God Save the Points once asked what makes a great hotel room. His list includes well-located power ports; plenty of bottled water; fast wifi; motion-sensing night lights; luggage space; amenity kit; and working quiet air conditioning.
I’ve given a lot of thought to what makes a hotel great, and how simple design flaws can ruin a property. More often though great physical properties can be ruined by poor service execution or short-sighted cost cuts.
Hoteliers: ever wonder why a property with great facilities and a competitive room rate in a good location isn’t getting the level of repeat business it might expect? It may come down to something simple.
Mandatory Resort Fees
Hotels taking part of the room rate out and burying it in fine print is fraud. We get up in arms over airfare displays when already those are pretty clear and clean, it’s hotels where the worst behavior happens.
These are not optional charges, so they are part of the room rate. Not including them in the room rate is disingenuous. In 2012 the Federal Trade Commission warned hotel chains that mandatory resort fees may be illegal but no one heeded that warning.
Instead mandatory add-on fees have been spread to city locations. The idea of the free $50 a night long distance call and access to the hotel gym is no longer limited to resort hotels. Some chains are at least disclosing the fees up front on their websites, but online travel agencies are still bad actors along with hotels, engaging in drip pricing and causing customer resentment.
Billing Guest Credit Cards For Additional Charges After Checkout
When a hotel decides to charge you for something that wasn’t on your folio when you checked out, by just billing your credit card, they should have to email to let you know they are doing it and identify the item(s).
By all means, you should pay what you owe, but a huge pet peeve is additional (usually small) charges showing up on my credit card statement days later. If I didn’t comb through my statements I wouldn’t even know they had done this. And then I have to get in touch with the property to find out what this additional charge is even for.
If a hotel’s systems and processes are too poor to identify charges before checkout, they should at the very least proactively reach out to the customer to explain they’re hitting the card for more charges and send a statement detailing those charges. Don’t leave it to the customer to notice they’ve been hit, and then have to do research to understand why.
A Hyatt property once billed me for the cash portion of a cash and points award five months after my stay.
At another Hyatt they always they tell me in-room bottled water is complementary for top tier elite members and then they bill my credit card for it after I’ve checked out.
They’re happy to remove the charge when called on it. But since it doesn’t make the final folio, it requires follow up — which is more costly in my time and theirs than the actual charge itself.
How am I supposed to submit an expense report for a charge I don’t know about? Why make me spend more time tracking down these charges than the charges are worth? And why put me in the awkward position of submitting expenses for an old, closed-out trip?
Lack of Coffee
Hotels should have 24 hour coffee available and access to real milk and cream.
- A business hotel needs to be able to provide coffee 24 hours a day.
- There are lots of ways to do this: in-room machines, club lounge, lobby, and even room service.
- The coffee needs to be drinkable, and that includes making it possible to get the real milk or creamer of your choice.
That’s just basics. Hotels without in-room coffee, and a lobby option, and that do not offer 24 hour room service are a complete and total fail. Claiming to be an upscale or full service property, and aiming at business travelers, they’re completely missing the point.
I’ve been to too many properties where there’s no coffee before 6 a.m. That’s great, until:
- You’re coming in from another time zone, and getting up at 4.
- You have an early flight.
- You need to get up early to work on a presentation.
Morning coffee can set the tone for the whole day, and entire stay.
The coffee bar at the Hilton New York JFK.. more than once I’ve shown up half an hour after opening to find no one working, this time I got lucky!
I once stayed at what was then the W San Diego and rang up the “Whatever Whenever” line at 5 a.m. They were supposed to be able to get Whatever you want Whenever you want it. I wanted coffee at 5 a.m.. They told me no, coffee isn’t available until 6.
If there’s a coffee shop or coffee stand in the lobby, it needs to be open at its posted time. If the coffee shop opens at 6 then gosh darnit it should be staffed at 6… not 6:15 or 6:30.
The Coffee Stand in the Lobby of the Hyatt Herald Square Opened 30 Minutes Late So I Went to Starbucks
A Hotel is For Sleeping
Walls should be thick enough not to hear your neighbor, or the elevator. And connecting rooms are for families traveling together. Please don’t assign one to me.
