The 'Awkward' Hotel Room Trend That Everyone Hates Is Here to Stay
Have you ever shared a hotel room with a friend or travel partner and found yourself in an awkward situation? Well, you're not alone. A recent trend in hotel design has left many travelers feeling uncomfortable and exposed. The culprit? The removal of traditional bathroom doors.
Imagine this: you're in a cozy hotel room with a friend, and the only thing separating the beds and the toilet is a sliding glass door with a foot of open space at the top. It's a scenario that might make some people cringe. But why is this design choice becoming so popular?
The Rise of Open-Plan Bathrooms
Hotel designers are increasingly opting for frosted glass walls, sliding barn doors, and even curtains to separate the bathroom from the living and sleeping areas. This shift has sparked debate among travelers, with some embracing the 'modern' aesthetic and others cringing at the lack of privacy.
The Wall Street Journal reports that the primary reason for this change is cost. Post-pandemic, the travel industry is still recovering, and the cost of materials and labor is rising. A sliding door or a curtain is a cheaper alternative to a traditional door, and it requires less maintenance over time.
Accessibility and Design Considerations
Another factor is disability accessibility laws, which often require doors to be a specific width. In compact hotel rooms, there's simply no room for a large door to swing open. Sliding doors, therefore, become a practical solution, even though they rarely seal shut, leading to noise and smell issues.
The Debate Over Privacy
Some high-end resorts and hotels have embraced this open-plan bathroom trend, marketing it as 'modern' or 'European-chic'. They claim it adds a spa-like ambiance to the hotel rooms. However, frequent traveler Sadie Lowell started a campaign called 'Bring Back Doors' after sharing a hotel room in London with her dad, which had only a glass door separating the shower and toilet.
Lowell's campaign highlights the importance of privacy for travelers. She has created lists of hotels with and without bathroom doors, categorizing the latter into different levels of privacy. This movement suggests that travelers are willing to support hotels that prioritize privacy, even if it means paying a bit more.
Conclusion
The 'awkward' hotel room trend of removing bathroom doors is here to stay, at least for now. While some travelers embrace the modern design, others are vocal about their discomfort. As the travel industry continues to evolve, it remains to be seen whether hotel designers will prioritize privacy and traditional door designs or continue down this controversial path.
