Why are the Americans on this list so obsessed with the size of hotel rooms? <BR>When I'm abroad, I only visit the room to sleep or shower. All you need is a clean room with a bed, a bathroom and somewhere to put your clothes for goodness sake. <BR>

Puzzled hi! Well, sometimes I am puzzled as well about that question. <BR>One reason might be that a lot of Americans are taller (and bigger, too). <BR>But the room quality does IMO not depend on its size at all. But the fact that almost everything is larger, wider in the US, it must be difficult for Americans to feel like in a sardine box. <BR>On the other hand, Europeans are usually most impressed about the room sizes in the States. Well, I was. But I first go for quality and in second place for quantity. This also goes for hotel rooms.

Claustrophobia anyone? <BR> <BR>Maybe we are all Texans at heart.

I too am puzzled by this question. I have stayed in Presidental suites to cracker box sized rooms, and still spent the same amount of time in each. Just enough to sleep, have room service and shower. I have often thought it was a waste to have such a large room and not be there enough to enjoy it. <BR>

Sometimes after a long busy day of sightseeing (especially if the weather's bad) we like to get dinner and take it back to our room, to relax and unwind while we dine. It's no fun in a tiny little room with the walls closing in on you. Before anyone calls me an idiot for dining in my room, if we do that it's often because we ate a big lunch and don't want to eat much or bother with it for dinner. Also, I like to have enough space to put my luggage somewhere and not have to step over it every time I stand up. <BR>To Puzzled: everyone's different, for goodness sake, don't you know that yet?

I've stayed in some small rooms and some rooms (to pharaphrase elvira) where you had to go out into the hall to tie your shoe. Having 2 people in that room trying to dress at the same time or even just unpack was fairly uncomfortable. <BR> <BR>I also recently stayed in a very nice Italian hotel in which the bathroom was so small, that you had to completely disrobe before entering it, and washing my back was an exercise in futility. <BR> <BR>So while I'm not interested in a big room, I'd prefer to avoid the shoebox size variety. <BR> <BR>

I, like most, have come to expect small rooms in Europe and I have no problem with them. I just want a clean room, decent sheets and a clean bathroom (oh, yes, AND the electric teapot, of course). The one thing I really hate, however, is when I find the tiny, corner shower that Brian refered to. If it has a removable shower nozzle--no problem, if it doesn't--ugh! <BR>One great experience in London last fall: Checked into our hotel and was given a room that was TRULY tiny--couldn't even describe it--but no problem as we were only there for the weekend, then off to Scotland. Returned the following Friday for one night before checking out and the wonderful guy at the front desk greeted us by name, asked about out week and walked us to our room (we couldn't believe he remembered us--we'ed interacted so little the previous weekend). Anyway, he unlocked our door and voila--the biggest suite I've stayed in outside the US! Couldn't believe it. He just smiled and said, "thank you for taking that little room last weekend and not complaining!" <BR>Obviously, they've got my business!

I am reminded of the old Bob Hope line, when he used to travel to entertain the troops: "My room was so small, every time you opened the door, you rearranged the furniture!"

Or the room was so small, everytime you put the key in the door lock, you broke a window?

Oh, what a good laugh you gave me, Wendy. <BR>Thanks so much!

My favorite "the room was so small I didn't have enough room to change my mind" <BR> <BR>I am an average-size woman who travels with a 21" rollaboard and small tote who doesn't spread out much, but I had a hotel (single) room in Paris where I had to sit on the bed to wash my face in the sink. The only place to store the suitcase was at the foot of the bed which meant I couldn't use the "desk". If I had been 6' tall and 230lbs, I'da been in deep doo-doo... <BR> <BR>

<BR>Puzzled-- <BR> <BR>I like large hotel rooms <BR> <BR>Sue me <BR> <BR>AH <BR> <BR>

I admit to being somewhat obsessed with the size of European hotel rooms because with 2 people and "normal" luggage there frequently is not enough room to move about in the room. I ask very clearly about the size of the rooms now and ask for dimensions (whether in meters or sq. feet) when I make reservations. Most hotels will answer this type of question, if not .. go someplace else. True, you do not spend lots of time in the room but when you are there you want to be comfortable at least and sitting on the edge of the bed with your knees on your chin is not comfort! We too occasionally like a snack/sandwich or something in the room and it's nice to have a table/desk and some chairs. Also, it's nice to have a pleasant "roomy" room to come back to at the end of the sightseeing day to rest up in before going out for the night, etc. It doesn't have to be a suite, but a few extra feet can go a long way for comfort! We just returned from Europe and the Relais Bosquet Hotel in Paris had decent (for Paris) sized rooms and good sized bathrooms - you need to get a "superior" room tho for the extra space at this hotel. <BR> <BR>Another reason for a larger room is that with there being no place to plug in a hair dryer (I like my own, hotel ones are like leaf blowers) and/or curling iron you need some room to plug into an outlet and figure out how you are going to see what you are doing. This is usually a real challenge. The Relais Bosquet hotel had an outlet right outside the bathroom door (what a luxury!!!) and I could plug in there and use the mirror in the bathroom to see what I was doing. There was also a full length mirror on the closet door. <BR>These may be "little" things,but they add to the enjoyment of the trip if you are able to move, fix your hair, etc. <BR>

puzzled, <BR> I have to say that I am not obsessed with the size of a hotel room, but when we travel with our two children,in the States we can all be accomodated in one room,leaving us more money to spend on a hotel with a location right on the sea with great views.(as an example) We are going to be spending some time this summer in the Riviera and have to spend money on two rooms, so we will not be able to stay at that lovely hotel I had my eye on, right on the Sea with the great views.

The size of the room, although we prefer something larger than a shoebox, is not that critical. We tour hard, seeing as much as we can each day. We look for hotels, pensions, B&B's, etc. with charm and/or character and, most importantly, local color; something that will add to our experience in a given area. We avoid high rise, western style "blah" hotels at all costs. Rather stay in a dump with character than a big lobby, big elevator, big room, big hotel any night. Have had great experiences, met interesting people and brought back great memories with this approach. <BR> <BR>

If I'm by myself, I generally couldn't care less about the size of the hotel room, but if I'm with someone else (or more than one other person), the size of the room becomes a bit more of an issue. <BR>In answer to "puzzled," I don't think Americans are obsessed with the size of the rooms; I think it's just that most Americans are accustomed to larger hotel rooms because American hotels generally have larger rooms than those in Europe, and many Americans are surprised on their first trips to Europe to find themselves in hotel rooms that are so much smaller than they may have experienced before. I believe that the size of rooms is often a function of the age of a building (not just in hotels, but in homes and all sorts of commercial buildings as well), and as you know, most buildings here in the states are newer than those in Europe. However, I have stayed in some brand new hotel rooms in New York City that are smaller than the ones I've stayed in in Paris, just because space is at such a premium there. But you're right -- usually when I'm travelling I'm not in my room that much, so it's generally not a problem. It can be an issue for families sharing a room though -- you know siblings have a tendency to start scrapping in close quarters! <BR> <BR>

The readily apparent conclusion from these posts is that only men care about size. <BR> <BR>(And that's just the non-Italian men....)

Perhaps, Sigmund, but as several of the women and even the men point out: it's not so much the size the matters, but how you are using it.

Anyone who thinks size doesn't matter has never had a big one before. Once you have, it's hard to go back.

Like: Good one, LOL! You were talking about room size, yes? <BR>Some very funny stuff..... Judy