I stay in a lot of hotels-a lot of hotels! So I am a little particular where I stay, what I expect and what I am charged for. I don’t mind paying for quality but I hate being nickel and aimed and I hate ridiculous charges that are seemingly made up. So here are the 30 Best Things All Hotels Should Have!
What do you think???
30. Humidifier-Should be mandatory.
29. Keyless Room Entry-No more losing keys!
28. Simple Phones to Call Front Desk/Concierge etc-Too many buttons are annoying!
27. Hair Dryer-I hear women like this.
26. Soft Pillows-Nothing sucks more than rock hard pillows, not to mention the thickness of mattresses.
25. Robes-Robes are nice!
24. Shampooed Rugs-So you’re not grossed out when you walk barefoot in your own room.
23. Coffee Maker-People like that.
22. Free Non-Alcohol Minibar Included-It doesn’t cost them much!
21. Bathroom Doors That Actually Close-I hate the doors that just slide but don’t actually close; makes it awkward if sharing a room with someone.
20. Free Breakfast Included-It would be nice!
19. Free Bottled Water-Many hotels do this but all should!
18. Clean Sheets-Goes without saying but often not the case.
17. Free Parking-Should be included with price of room.
16. Ironing Board-So I don’t have to always hang shirts in the shower…although I hate ironing too!
15. Dental Kit-I always forget toothpaste and toothbrush.
14. Lights You Can Figure Out How to Turn On and Off-Hardest thing about many hotel rooms is how to turn on and off lights!
13. Black Out Shades-Makes sleeping easier especially if in new time zones.
12. Simple to Figure Out Alarm Clock-Sometimes they’re like disassembling a bomb with so many buttons!
11. 24 Hour Room Service-Obviously.
10. No Resort Fees-I mean Seriously, what is that?!
9. No Ridiculous Made-Up Taxes-Maddening!
8. Housekeeping That Pays Attention to Do Not Disturb Signs-Drives me nuts when they enter when you have the sign up
7. No Slip Shower Mats-Hotel showers are potential death traps!
6. Temperature Controls That Are Easy to Use-So you’re not either freezing or sweating.
5. Reasonably Priced Laundry-Seriously $10 to wash a T-Shirt?!
4. A TV Channel List Card-Drives me nuts flipping thru to find ESPN!
3. Free Wi-Fi-DUH.
2. Plugs Next to the Bed to Re-Charge Your Phone/Laptop at Night-So important!
1. Several Outlets In-Room to Charge Multiple Devices-You shouldn’t have to unplug lamps to charge phones.
30 Best Things All Hotels Should Have
January 28, 2015 by 32 Comments
Good list! Free parking is my biggest pet peeve. You’re traveling to get to the hotel, paying a large rate to stay there and then they try to charge you up to $50 a night to park? That’s drives me crazy.
free wifi without question
Nice soaps and shampoo in all hotels, not just expensive ones.
Totally agree on shower mats! I’ve almost killed myself 20 times nearly slipping in hotel showers.
We were appalled in China and India to end up with multiple hotel rooms with glass walls separating the bathroom. I travel with my husband, but I’m a closed door bathroom person. I don’t want to see anyone doing that stuff, or to see me, even if it’s someone I love to pieces. In Chongqing, I actually made him wait in the hall so I could use the bathroom.
My must list is convenient available outlets near bed and desk, room service available for breakfast and free wifi. I take the hairdryers and clean sheets as givens. I couldn’t care less about the alarm clock since anywhere we go, we use our phones as alarms.
Oh, and a fitness center if I’m traveling for work. Doesn’t have to be fancy, but one treadmill will make me happy.
Good call on the bathroom doors and glass windows…always weird!
Hotel rugs can be so gross!
Showers can be impossible to figure out aside from almost killing yourself slipping on the floor. All hotel showers should be rain showers with buttons to work them!
Plugs next to bed for phone 100%!
This is an awesome list!
Totally agree on having a nice coffee maker, shower mat, WI-FI!
Well done and hope they take notice 🙂
Free breakfast is a must for any hotel we stay in. It saves so much money on vacation when you can eat at the hotel before you head out. The rooms also must have a microwave and fridge in them. I am not about wasting food.
I like it when they provide slippers. Don’t like to walk around in bare feet in the hotel room! Also, a nice surprise if they provide facecloths – not all hotels provide this.
I do not agree with this list at all!
It is not important what a hotel has to offer. It is about the country, the scenery and the local people.
Most people who like this list are not travellers, they are tourists!
It is a shame that a lot of tourists/travellers walk around with ipads and smartphones nowadays.
They are more into WhatsApp and Facebook then enjoying the locals and the country.
In guesthouses/hotels they are only looking on their phones and do not communicate with others!
Even couples are not talking to each other, instead they are staring at their phones.
