Wow, who knew such a simple question could garner so many responses! ;-)

Actually I'm fairly certain that the separate toilet room originated in Europe - I see them all the time here - and it is very practical, although I can't say I've ever seen it described in a hotel or B&B listing!

beaupeep is right, it is very rare (and sounds quite European) in America to say one is "going to the toilet." And it's true, if a pet, baby, etc. has an accident, we say they "went to the bathroom on the floor," at least in polite company.

Perhaps the most popular term, aside from "bathroom," is "restroom" (which is even more vague, I admit), but never, never "toilet"!!

Well- in the boys or girls room at school one wouldn;t take a shower or bath - you would do that only in the gym.

But you would wash you hands and possibly your face, do make-up and hair - and often sit down on the sofa for a good gossip.

So why refer to the room as a toilet? It makes as much sense to refer to it as a sink.

And let's not forget about powder room!

There is a good discussion on various aspects of bathroom/toilet in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/En_suite, including confusion over what one can expect in a B&B.

Beaupeep is 100 percent right-an American will never use the word "toilet" to refer to a bathroom-it's considered quite gauche, improper, "too much information" one might say. I've heard Brits in this country ask someone in a bar or restaurant where the "toilet" is located-and have seen them get the startled, surprised looks.

Schuler-what on earth are you talking about? US homes don't have a separate "toilet room" -however in France and Belgium, that is absolutely the norm-you have a "wc" or water closet" a small little closet room with just the toilet in it-the "bathroom" is typically large with a couple of sinks-but no toilet-even some of the French hotel chains do that for their hotel rooms -I actually like that concept a lot, but you see it rarely if ever in US homes.

Sorry, Schuler, I amend my previous post-yes, a "bath and a half" i.e., a small room with toilet and sink-a "half bath" that is very common in the US, we have that.

I was thinking though of the French/Belgian version of that -which is quite different-they ONLY have the toilet in the small closet, usually no sink, and their "bathrooms" almost invariably do NOT have a toilet in them, whereas in US homes both the bathrooms AND the "half baths" will have toilets in them.

I've been to bigger houses in the US where you go into the bathroom and then open another door to go to the toilet. Usually this room has no sink.
In one house (a rental), this "toilet room" even had carpet. Yuck.

For visual reference, here's a floor plan of a typical large house in the US. Look at the master bedroom and you'll see the en-suite in the en-suite. :)
http://www.eplans.com/house-plans.hw...context=browse

Yes - often the bath in the master suite has the toilet in a separate room - to give the user a little more privacy when both of the couple are using the bath at once.

This is a modification of the larger houses in which the master suite had separate his and hers baths (he usually gets just a large stall shower with toilet and sink, while she usually gets a luxurious bath with both a stall shower and a tub - often jacuzzi -, toilet, bidet etc.

My favorite is the apartment of some friends in an older building with working fireplaces. The her bath has not only the jacuzzi, but also a small fireplace - and a view out over the city via French doors onto a terrace.

But now that I have lived in Europe for 9 years I don't think that having the toilet (the actual piece of equipment) and the tub/shower/sink in the same room makes any sense at all. My husband and I can get ready in the morning without one of us waiting in line for either toilet or tub. Makes a whole lot more sense to me. Along with the two flush indicators we have in Switzerland - the little button for the little toilet use and the big one for...well, you know. (Sorry I'm American, still can't say it).