Natural light is great, but not when a guest is trying to sleep. A room should be able to get light, but also keep out the light.
And do not disturb means… do not disturb. If I’ve got do not disturb on, housekeeping shouldn’t knock on the door. Don’t call me an hour after arrival, either, to see how I like the room? If there was a problem, I’d have let you know. And if I’m off an overnight flight, I may be trying to take a quick nap so I can power through to dinner and adjust to the local time quickly.
Valet Parking Purgatory
A hotel should help get you on your way. If they can’t get your car out of mandatory valet parking within 15 minutes they shouldn’t charge.
Hyatt Regency Houston Downtown
Or better yet: a hotel can usually project its occupancy levels, and is aware of the conferences and events it is hosting. Staff appropriately relative to occupancy.
Only One Soap in the Bathroom
When I get into a hotel room, usually the first thing I do is wash my hands. I’ve been traveling.
That means unwrapping the soap. It goes into the soap dish beside the sink.
So in the morning I get into the shower and find there’s no soap and I have to get out of the shower and put the soap from the soap dish beside the sink into the shower? That’s an early morning fail.
Upgrades That Aren’t
Over the years the surest way to know I haven’t been upgraded is when I’ve received a sticky note on a key folio that says “You’ve been upgraded!”
If a hotel has to tell me my room is an upgrade, if it’s not something I’m going to notice myself, then it isn’t an upgrade. And if they have to outsource it to a written note, because the front desk agent either won’t notice the room I have is better than standard or is going to be too bashful to tell me my room over the HVAC is an upgrade, then it isn’t one.
A simple corollary is that an executive floor room is not an upgrade. Executive floor benefits are. But especially if you’re entitled to those anyway, the room itself is rarely any different than one on another floor. Telling guests that it’s an upgrade doesn’t make it one.
If you aren’t going to upgrade me, I understand. Play by the rules, hotels sell out, or have too many elites and I accept that. But don’t lie to me and tell me my room that’s just like the others is special just for me because of my status.
Unreliable Airport Shuttles
An airport hotel needs to be able to reliably get you to and from the airport.
The whole point of staying near the airport is to get into bed as quickly as possible once you land, and to be able to sleep in the next morning and leave the hotel later than you’d have to if you were staying downtown.
If you have to wait half an hour for an airport shuttle, or you can’t rely on the time the shuttle will leave the hotel and therefore have to present yourself downstairs early to make sure you get a seat or don’t miss it, you give up that time advantage.
And you’ve wound up trading a nicer place in a better location for a nondescript airport property — without the countervailing benefit of proximity (timeliness).
Not Enough Outlets
“This room has too many outlets” said no hotel guest, ever.
Older hotels often have no or very few outlets, and those that are available are badly placed. They’re in use for lamps, they’re behind the bed, or blocked by a large desk.
If a room is meant to accommodate two people then assume that both people need to charge a laptop, a phone, maybe a tablet or a wireless internet device, and an external battery.
There needs to be outlets available at the desk, and also by the bedside. Many people want their phones beside the bed. I only want mine there when there’s no easily visible alarm clock.
So there need to be multiple outlets, in multiple places, conveniently located.
You Have Late Checkout, But Keys Stop Working at Noon
I know not everyone has had perfect experiences with guaranteed 4pm late checkout for elites (outside of resort or convention hotels where it’s subject to availability) but it’s never been denied to me at a hotel where it’s a benefit.
I especially value Hyatt properties where I find I’m nearly universally proactively offered late checkout when I’m checking in.
Clearly it’s part of their procedure. So when a guest says, “yes I’d appreciate a 4pm checkout” they should code the keys for a 4pm late checkout.
I’ll usually remind them to do this. But I don’t always. And every time I fail to offer the reminder I’ll go back to my room on my day of checkout at, say, 2pm and find that my key doesn’t work. So I have to go down to the front desk, where they’ll make me a new key, and then it’s back up to the wrong. This one doesn’t seen to be that hard to get right.
Last fall not only didn’t my key work at the Hyatt Regency Dallas but my belongings had been taken, too.
The Light That Won’t Turn Off at Bedtime
At midnight at the Hyatt Herald Square I wanted to go to bed, so I went about turning off the lights in my room. Only I could not figure out how the light on one side of the bed turned off.
