You know I might be flamed for this but I am going to make another kind of stereotypical generalization. And that is this. Americans YOU know (Fodorites) or really MOST Americans? Which is it?

Fodorites and their peer groups (large numbers of urban residents with considerable disposable income from their posts) who travel frequently (and often by plane) and at high end far more than low end- yes, they are harder to impress. And their children, even harder to impress, (I know from my own Grandchildren.)

But most (by number) Americans who travel, still drive to do so, and therefore most Americans are stopping off from the expressway systems at Motel 6, Novotel, Red Roof Inn, Super 8 etc. etc. These lodgings are not any different, and can be even less size/quality than basic European lodging.

So yes, if you generalize Fodorites as Americans, then they are much harder to impress because of their "norm" modes of lodging. And I would guess that the reviews in question posted by the OP, would be more in the Fodorite category than the average American category.

On the other hand, I think ALL Americans are harder to impress with bathroom facilities than Europeans are. The American bathroom is just more often spacious, more mechanically modern, more universal in mechanics, and better for frequent use, IMHO, than the common European one. Of course there are always exceptions, but adding a bidet does not an elegant, or impressive bathroom make, IMHO, to most Americans who are used to Kohler/porcelein toilets etc. plus good water pressure and constant hot water supply etc as a base level, for the most part.

You know, I think I could have said it clearer by just saying TRAVELING Americans vs. TRAVELING Europeans. You know, large percentages of both don't travel much- if at all, so you really can't generalize that wide to the entire continent.

Just think of the poor Alaskans in high tech and modern housing overall and who live in towns of thousands count plus, that still have to have huge tanks for the purposes of melting ice for drinking, bathing and laundry water. The government (USA) still has not run water pipeline deep enough and far enough for them to use year round. They are still waiting for running water on a slow, slow "to do" list at the same time when other places in our country have 23 million dollar spent on a "bean" for tourists. Or $500,000 per person pre-Katrina residence to "try" to pump land dry for others.

These Alaskan Americans who have numbers but not good "voice" where it counts, would be impressed with a faucet that runs water without personal labor or strict rationing needed.

You just can't say American majority is in the hard to impress category. Maybe only the European or International American traveler category.