I stayed at a hotel recently that didn’t have an alarm clock or a coffee maker in the room. Apparently, they don’t cater to business travelers and/or wanted people to sleep in. As I traveled on several trips to a few states in less than a month, I began to make a mental list of things that every hotel should have.
A plug near the bed. For your phone. Especially if you don’t offer an alarm clock.
A refrigerator. It doesn’t take up that much space. I was recently at a hotel that had a “cooling unit” with a sign that said it would only cool to around 55 degrees and was not to be considered a refrigerator. Why? Why go through that bother? Just put in a fridge and make everyone happy.
A hair dryer. Standard, yet so many have been through the ringer.
A magnifying mirror. I found that I like hotels that have this now that I’m getting a little older. Although, sometimes the results can be more than you bargained for.
Ample coffee. One caffeinated and one decaffeinated is usually standard. If you offer a one-cup experience, give us a little more, please.
A safe that can fit a laptop. Safes come in so many shapes and sizes, and if it can’t fit my laptop, it’s not very useful to me.
A thermostat that allows you to turn on a fan. When you’re in a room with three other humans (including the little humans), being able to turn on the fan at night can make everyone sleep a little more soundly by having some white noise. Especially when those loud people coming crashing through the hallway after hitting the bar.
Room-darkening curtains . The ocean view is nice, but not for my little humans who are still adjusting to a new time zone. We recently had a hotel that had sliding wooden louvered doors to cover the sliding glass door. Pretty, but it sure didn’t keep out any light.
So what did I leave off the list? What else should a hotel have?
Tonja's Travels 