There was a simple light switch on the other side. Easy. You’d think the lamp on the other side of the bed would work the same way. But it didn’t.
I walked around the room looking for light switches, and couldn’t find one that would turn it off.
There were two switches beneath the light, next to power outlets.
I tried each of them, and neither turned off the light. My first thought then was that the switches must control the outlets. Since they didn’t turn off the light. Flip the switch on the right, the light was still on. Flip the switch on the left, the light was still on.
It took me 15 minutes to figure out that you have to flip both switches in order to turn it off.
The last thing I wanted to do was deal with getting help from the hotel at midnight. Wait for help from the hotel at midnight. To turn off a light in my room. But I knew I’d need to, because as much as a part of me was wondering if I could just fall asleep like that, I knew it was a bad idea. I’d fall asleep, but then I’d be up in an hour. And sleep off and on through the night.
Hotel room design must be intuitive. Turning lights on and off in your home is iterative. Since you turn the same lights on and off over and over you train yourself in a way that it’s second nature. But each light in a hotel room is used once or a handful of times by a person approaching it for the very first time — every single day or every few days. Everything in a room needs to be intuitive.
What Are Your Pet Peeves? What Have I Left Off the List?
Are my pet peeves peculiar to me? What are the basic things hotels get wrong that keep you away from repeat stays? What are your must haves and pet peeves you’d like to fix?
As you age, and your eye sight deteriorates, for me – a brightly lit room.
And the coffee/Nespresso/Keurig machine in the room? Will try not to book a hotel without this (not even coffee in the lobby compensates, as it is sometimes not available!).
Up to date technology – if you have alarm clock with a built in charger – it has to be at least usb and not the iPod shuffle / iPod type charger
If you charge over $50 for a breakfast buffet – you have to have real orange juice
Concerning the outlets, they should be universal type, not local (like A in the US), at least “Airport Hotel”…
Inscrutable shower controls.
AH! How fortunate many are to not need accessibility in hotel lobbies, restaurants (if they still have them); at coffee bars (try reaching the condiments from a powerchair or mobility scooter); in and for the guest rooms; for shuttles. Or attempt if you are deaf to communicate with someone – anyone! – in an hotel. All you wrote is “yes, and”. As Samir Akhavan wrote, lighting is critical. In this you mentioned the W in San Diego at which I had to beg for help finding my room the hallways were so dark I couldn’t see the room numbers.
There must be some “everyperson” for whom hotels and the rooms are designed. Someone recently recommended a European brand because of their accessibility features. Alas, at their website, it said one could only call to make a reservation. That doesn’t work if one is deaf and there is not TTY/TDD. (They still referred to accommodation as “special needs” so I chose to think them not so accessible!) Tho’ it’s not “in” an hotel, it is about hotels: training of staff to be available and able to communicate with guests.
Let’s add safety. Wasn’t it Kimpton that first put flashlights (“torches”) in guest room closets? And what about the hotel brands that do not allow their hotels to have AEDs on property because “if there aren’t enough it’s as bad as not having them” tho’ the time for an EMT to get there may be far too great to help a guest.
These aren’t kvetches and I fear just as room service has been eliminated and coffee before 6 curtailed, we will see further lessening of services and comforts for staying.
As an amendment to your comment about “Not Enough Outlets”, for the love of all that’s holy PLEASE make sure that the outlets aren’t so old as to be worn out and incapable of holding the plug in the wall….
Charging you for a “superior” room, then giving you the worst room in the category, which is actually worse than the “standard” rooms. Happened to me once at the Playa Victoria hotel in Cadiz, Spain. Nice property, but one I will never go back to.
After a bad experience in an IHG hotel in London a year ago, I won’t stay in ANY IHG property and I cut my Chase card in half and sent it back! In the US, I’ve booked a room with breakfast included…WRONG! The Holiday Inn Phoenix Airport had this CRAP…I MEAN the only thing missing was the toilet handle, in my opinion. AWFUL and they charged $14.00 for it! One goes to a hotel in London, the breakfast ain’t cheap (£15) but it’s a full English breakfast buffet with good pastries, breads, anything and everything for breakfast and…all you can eat. Why can’t US hotels charge the same reasonable rate and provide a decent breakfast? Now, in the US, if I don’t have a rental car, I’ll take an Uber over and back to a restaurant. It’s worth the extra costs!
