That's why I don't really like such design... unfortunately, seems like this bathroom design is becoming a new trend for modern hotels...
Read this article online yesterday... which speaks my mind:
Rant: Open/Exposed Hotel Bathrooms Create Awkward Situations
When I travel, 9/10 times I will split a hotel room with friends, family members, or other traveling companions to keep the costs at a minimum. Typically when traveling with 2-3 friends, we book a room with two beds, and request a roll-away bed or a pull-out couch if it’s available so that everyone has their own space to sleep comfortably. This technique has worked for me perfectly 100% of the time for more than decade… until hotels decided to modernize (which I’m all for) and integrate open and/or exposed bathrooms into the rooms.
I agree that given the appropriate circumstances, an open bathroom can be both sexy and intriguing, but if I am sharing a room with someone I am not romantically-involved with, it’s just plain awkward.
In the last few months alone, there were 4 instances of this happening:
- On a recent trip with some girlfriends, we stayed at the Conrad San Juan and were given a great room. The only pitfall was that there was no bathroom door, and the shower was right smack in the middle with all-around glass. Sure it was “sexy”, but not very practical when 4 girls were scrambling to get ready each day. It was awkward seeing my friends shower while I was applying makeup at the bathroom sink – but we made do.
- Another instance was when a friend of mine and I were working a really long 16-hour day in the Boston area. After we were finished working, we checked into a nearby aloft where we discovered that one shower wall exposed to the bedroom in a steamy silhouette manner; I was exhausted and all I wanted was to sleep, but I felt it was necessary to leave the room while my friend showered so he could have privacy. Again, not practical for non-romantically involved parties.
- A third instance was at the Rio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. I was there recently for a BlogWorld conference and opted to share a room with someone. There were two beds, and all was good until I saw that the shower had a full open window looking into the bedroom. It wasn’t even coated to look cloudy; the window was clear as day. To fix that situation, I ended up having to block the window entirely with various objects to ensure privacy.
- Finally, a fourth instance was actually very recent. I am heading back home from Tel Aviv tonight after an awesome time exploring the country with my friend Jamison. During our last night on the trip together, we had a great re-modeled room at the Park Plaza Orchid Hotel. Our room also had a very large 42″ “window” connecting the bathroom to main part of the room. Neither of us took showers that evening.
Yes, I know there’s probably some knucklehead out there reading this and thinking something along the lines of, “well, if you want to avoid these scenarios, then just book your own room”. Yes, you’re correct… but if I wasn’t such a bargainista, then I probably wouldn’t be writing this blog. ;)
The moral of the story is: when two beds are booked, chances are that sexytime isn’t on the agenda, so there’s really no need to try to seduce guests with an inviting bathroom design.
Now that I think about it, I have a trip to Australia with Dad coming up next month. Let’s hope our hotels get the memo that I am his daughter, not wife.
