The Real Reason Why Hotels Use Transparent Glass Walls in the Bathrooms

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If you’ve been traveling and staying in hotels for a long time – like, decades – you’ve probably noticed the changes that have happened over the years. Obviously, daily housekeeping is a rarity nowadays. So is changing the towels every day. But there are plenty of other differences between the hotels of yesteryear and those of today:

• Many hotels no longer leave a bible in the room
• Why hotels are removing dressers from their rooms
• The reasoning behind those weird half shower doors

You may have also noticed the more modern trends of smaller hotel rooms, less carpeting and the list goes on and on.

But now there’s another hotel design trend that seems to be picking up speed and I’ll be honest – I don’t know even one person who likes it.

I’m talking, of course, about hotels that use transparent glass walls in their bathrooms.

I’m sure you’ve seen them:

My husband and I have had hotel rooms with this design choice on a small handful of occasions (the Crowne Plaza Changi Airport comes to mind, but I’m sure there were others, as well). But we’ve been married long enough, and are open enough with each other where we don’t have any qualms about seeing each other naked, doing “typical bathroom things,” etc.

But that’s us.

What if you’re traveling with your friend?

Or a sibling?

Or your children?

Or a co-worker?

Granted, some hotels at least use FROSTED glass. But even with that, there’s still plenty that you probably don’t want friends/siblings/kids/co-workers to see.

Why do hotels think that having clear glass walls in the bathroom is OK???

Well, I don’t know why they think it’s OK. But I’ve been reading and I think I know the reasons why they’ve decided to make this design choice, as unpopular as it is:

It makes a small room appear larger

Lots of hotels are choosing to build with much smaller rooms than in past decades. When the living space of a hotel room is that tiny, you appear to increase it by a good 25% or more if the bathroom walls are clear.

It allows more living space

Traditional walls are typically a few inches thick. Glass walls? Maybe a half inch. That’s more living space a hotelier can boast about.

Conversely, it allows hotel rooms to be even smaller

Again, traditional walls are typically a few inches thick. Glass walls? Maybe a half inch. That means the hotelier may be able to get away with a slightly smaller room; after all, as long as a bed fits in the space, they’re good to go!

It’s easier to install

Glass is a lot easier to install than a typical wall. There are no studs to deal with, no drywall, no time-consuming tiling or building outlets. Ease of installation means it takes less time. Time is money.

It’s easy to clean

Glass is much easier to clean than a wall. Ease of cleaning means it takes less time to clean. And again, time is money.

It allows for more light

Hotel bathrooms, for the most part, tend to be on the dark side. They rarely have windows. The shower area may or may not have a ceiling light above it (and then, combined with a shower curtain, you’re talking about a really dark shower). Even the lights that are there are probably LED and give off all sorts of weird shadows for shaving, makeup, etc.

If the bathroom wall is clear glass, it allows the natural light from the hotel window/patio to shine in, giving more light to that part of the room.

It’s modern

Hotel designers are always looking for things that are modern and exude “luxury.” What better material to reflect both of those than glass?

But what about privacy?

Hate to say it, but your privacy is the least of a hotelier’s concerns. They’re looking for every way possible to save on costs while making it SOUND like it’s a good thing. Just like the decrease in daily housekeeping (“to keep you healthy” – and also pay less for housekeeping) and requests to re-use your towels (“to save the environment” – as well as pay less for laundry services).

Welcome to the modern age!

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