Bad hotels..
– there’s a 30 minute line for check in.. Las Vegas I’m thinking of you, from afar, will never go back
– there’s a sign saying Priority check in.. unmanned
– the radio/clock is covered with buttons none of which adjusts the (wrong) time
– and none of which turns off the 6am alarm of the previous guest
– there’s a sensor which, if no-one’s moving in the room, turns off all the power.. rendering the fridge useless
– housekeeping gives you an unwanted morning call at 7am on checkout day to say “are you checking out today sir”
– the desk-chair needs 2 or 3 cushions on it if you want to to reach the desk
– the a/c is hard-set to cooling only, until a maintenance man comes to your room to change it
– the a/c sounds like a railway train
– during the day all the elevators are commandeered by housekeeping
Joan – take your sanctimonious whining and go away. Your needs don’t take precedence over our definition of best rooms.
Nice list. The only two things I can think of that you didn’t bring up are blackout curtains that actually make the room very dark and a/c that you can set to meat locker temperatures.
Hotels should have blackout shades (or drapes).
If there is a coffee maker there should be an outlet within cord reach without having to relocate the machine.
I understand that they are mandated in some places but I hate the giant shampoos and conditioners and refuse to use them. I carry my own now.
The AC should not turn off at night- that is when it is most needed!
Haha. I see several of us posting the same thing at the same time.
GMTA 🙂
1) Alarm clocks that are as bright as lights
2) AC/heat based on motion sensors, so that it won’t run when I’m sleeping.
3) lights on motion sensors, so that if I get up in the middle of the night to use the toilet, lights in the bedroom turn on
4) bathrooms that aren’t well lit
5) hotels that text me after check in to “see how the room is” and then badger me to complete a survey
Must have enough places to put your stuff, especially in the bathroom. A comfortable chair is essential also.
Air conditioning that stops working in the evening. Can’t hack every thermostat. Wake up at 4am hot.
No feather pillows.
No desk.
No comfortable place for two people yo eat room service.
To @Walter in hopes there will be greater knowledge that all people are likely to have even a temporary disability if not permanent, and to learn the buying power of the disability community: my hope is you are never one or perhaps that you will be to understand.
Joan – GFYS. Again, your needs aren’t the only ones.
I just spent four nights at the Ocean Park Inn in Pacific Beach area of San Diego. It’s an old building, but they have renovated it brilliantly. It’s the nicest hotel room I’ve ever had. It met every criteria there is for comfort. I couldn’t count the number of power outlets, all 4′ up from the floor. But they skimped on the underground garage entrance, it’s too narrow for a medium SUV to navigate safely. So I’ll not ever go back. What a shame … hotels so often falter with the dumbest things that are just products of non-thinking decision-makers, in this case those who drive little cars.
Joan Eisenstodt, please continue to educate travellers about other travellers with disabilities. It’s important. Pay no attention to the ignorance displayed here in these comments. Those of us with brains appreciate both the information and the reminders. Judy
Anything else bud?
Hermetically sealed rooms make me crazy. At the very least allow the windows to be cracked open an inch. This is why I favor and go out of my way to book rooms with a balcony. I can’t stand hospital settings where the last circulating air in the room was during the building of the hotel.
nice list, I agree.
and happy (belated) Festivus.
How about when the front desk TEXTS you an hour after arrival to ask if your room is OK – so you reply back “STOP” and they return a text that the number is unmonitored (Crowne Plaza North Augusta and Kimpton St George Toronto)
And the 4-star Grand Hyatt inside the DFW airport doesn’t have in-room coffee makers because they think their coffee in the lobby is better. I need a cup of coffee so that I can get a cup of coffee.
Real milk and cream for lobby coffee 24 hours? I don’t think so. Anybody want to risk that at 0100? Like maybe it’s been sitting there 12 hours?
You’re throwing in a bunch of stuff that isn’t about the room, but about hotel amenities, service, and management.
