A few months ago we visited New Orleans. While we loved our stay at The Eliza Jane, there was one thing about it that was less than optimal.
I was reminded of this ordeal by a rant on Miles to Memories about the uselessness of connecting doors, I have one additional reason to hate these portals to other rooms. I meant to write about it but at the time I decided to let it go. However, it still bothers me.
On the first night of our stay, we arrived after 1 AM due to flight delays from Orlando. After paying for an overpriced Lyft, we collapsed into bed (after taking pictures of the room, which is one of the underappreciated things about being travel bloggers).
While it might have registered that we had a connecting room, we surely didn’t care at that point and we weren’t going to ask for a different one.
The following night was the Freddie Awards which meant another late night coming back to the room and collapsing into bed.
It wasn’t until the third night that our nightmare happened. It wasn’t just that we had loud neighbors; we’re long over getting upset about that. Sure, people might listen to the TV too loud or have a little too much fun and lose control of their inside voice sometimes. I mean, I’m sure the first time our friends had me watch John Wick, we weren’t our room neighbors’ best friends, either.
Occasionally, you’ll hear (or feel) things coming from the room next door and that’s fine by us. Everyone’s free to do what they want in a hotel room. Especially if you’re staying at the W Hollywood.
But this one thing was one of the worst noises you want to hear nowadays.
The COUGHING!!!!!
Everyone coughs. OK., I get it. But this wasn’t that. It was a chesty cough that sounded like bronchitis or even worse, like COVID. If you’ve heard a COVID cough, you know what it sounds like and that’s what this sounded like coming from the room next to us and through the CONNECTING DOOR!!!
After 2 hours of hacking, Sharon took action. We weren’t going to complain to the hotel because it’s not the guest’s fault. But we could try to do what little we could to protect ourselves and we stacked towels along the bottom of the door, which had at least a 1-inch gap.
Since the coughing wasn’t stopping, I had to sleep with my noise-canceling over-the-ear headphones on to drown out the noise.
The next morning, we heard housekeeping knock on their door. We poked our heads out and advised them that they might want to put on masks before cleaning the room next door because the guests were coughing all night long.
We also left a note for housekeeping in our room to leave the towels where they were.
We figured our neighbors might have checked out and we headed to bed early the following evening for our flight the next morning.
Around 11 PM, we heard them come back to the room and within a few minutes, there it was again, COUGH, COUGH, COUGH!, just as loud and strong as the day before.
This time, I knew exactly what to do and put back on my headphones. White noise wasn’t enough, as I needed music to quiet the storm.
While we found no use for connecting doors before the pandemic, they were more bothersome when you’re worried that your neighbors might have a contagious virus that you have no desire to bring home from your vacation.
Want to comment on this post? Great! Read this first to help ensure it gets approved.
Want to sponsor a post, write something for Your Mileage May Vary, or put ads on our site? Click here for more info.
Like this post? Please share it! We have plenty more just like it and would love it if you decided to hang around and sign up to get emailed notifications of when we post.
Whether you’ve read our articles before or this is the first time you’re stopping by, we’re really glad you’re here and hope you come back to visit again!
This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
12 comments
It could have ben asthma. I’ve had terrible coughing spells from asthma pre-COVD.
I totally understand and if we had rooms that weren’t directly sharing the air it wouldn’t matter. But times are what they are and I can’t help which thoughts drift into my brain as I’m falling asleep.
Sounds like you’re not ready to travel. You have no control over who else is traveling and you may have not thought of some of these issues before COVID. This is the new normal though – what may have been a good fit for you before doesn’t work anymore. I traveled all through COVID and I certainly changed my approach to scheduling rooms with my family. I don’t mind a connected room in a safe hotel but I didn’t mind one before the pandemic, knowing the airborne risks (physical security and family friendliness are the big concerns for me).
Ha! I remember years ago we did a weekend in Manhattan. Even tho I lived less than 2 miles from Times Sq it was Valentines day and we did a Broadway sho, dinner at Le Bernadin, and a weekend at the Plaza (yes im old) with Brunch at the Palm Court Terrace in the Plaza on Sunday. Well aside from the traditional miniscule Manhattan hotel room, our neighbor had a cough. COVID wasnt a thing then so lets call it a 4 pack per day x 20 years Pall Mall cough. OMG. Zero sleep. But it was fun. Le Bernadin also left us so hungry that at 10pm we were doing $50 room service cheeseburgers (which were amazing btw). Thanks for reminding me of that happy memory of our “luxury adventure”!
Did you do this in 2019 for other Corona Virus?
Staying at a Hyatt by myself in a few months hoping I don’t get a connecting room
Yeah, I guess not everyone loves connecting doors, but useful for families.
It couldve been a myriad of medical conditions. Damaged airways, nasal cavaty issues, bronchitis as you mentioned asthma. I wont bore everyone with the list of 20 already in my head.
Most of these have a tendency for the patient/ suffer to have little to no control over.
If you’re that worried about catching the coof through at least one, if not two, closed doors then i have to wonder how you managed to travel in times when it was much more prevalent and considerably less understood?! I’ll echo others thoughts that if you’re going to react in such a manner then you’ve got unresolved mental baggage regarding it that probably needs addressing in one way or another.
Nod to the passive-aggresive judgement sharing with housekeeping btw
The people in this comment section are nuts. I travel full time, to many countries each year, and stay in many hotels. Connecting doors are unpleasant for many reason and what you experienced would be unpleasant for any of us, including the brave people on this comment section. I would have put the towel along the door, too (that said, my #1 request when I try to leverage my status is no adjoining door).
Traveling is already tiring and eventful as is. I would’ve asked for another room. I need my sleep and the average hotel room is costly.
As someone with numerous rare lung conditions that cause constant and chronic coughing (especially in the morning for me or after eating), it could have been a variety of reasons for the coughing.
For young families, connecting doors are a godsend.