An Uncomfortable Hotel Room Trend: Here's Why It's Here to Stay
Privacy, or Lack Thereof: A Hotel Room Dilemma
Imagine sharing a hotel room with a friend, expecting a cozy space with all the essentials - beds, a bathroom, and WiFi. But what if the only barrier between your sleeping area and the bathroom was a sliding glass door, offering little privacy?
This is a growing trend that many travelers are encountering, and it's not always a pleasant experience. While some might find it amusing, others are left feeling uncomfortable and exposed.
The Rise of Open-Plan Bathrooms
If you've noticed a shift in hotel bathroom designs, you're not imagining things. Traditional hinged doors with latches are becoming a thing of the past. Instead, hotel designers are opting for frosted glass walls, sliding barn doors, or even curtains to separate the bathroom from the rest of the room.
But here's where it gets controversial: while this trend might work for solo travelers, it poses a significant challenge for those sharing a room. Listening to and smelling your travel companion's bathroom activities is not everyone's idea of a relaxing vacation.
Why the Change?
According to the Wall Street Journal, there are several reasons behind this shift. The primary factor is money. Post-pandemic, with business and group travel still down, hotels are looking for ways to cut costs. In the eyes of financial officers, traditional doors can be seen as an unnecessary expense.
Sliding doors and curtains are much more cost-effective to install and maintain. Hinged doors, on the other hand, can be noisy, require regular maintenance, and are prone to damage from luggage and steam.
Another consideration is disability accessibility laws. In many countries, these laws dictate the width of doors, which can be a challenge in small hotel rooms. Sliding doors provide a solution, as they don't require additional floor space to open and close.
However, sliding doors often don't seal properly, leading to noise and smell issues that guests frequently complain about.
The 'No Door' Trend: A Modern Luxury?
Some high-end resorts and hotels have embraced the 'no door' trend, marketing it as a modern, European-chic feature. They claim that an open-plan bathroom adds a spa-like ambiance to the room, transforming the bathroom from a utilitarian space into a design feature.
Frequent traveler Sadie Lowell, however, disagrees. After sharing a hotel room with her dad in London, where the shower and toilet were separated only by a glass door, she started an online campaign called 'Bring Back Doors'.
Sadie has emailed hundreds of hotels, asking two simple questions: 'Do your doors close all the way, and are they made of glass?' With the responses, she's created two lists: hotels with bathroom doors and those without. The latter is further divided into categories based on the level of privacy offered.
Sadie believes that the hotel industry needs to recognize that privacy is not something that can be commodified. Travelers will vote with their wallets and choose hotels that still offer traditional bathroom doors.
So, what do you think? Is the 'no door' trend here to stay, or is it a step too far in the name of modern design? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
