Hotel rooms are changing… not always for the better, but it’s certainly true that they are evolving at a rate of knots. I’ve posted on numerous occasions about some of my pet hates. These include putting the sink in the room, rather than the bathroom, and worst of all no wardrobes or drawer space… only a hanging rail (thus making the room look more cluttered when you hang your stuff up). 

In Pattaya recently built hotels which are well designed include Amethyst and Blackwoods, then you have places like Areca Lodge which is older, but has been sympathetically refurbished. Then you have older places but ones which have been really well designed from the get-go (like Centara Nova Spa). Then there are places with a modern design which I’m less keen on like the Azure (not a bad  hotel at all, but the bathroom partly in the room doesn’t do it for me, not does the hotel and condos sharing pool and gym).

Not all of these changes which hotels have made in recent years have been bad, and to be honest, I would trade in a smaller room for one which is well designed (think for example the Acqua on Soi Honey). I always guessed that these changes had been made with cost efficiency in mind… looks like I was right. Here is  interesting video by the Wall Street Journal which explains why hotels have made these changes and what we might expect in the future.

https://youtu.be/116cwKs2XQs?si=5BL7DTz5OyQetEAy

 

Edited August 2, 20251 yr by LOTTELLEE WINNA

For branded hotels, in relative terms best hotels room are in South East Asia and the worst are in the US. US hotel rooms are sometimes are huge but poorly designed. Same with staff service standards. 

The smallest rooms are in London where space is a premium.

Hotels that take liberty with designs and amenities are usually new arrivals to the trade but play big. The most ostentatious part of their hotel is the reception and lobby. 

Shangrila Group, which is not western but Singaporean probably has the best rooms and hotel amenities. Well designed rooms and lovely gardens and best breakfast 

 

  

No drawers suck, but I see it more and more.

The guy's proposal about hooks instead of a closet or clothes rod looked absurd to me.  If I encountered that, I wouldn't return to that hotel.

The lack of desks/work areas is a thing I have also noticed a lot more, and I don't like it at all.  While I may be on holiday, I still have work obligations OR just want to fuck around on the Internet.  Having to do that at a table or on hunched over a coffee table sucks.

 

Very interesting video

While I have already encountered stuff like the "no closet" or "sink not in bathroom" and am generally okay with it,

the thought of standing at the bar/reception watching the person I need to help me fling around drinks or waiting in line to do my laundry while on vacation, is absolute nightmare stuff.

Airbnb and similar avenues might be slowing down right now in demand, due to their ridiculous extra fees, this is the stuff that will boost them again.

Not looking forward to that.

Edited August 2, 20251 yr by Dnaisse
bar/reception instead of just bar

21 minutes ago, Luv2Phuket said:

The lack of desks/work areas is a thing I have also noticed a lot more, and I don't like it at all.  While I may be on holiday, I still have work obligations OR just want to fuck around on the Internet.  Having to do that at a table or on hunched over a coffee table sucks.

I don't think that is a new thing, at least not below 5 star hotels. I was visiting Koh Samui in 2007 and had arranged to work 50% remotely to be able to take time off. Had to visit many hotels before I found one that had a desk large enough to put my laptop on.
(Also the time I learnt that waiting to find a hotel until I'm on the ground is a bad idea)

Edited August 2, 20251 yr by FarangBear

I think I am more old fashioned in lots of ways, but have to say that aside from fairly large price increases in hotel rooms wherever I travel(except Vietnam) I actually do not mind some of these new design features.  Guess I tend to travel light and even than rarely clean out my whole bag/organize in closet/hangars even for stays of one wk.  I actually think having all stuff exposed makes repacking easier with less chance of leaving stuff behind and drawers/closets in many porperties tend to never get cleaned in best way anyways.  I also do not mind the bathroom sink outside and sliding bathroom doors vs swinging as less chance of stubbing toe/getting lost late at night - I can tell I am having a great sleep or even very good drunk  when I wake up and do not know where I am. lol.  

Obviously everybody would prefer larger space, but small sizing has been going on for years in many things other than hotel rooms and doubt that changes.  

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Edited August 2, 20251 yr by jaynewcastle