A good hotel room for me is: comfortable bed (most important by far), clean, large space that is efficiently utilized, a good shower with strong water flow and a quality shower head, nice bathroom amenities, and everything in the room is functioning. Bonus points for a japanese toilet and a nice view.
What Are Your Pet Peeves? What Have I Left Off the List?
You arrive back at your hotel at 8 PM during a power blackout. You take the stairs to your fourth-floor room because the elevators are inoperative. The hot water is inoperative, but you can take a cold shower in your blacked-out bathroom. There is no compensation for the overnight power failure because the hotel is not responsible for the local seven-hour power outage. In addition, the resort and parking fees will not be waived. Bonvoyed again.
This has gotten better, but internet quality varies too much in some hotels.
I have a job that can be 100% remote, it really hurts my efficiency when the wifi is too slow to log into my work software. Not to mention if you want to watch streaming video or download something.
Again, it’s gotten better, but I stayed in 2-3 hotels where the internet either wasn’t fast enough for work or it was just barely fast enough (so it intermittently wouldn’t be).
I had one otherwise really nice independent hotel this summer where the wifi was a blazing 0.7 mbps, though they did at least have hardline available and that was usable for my laptop.
If I request a feather-free room, please make sure you actually have one. (My wife is allergic to feathers.) I should not need to call ahead to make sure that you actually read the reservation and have a room without feather pillows ready when I get there.
Much appreciated, though not critical: have some dairy-free milk for the coffee. (Not “non-dairy creamer” that still contains milk.)
Wow!
Ok everyone, Merry Christmas,
We spend four to five months a year on the road having a great time, perhaps all of us talking the same about our hotels will help! Nah, just kidding but Merry Christmas anyhow!
Thermostats that are not preset to a too narrow range. Some people still want bathtubs, so keep tub/shower combos available in some of the standard rooms. An armchair that is designed for comfort, not just for style. Along with the coffee maker, an electric kettle, full size mugs and tall glasses, and real milk, even if it is shelf stable milk. Extra blankets in the closet or drawers, which used to be standard. Windows that open. Room service menus that include some simply prepared comfort food items, not just chef specialities.
Rainfall shower heads. Good if you like taking rainfall showers. Not so much if you prefer the wall mounted / handheld one, and are using it, but the rainfall shower continually drips cold water on top of your head and shoulders while you’re doing so. Particularly annoying at The Joule Dallas, St Regis SF, Conrad Seoul.
Glass doors/partitions between the bedroom and bathroom? It’s all great when I’m travelling alone… But on business trips / trips with friends, we sometimes need to share a room and there’s no way I want to experience the sights and sounds of my buddies using the shower or toilet (frosted glass, but still). What’s worse is when the bathroom lights light up the entire bedroom because of the glass. This is common in most 5 star hotels in India. Is it a thing in other countries too?
Not cleaning the ac unit’s air filter.
I just stayed in the Sheraton Edison Raritan Center, and the room had a coffee machine, but nowhere to plug it in. I had to take it to the bathroom to use it.
-In room media centers (formally known as TV’s) that are slow, horrible content, guides that dont match what is actually showing. “Free netflix” that requires you to login to your own account.
– Alarm clocks in neighboring rooms that go off at crazy hours that dont get shut off (when someone checks out of a room – maybe someone can make sure the alarm clocks are turned off)?
– Broken equipment in the work-out room
– In room fridges that can barely store a leftover subway sub and/or are impossible to set a reasonable temperature
– wasted space on worthless stuff – like rooms that have tons of cabinets and storage for kitchen stuff that is empty… like I am supposed to bring my own pots and pans for a 2 day stay?
1. Not reseting the alarm in between guests so you are startled awake at 5am
2. Shower controls that require a degree from MIT to figure out
3. Showers that leak all over the floor whether due to a faulty or even worse, no door
4. When you book for 4 people and they only give you 2 towels
Functioning and quiet HVAC. So often the soleniods and compressors are so loud, especially on PTAC units, it can jolt you awake in the middle of the night. A little maintenance goes a long way.
To underscore some of the comments above, there isn’t much more of a crystal clear FU to guests than locking room and/or gym thermostats at predetermined floors. Enraging and patronizing at the same time.
I understand the need to not waste AC on unoccupied rooms, but when you go to bed and the AC thinks no one’s there, and it shuts off… a ruined night’s sleep.
