if they provided enough places to hang the towels, hand towels, and washcloths from? I don’t mean the bar hangers…you have to double or even triple fold your towel to fit on those, and then they don’t dry.
Or…you do what they ask, figure out where to hang everything, and then housekeeping replaces the towels anyway.
Yeah, that’s just dumb.
Room refreshment
Of course, lots of people notice when a hotel hasn’t “refreshed” its rooms in years, if not decades. The threadbare upholstering, the nicks in the wooden furniture, the stained carpet. That still doesn’t mean you have to advertise that you’re newly refurbished. Because really, nobody cares enough that you have to advertise it. Unless you’re someone who stays at the same hotel repeatedly, no one will even notice. It’s either refreshed…or not.
“Oh look honey – the Hyatt Place just renovated their rooms! Let’s stay THERE!” Does anyone really ever say this? OK sure, maybe if you’re comparing 2 hotels that are otherwise 100% similar in every single way. But otherwise, although it’s nice for hotels to boast that they just redid their rooms, it’s not really a “seller,” y’know?
The other issue that comes up when hotels redecorate their rooms? It winds up looking like every other hotel room out there. Modern is modern and sure, the color schedules might be different. But if you’re really trying to stand out from the crowd, why not refurbish something different from the rest?
SO dumb.
To be fair, there are some higher-end hotels that buck the system and do their own thing (and yes, I know that doing it this way probably costs them a small fortune):
- The Goldener Hirsch did – and it’s part of the charm that brings people back time and time again
- The Waldorf=Astoria in NYC is (finally) taking reservations for later in 2025. We visited juuuuust before they closed and, as you can see, the suites looked like you were visiting your grandmother’s house (also, heads up that was, I think, our 3rd YMMV post ever – our writing style has changed LOL). Based on the hotel’s website, it still looks like Grandma’s house…but if Grandma was hip and sophisticated. 😉
Bathroom design
And speaking of room design…who the hell decided that frosted glass was an adequate replacement for walls separating the main part of the room and the bathroom? Do they seriously not think that people stay in hotels with their friends? Co-workers? Siblings? Children?
Or those barn doors that leave 2″ of space for people to hear, smell and possibly peep at whatever you’re doing in the bathroom?
Or that the toilet paper roll should be behind you? Or 4 feet away from the toilet?
And if you’re going to still give us a small bar of soap for use at the sink, maybe consider providing us with some sort of soap dish to accompany it?
And speaking of bathroom designs. Lordy, don’t get me started. Sure, shower curtains may be cheap, but they also cling to you (EWWW!) while you’re in the shower. Full-sized shower doors are lovely, but try to find them.
The part that really gets me now? A half-(or even a quarter!) sized shower door (so you’re guaranteed to get the entire bathroom wet, AND be cold the whole time you’re actually in the shower). And shower doors that don’t move, combined with a shower head and controls that are on “that” side of the shower.
Heaven forbid someone wants to turn the shower on and let the water get hot enough before you step in. Can’t do that with those immovable doors.
And while we’re at it, what idiot decided this particular placement of the mirror was a good idea?
Oh! And! I could see that some hotel designers might never have to shave their legs. But women do. And not everyone can bend all the way down to wash their feet. A ledge in the shower would be LOVELY.
DUMB. Just…dumb.
And this guy? Spot on.
Thank you for attending my TED Talk. Come back next week, when I will talk about women’s pants needing deeper pockets.
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