Given the vast range of hotel rooms I have used over the years and following my latest experiences I thought I would try to work out what an ideal hotel room needs and conversely what is not needed. I have been known to walk into a bedroom, look around, sit on the bed (or possibly a chair) and ask if we are staying. Obviously I do not ask that question when on my own but I am not sure I ask it enough when we do go to places.
Size. I admit I am not the smallest person in the world. If on holiday with my wife then a room where one of us hides on the bed whilst the other unpacks (or vice versa) is not large enough. Some exceptions to this rule are permitted – river cruise boats mainly. However if you cannot access one side of the bed at all it is not a double room. In reality we do not both unpack at the same time as I have to wait to find out if I have any hangers for clothes, or at least a share of them. A particular bugbear is over hanging space. I often find that the deep hanging space is utilised with the good lady wife’s dresses. Adjacent there is a half height hanging space. I have never found one of these where my shirts can hang freely. This is a design failure and whoever agreed it should be shot. If you cannot hang your spare shirt neatly in the half height area then the specification is wrong.
Light. There are many aspects to this. During daylight or perhaps more accurately waking hours there should be more than enough light to see what you are doing – from typing to (in my wife’s case) application of makeup. All the lights should work – the cleaning routine on a daily basis should check that so how can one light simply not work? Get it fixed. Can you turn the lights off when in bed? If not that is a complete failure of actually ever using the room. Daylight can happen outside waking hours. In which case the window coverings must block out all of the light. A bedroom should be dark for sleeping hours, so light should not creep in round the extremities where a broken curtain cannot cover the opening or indeed simply though poor design of the curtains. I understand that these days the authorities require all sorts of monitors with attendant monitoring lights – ensure that these are not bright enough to disturb people by constantly flashing in some hypnotic way.
Bathrooms. When undertaking use of the facilities available in a bathroom I have no wish to be observed or conversely observe my partner doing so. Please ensure the bathroom has a door and no window from the bedroom area. A curtain is inadequate. Physically entering the shower needs to be considered – walk in is best. If it is over the bath then suitably placed handle(s) are essential to ensure that the entry / exit can be achieved safely. Black steps up to and down into the shower are difficult to navigate in poor lighting, they may be stylish – but they do not feel safe.
En-suite shower. If you value the lives of your customers then no matter how clever your shower looks if it allows water to spray onto the wider floor area then inherently the latter become slippery and are a danger to the unwary. Full enclosure is the only solution no matter how unstylish your design people consider it to be.
Hot Water. This should be a sine qua non. I do not want to stand for anything up to 10 minutes until your system can dispense something other than cold water. And a consistent temperature should be delivered. More difficult if others are showering at the same time I accept – but in normal circumstances it ought to be the norm.
Basins. This is really a first world problem for diabetics only. To keep insulin cool I use bags which require immersing in cold water. If the basin plug does not stop the water draining away I can put it in cold water and return later to it lying in the bottom of the basin with no cold water cooling the storage gel. You might not be aware of the problem – have you ever tested your basins to ensure the plugs work? No I thought not.
Heat. The ideal temperature depends on the individual. If it is not controllable then advising on availability of fans or other kit is essential. If you have a ceiling fan then well and good – but ensure that it makes NO noise. Any noise at all (see below) is a mistake. Get another supplier. If the fan makes something move in the room ensure it does not generate any noise any – find a solution.
Noise. The room should be silent during the night (and preferably during the day as well). You may need a fan to legally extract from a bathroom. Does it turn off with the bathroom lights? Can it be turned off completely overnight? Creation of noise extends well beyond the room. Do your kitchen staff start at 6 – fine – but remind them frequently that customers are asleep and have paid for a decent night’s rest – hearing rubbish being put out, doors slamming and crockery noises need to be minimised. This is sometimes difficult but an hour of it beggars belief. Fire doors need to close. However have you slept in a room with a neighbour who constantly insists on opening and closing some door or another? 30 minutes of banging doors late and night and then again early in the morning does not a good night’s sleep make.
Power. In this day and age we all tend to travel with at least two items requiring charging (personal count today is 6). So sockets. If you cannot provide usb points then is there a socket adjacent to the bed which allows a phone to be re-charged using a short cable – or as on a recent stay do I have to rest the phone on top of what looks like a radiator on the other side of the room and cannot be used as an alarm because it is simply too far from the bed. The short cable is relevant as it is multi-headed so I can plug in more than one item – but I try to avoid long cables.
Wi-Fi. This is simple. Why does the Wi-Fi need a password? A guest should be made to feel welcome – so as Wi-Fi is not chargeable why not permit automatic attachment to those seeking connection? If you must insist on a password if you have the back end locked up properly (you do don’t you) then make it a simple password not with lots of difficult letters. SNCF seem to be able to manage it – so please do the same.
Safes. In New York City the safe was on the floor. I had to lie on the floor to lock and unlock it several times a day – who ever thought that a good idea? In Dublin I put my (reasonable size), laptop in the safe noting it was a tight fit. In the morning the lock would not move as the friction on the pins was greater than the power to open the door. I now have a policy of closing and locking the safe with NOTHING in it and then reopening it before trusting it with my valuables. Plus if your safe is smaller than the largest iPad and keyboard it is too small so replace it. If you can arrange in safe charging that would be a godsend but not all things are possible. However most items are usb c these days – so how about it?
Things change. Do you regularly retest a bedroom actually permits a restful experience? Are the lights working, is it obvious that the remote control is to turn off the fan?