Hotel Room Annoyances
 

In running a thread about what one hopes to find in a hotel or motel room, I got responses about what people don't want to find upon check-in. Can you add to this list?

 An unpleasant odor in the room.
 Low water pressure in the shower.
 A “credit card” room key programmed for fewer days than booked.
 A smoke alarm that goes off at night because the battery is low.
 A remote control that doesn’t work.
 A lumpy pillow.
 A flat bottom sheet that does not stay tucked in through the night.
 A slow draining tub or shower.
 A thick shower curtain that blocks light, making the shower dark.
 No local telephone book.
 No make-up mirror.
 Drapes that don’t black out all light.
 A coffee maker with no tea bags.
 No pool for the kids.

This reminded me that my all time greatest annoyance is to find myself booked into a motel that is mostly occupied by kids on prom night or on spring break. It has happened to us more than once.

No guide for the local TV channels.

Comfortable chairs, but a TV that can't be seen from them.


And the number one complaint: outrageous telephone charges, like $2.00 for each local call!

Ooops. I forgot one. Maids who don't turn off the radio alarm when they clean the room, so that I will be awakened at 5 AM on my first morning there!

Most of mine are in your list, although I'd state a few of them differently:

- Poor hotel construction and/or insulation, so one can hear every peep (and every other bodily function) from adjacent rooms.

- Use of deodorant room sprays and/or carpet cleaners. I'm so sensitive to these chemicals (they're one of my biggest triggers for migraine headaches) we usually request smoking rooms instead of non-smoking -- because ironically the smoking rooms almost always smell a LOT better, or at least more neutral.

- A strong second for low water pressure. Hate it.

- Another strong second for flat bottom sheets on beds. Major pet peeve, and I'm finding this practice now even at some 4 and 5-star resorts. What are they thinking?

I'm not too terribly picky, but one hotel that I frequent has one, and only one, wash cloth in the room no matter how many guests are occupying it. Even when we have a suite that sleeps five! No matter how many requests I make for more, they are sent up that night, yet only one is left when the room is cleaned the following day.

As I said, I'm not too picky, but I do draw the line at using the same wash cloth of others, so we always end up using hand towels to bathe with. :(

Otherwise, I like the hotel so I overlook it. Maybe I should start bringing my own?

I'd add mold in the shower grout and paper thin towels to the list...

That my mother-in-law is checked into the same place.

I absolutely hate those hangers with no hooks. Also TVs that are locked into place with no consideration for how you can view them. Windows that you can't open even a tiny bit, yuck. Poor bathroom lighting and poor water pressure.

Oh, windows that don't open is another of mine. I live in the tropics and I'm used to fresh air and being outside. If the windows don't open I feel like a prisoner. I always ask about that when booking a room.

Dirty carpets or dirty bedspreads (I've had both even in very nice hotels) Even though I remove the bedspread upon arrival, it still skeeves me out.

Coffee that comes with the in-room coffee maker is usually weak and tasteless - very annoying!

Here's big pet peeve.

Not having the entire bathroom, vanity area enclosed.

Lots of times, the vanity area is in an open space. Only the toilet, bathtub/shower is enclosed in a separate room.

So if I'm sleeping in and my wife is up early to get ready and has the hair blower going.....I'M NO LONGER SLEEPING IN!!!

Margie, We carry our own coffee and filters for hotel-sized coffee pots. Lovingheart

That's one of the things that I found a little strange at the new Mandarin Oriental in Miami. A great property overall - the service is incredible - but two things were very odd.

The TV system doesn;t have pay movies. If you want to watch one they bring you a VCR and send the bellman out to the video store to get whatever you want. They offered to do it for free - but if I have a few hours free at a meeting I like to just veg out with whatever there is - not think, plan, pick and wait for someone to run get a tape.

The other thing that's kind of odd is the bathroom configuration. It's all beautifully done - hand carved marble (or whatever) everywhere and the stall shower is really beautiful - unlike the tiny, icky ones they usually give you.

But the side of the tub area is open to the bedroom. Naturally there's a ledge a little higher than the tub between it and the bedroom - and its lovely if you want to do the romantic candles and wine in the tub thing - but if you're actually trying to get out at a resaonable time in the morning - its's very hard for one to sleep while the other gets ready (my beau sometimes comes along for weekend meetings - and why should he have to get up at 7 am too?) There is a sort of venetian blind you can let down - but it barely keeps out light - and definitely not shower sounds.

So I'll vote for either fixing this problem - or having a more normal bath configuration - when they're promoting a hotel as a business (vs honeymoon/romantic weekend) venue.

One night at the Ashland Springs Hotel, they put is on the fifth floor, right next to the ice machine, that thing went off every five minutes all night long! We didn't mind too much, the room was only $59/night and it was a large suite. Luckily, I had my ear plugs with me! ***kim*** ((f))

My biggest one... hotels that do NOT provide you with coffee making facilities.

Another one is rude loud people at all hours outside in the hallway, or a loud TV next door when it is 6am if I'm sleeping in, or 1am if I have fallen asleep and get awakened suddenly when it is turned on loud. Some people have no respect for their hotel/motel neighbors.

What about all the hotels that don't have a working bathroom fan. This happens a lot and can be real unpleasant!

Dark room, I need lots of light.
Soft pillows.
Too few towels, or towels that are thin.
Remote controls that don't have a sleep feature-I fall asleep to the sound of tv.
Rooms that are too warm in spite of individual room thermostats.

Checking into a hotel room for just one night and finding an envelope on the nightstand telling the name of the maid.

Spending a week at a hotel on Fisherman's Wharf and never being able the entire week to get housekeeping to understand that each of the three of us would like our own towel and wash cloth.

The room next to the ice machine or elevator.

Flat bottom sheets are a major pain!
Rooms that are only vaccumed in the middle, leaving the edges dusty.
Stained sheets.
Dirty bedspreads.

Not sure why you're running this again (did they delete the other one?), but one thing I consider essential is access to the Weather Channel.