Lately I’ve been experimenting with taking long strips of toilet paper, tying one end to an AC vent, and making sure that it dangles down far enough somehow (maybe tying it to a chair) so that it appears to be moving, hoping it will convince the air to stay on (not just the fan – frequently you can set that to run nonstop, but the compressor is the important part). This TP experiment hasn’t worked.
I agree with the others who have lamented the unnecessary complexity of shower controls.
I also dislike it when removing the key as you leave not only turns off the lights but shuts off the outlets so you can’t charge your electronics while you’re out of the room.
The key controlling the room issue is easily solved. I carry a business card, cut to the size of a standard room card and stick it in when I leave.
Hasn’t failed so far
Guess I approach rooms differently. It’s just a place to get some sleep before heading out again the next day.
Always get one with coffee maker and I bring my own favorite instant coffee (a brand we found in Indonesia years ago).
The only true pet peeve is the lack of outlets or inconvenient ones. We need a lot of availability to recharge photo equipment. Even then, as a precaution, we carry a small power strip and plugs with multiple USB ports.
One final thing we carry is a small USB powered box fan, less than 6 inches high, so we can control our own air. We also use it on planes since so many are eliminating individual nozzles.
Don’t call the “breakfast offering” for Marriott Bonvoy elites anything but what it is: coffee and a croissant. That’s all that $10 credit is enough to cover. And since AC Hotels already have an in-room coffee machine, it’s effectively just a free croissant.
I agree with most of what everyone’s mentioned, but the one that wasn’t and really bothers me is when a hotel is supposed to be a “full service” hotel, and the front desk can’t make change for a $20 bill, so we can tip the housekeeper, daily, and the valet for the car, and that sort of thing. Being told they don’t have any cash? The one other, previously mentioned is loose plug outlets, that you have to yank the cord and hold it in one direction or another to get it to work…….ugh……
Cheap one-ply toilet paper. And not replacing the amenities daily. Your room rate isn’t reduced after the first day so how about another tiny bottle of lotion!
I mostly stay at limited service properties, but I try to stay in the nicer brands of those. The one that bothers me: bad repair work in the bathroom. If I see globs of silicone (or even worse, latex) in a wet area, it signals that the owner of the property, no matter its quality, is paying a cut rate for repair work. You can bet that means other things will be broken or improperly repaired in the room. No matter the age of the property or quality materials, that one thing tells you what the ownership thinks about the real estate as a shorter-term cash vehicle and not a long-term business to maintain. Many older independent properties are fantastic because the person that owns them cares for them. Even if the furniture is worn or outdated, it can still be a nice stay if that older material has been maintained. A lot of newer properties look old fast when you have ownership that does not monitor or invest in repair. It is really sad.
My biggest issues are poor water pressure, showers that flood the bathroom (mostly a EU-problem, but showers without doors seem to have spread to the US and Asia as well) and uncomfy but stylish furniture. Also, as someone else mentioned, glass walls between the bathroom and bedroom. I also frequently stay at hotels – despite only booking highly rated chain hotels – that provide towels with hair on them. Eww.