Tip: Leave your’e gadgets at home and tell you’re stories in person when you’re back.
PS:I travelled a lot but i always take my time to see the country. (local transport,food and guesthouse/hotel)
I think that’s better, instead of visiting a country for one day and tell people on Facebook you’ve been there!
I’m still amazed by the number of hotels that still do not offer free wi-fi! I’ve stayed in RV Parks in Mexico that offered free wi-fi service! Just returned from an all inclusive resort in the Yucatan Peninsula that charged daily fee (not cheap) for the use of the room safe. Your tip on Bottled Water should go without saying!
I definitely agree that these things really make staying a hotel super manageable. I know that if I went to a hotel I would want to have free WiFi. I mean, who doesn’t use the Internet these days?
These are all really nice things that I think hotels should try to include. I really like staying in hotels that are good quality and that have everything you need. I would definitely like to be able to find a hotel with these qualities when I go on my family trip soon. It would be especially nice to find a hotel with breakfast included, as well as some good housekeeping that keeps things looking nice. Thank you for the great post!
I agree that bottled water should be readily available and free at most hotels. Drinking sink water can taste different depending on what hotel you’re staying at. Which hotels have you found that offer free bottled water?
I own a B&B and I can tell you that a lot of these things are not included on purpose. eg:
* nonslip shower mats make cleaning harder/longer (and hair sticks to that stuff too).
* Bottled water and minibar, yeah doesn’t cost much (per person) in each room, daily… F*** you have no idea how much stock that is! you need a flipping wear-house to get that right and, trust me, add it all and… IT COSTS!
* Robes and thick towels are at extra cost to clean (per KG) and thick ones dry extra long.
* We don’t have alarm clocks, took them away, because everyone has a smartphone.
* About housekeeping… Ah! we can’t control ours with 4 rooms, good luck training your staff to miss a room because of a sign and then remember which room it was and come back later… (in the meantime it may or not be that someone forgot to take down a sign.)
Anyway, came here to find out how to improve, so thank you for your list.
Just wanted to say sometime guests have unreasonable expectations, usually those who want to pay the least and get away with a discount.
I really appreciate the insight you give about what accommodations to look for in your hotel. That being said, I never thought about making sure that the hotel I book has an ironing board. This feature is really important for me, however, because I usually travel for work, and need to iron my professional clothes. I will definitely be sure to check with the hotel before booking to see if they have this and the many other accommodations you list here. Thank you for the insight!
Having free breakfast is a definite plus to staying in any place. I may like eating out now and then, but having to figure out where I’m going to eat first thing in the morning isn’t my favorite. Having a hairdryer is nice as well. It makes it easier in case I forgot mine or don’t want to have to dig it out.
Outlets need to be desk/counter height to avoid having to move furniture or crawl around on the carpet.
Bottom sheets need to be fitted so they don’t become untucked and make your feet touch mattress.
Heat and A/c all year so an unexpected heat/cold spell doesn’t leave you miserable.
Keyless room entry? No. If they go to just having codes what if you forget your code? What if someone else figured out your code? Same thing as losing your key, your key deactivates, someone stole your key, you dropped your key, etc. If you forget your code then you’d have to go BACK up to the front desk. Don’t be lazy.
I have never considered the many different things that a hotel should have. When my wife and I would stay in hotels we would just pick which ever one was best affordable. Hotels should most definitely have single thing listed on here, Great article!
I really enjoyed your list, I can tell that you have been to a lot of different hotels. I have too, and everything on the list is 100 percent accurate. Especially about the TV channel guide, that is so annoying when it’s not there! However, if you can find a hotel with all this, it is definitely worth your stay.
I definitely agree that all good accommodations should have these thirty things. I especially like how you talked about a non-alcohol minibar! Some people don’t like drinking alcohol, but would still like a minibar for refreshments. I am on of those people.
Great list. I would add one thing: A place near the shower door where you can hang a towel and easily reach it from the shower.
slides definitely slides like for the stairs and rooms
I own 4 cabins and B&B them. They are right on a major river. Equipped with everything. Robes, slippers, coffee, coffee maker, cream, a couple farm fresh eggs, bottled water for the first night only, butter, hair dryer, shampoo, cream rinse, body wash, thick towels, tooth paste and tooth brushes, clean soft sheets, warm blankets, BBQ, microwave, ice maker, free WIFI, Sauna and guess what? Some jerks are still not happy. Go figure right? My price is $70 night for a rustic cabin on the river with steps to the river. People complain that they could hear the train, or the bedspread should look more generic, not such bright colors. Man, I give up!
I am ok with these things, but I really don’t agree with a lot of them! One reason is because nowadays they have EVERYTHING that this dude just said…when he said bla bla BLA taxes …all these people work REAL hard … so I THINK THEY SHOULD INCLDE THE TAXES!
yeah i agree with you
All but #30.