The Top 5 Things I Want From A Hotel Bathroom

You know the Rolling Stones Song about how you can’t always get what you want, that’s how I feel about Hotel bathrooms. I just want to get what I need!

#5 – Soft Absorbent Towels

We have all stayed at a hotel with small, scratchy, or thin towels. They are the worst. Not only are they abrasive to the skin, but they also make it hard to dry off after a shower. I prefer hotels that provide plenty of big soft fluffy towels that get the job done without tearing up my skin.

#4 – Good Lighting

Hotel lighting is always wonky. Sometimes there are so many switches but none that seem to turn on the light you actually want. Additionally, the bathroom lighting is always hit or miss. Occasionally the vanity lighting is so bright it blinds me, but usually it is very dim and I can barely see to put on my makeup. Having good bathroom lighting is important to me so that I look my best when leaving the hotel for the day’s activities.

#3 – Adequate Counter Space

I generally travel with either my husband or my daughter. It’s nice to have a large enough vanity with room for 2 people to spread out all their stuff or at least some handy storage nearby.

Because this is not always the case, I purchased a hanging makeup organizer that is a great workaround when faced with a tiny bathroom. It takes up zero space on the counter.

#2 – Everything to be Clean & in Working Order

Dirty hotel bathrooms are the stuff that nightmares are made of. If I do find gross dirty areas or bugs, I will make a quick retreat and check out immediately. It is also important to me that everything in my hotel bathroom works like it is intended to.

My husband is a huge fan of high-end bathroom amenities and the Toto Toilet seats that are heated with several bidet features. But bathrooms don’t have to be fancy for me, I just want it to be clean and for everything to work properly. Having to deal with broken shower heads, sink faucets, or toilets is a surefire way for a hotel to end up on my do not stay here list.

#1 – Adjustable Height Shower

I have been seeing more and more adjustable height showers in hotel rooms lately and I like it! My husband is 6’1 and I am 5’0, so a shower that moves up and down on a track is quite handy for a couple like us. Every shower works a bit differently and these easily let you point the water sprayer toward the wall so that you don’t get blasted in the face while you figure out how to turn it on and adjust the temperature.

1. Adjustable shower
2. Ample amenities and thick absorbent face cloths
3. Decent counter space and extra storage under the sink.

1. It is spacious and nice but I didn’t really like the glass wall between the bathroom and bedroom
2. Ideal bathroom with tons of storage, lots of counter, nice towels/amenities, and 2 sinks/mirrors
3. Tiny bathroom without much counter or storage space. Hard to tell but the lighting was awful

This was one of my favorite bathrooms from our last trip to Europe. The Renaissance Wien Hotel in Vienna was modern and artsy. All the bathroom features were spot on but boy we were surprised to find this lady in our shower! So fun.

Final Thoughts

It can be hard to know what kind of bathroom you will get when booking a room at a hotel for the first time. The website may or may not provide accurate pictures or detailed descriptions of the bathroom. You also can’t use the cost of the hotel as an indicator. I have stayed in expensive hotels with not-so-great bathrooms and cheaper hotels with very nice ones.

What I do know is that a quality bathroom makes for a quality stay. It is important for me, so I do as much research as I can when booking a hotel room.

What was your favorite or least favorite hotel bathroom feature or story?

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