I am writing this from a nice hotel in London that I have visited before. I have some major peeves with various hotels. I suaully stay in upscale properties, lots of Hyatt Regencys, Grands, Usually the mid tier of higher on Marriott. This includes certain flagship properties of these brands that are usually nicer than the average. So first is lack of proper power ports, plugs on both sides of the bed. I have seen some hotels with power on one side? WTF. Next I feel there should be an in wall unit with USB/USBC and at least one or more regular plug. And not one that shuts off if you press a power block flush to the wall overseas. They sometimes have the switch that if are totally flush to the wall , the power block is turned off and doesnt work. Terrible design. I have seen a huge desk in Australia in Melbourne that had ZERO power at a huge desk in the suite. Nothing. Not even an outlet on a lamp you often see. What in the world are they thinking? Same goes for plugs low on a baseboard in the middle of nowhere in a room. What is that for? Maids knocking on do not disturb, I have seen that. Soffee in the room and or a hot water kettle and supplies. I hate those mini expresso pods overseas so I bring a small can of the Starbucks instand coffee. It actually is a good product worth taking along. In my opinion better than the rgular Keurig pods in the room as well. Vegas hotels suck and usually have no coffee /kettle in room. I want an easy to use lighting system, blinds etc . W Hotels I dont stay often but they always have great lighting and easy. I appreciate rooms that have easy to use lights and the ability to leave some on/off etc. I hate those card in the slot things in rooms. I just jam a card in there for the entire stay. Hotels that have microscopic bottles in the bathroom ona room that goes for $500-800.00 a night is unacceptabel for two people. Same goes for mid tier city hoels with ptato chip sliers of soap and barely any towels. I dont need 5000 towels but Ill noticeif there are barely any. I rmemeber the old cheap motels of the 1980s or easrlier and the holiday inn had like 50 towels in the room for 1-2 people. I used to laugh at that. Now some hotels have barely anything and Ill call for more. Beds have gotten alot better over the years. I usually see decent sheets and bedding so rarely any issue with me. I dont need the sheets changed daily. Never did. I am not a fan of those open showers wither there is no shower door. Sometimes water ends up on the floor. I dont like them. I dont mond if the bathroom is not huge but some layouts are better than others. One of the worst when I was in a regular room at the Hyatt Churchill in London. The door barely clears the toilet of the postage size bathroom. That was one time an upgrade was missed. Its 2023 almost 2024, so I want working somewhat decent WIFI. To me at the absolute min 30 Megs down and 20+ up.
I cant say how many itmes in recent years I have seen garbage barely working WIFI.
In case I need to do a Zoom call and I for video streaming. I like a good reliable working Chromecast on the hotel TV. Hyatt and Marriott usually good abotu this, but I have seen some that dont always work as advertised. Have some garbage cans in the room. Dont try to put on of those teeny cans because Ill stack the pizza box and all sorts of stuff on top. LOL. I have seen the bathroom cans the size of a coke can. What are they trying to do? Give me an easy to sue thermostat. My hotel right now has settings for F and C. Very clever. Have a halfway decent TV. It doesnt have to be fancy, but a decent working TV. The front desk doesnt know you have status, doesnt tell you what you get, leaves things out. I like when they ask me at checkin if I need a late checkout. Sometimes I dont need it. But when they ask I feel they recognize the benefits. No funny business with the bill. As Gary says, dont charge me for anything I should not be charged. Simple coffee maker that works. Nothing weird or unusual. Lousy floor layouts? I have been in some hotels knowing that the designers of that room never stayed in a hotel room themselves. Practical is always favored over hip/cool. Andaz Liverpool Street has this sofa in the suits very low to the floor. Why? It feels so weird. I think they are getting rid of them when they upgrade. I dont like the Chinese cheap break away furniture often seen on the Las Vegas seen in those grossly overpriced rooms. The most overpriced cheap rooms are in Vegas. MGM has disposible furniture. I like a small fridge in the room, but not one filled with items not free for me and are booby trapped to charge me if anything is moved. If you want that in my room give me a seocnd one thats empty. Resort fees? Dont get me started. They are out and out fraud. Such fees must be rolledinto the daily rate. When I check into some $300 room and they tell me the fee is for the pool or whatever, I say thats what I am paying $300 or more for. I remember years ago Vegas hotel told me i get a free paper, unlimited local calls and use of the gym. I said what can you do. So I went to use the cool spa gym they have. No sir you r daily fee covers the special POS gym in the basement that used to be a newstand. It has old out of date equipment, some broken and limited. That is the special gym for you. F them. And I mention Vegas alot since they appear to care very little for guests regardless of what you pay for the room. Only if you are a gmbler does it matter.
@Benji 1. Not reseting the alarm in between guests so you are startled awake at 5am yep!
2. Shower controls that require a degree from MIT to figure out
3. Showers that leak all over the floor whether due to a faulty or even worse, no door
4. When you book for 4 people and they only give you 2 towels
I am 100% on everything you state. I am usually the tech for my wife on the shower. I can risk boiling water or ice cold in order to learn how it works and later set it for her. Its not even funny as some of them are so weird and quirky or take 10 mins or more to get hot water. Three , 4 nozzles, Whaetever! Stand BACK NOW!