A shower positioned over the toilet can be challenging. (Note: This is a different hotel to the one I stayed in) Photo from a TripAdvisor traveller
- Some hotel stays are disappointing, bizarre
- These are some of my worst hotel experiences
- Tell us what you most dislike about hotel rooms below
THERE'S nothing like the feeling of walking into your hotel room after a long journey to be met with a jaw-dropping view and amazing furnishings. But what about the times you're left underwhelmed?
A hotel room can make or break your holiday. While the vast majority of hotel rooms I've stayed in have been wonderful, there have been times I was left wondering 'what were they thinking'?
Here are 16 of the most puzzling and disappointing hotel moments I've had. What are yours? Tell us below.
Shower over the toilet
This layout makes trying to get clean after a long day travelling quite challenging. That's right - at a hotel in Auckland, New Zealand, the shower was positioned above the toilet. It left me trying to wash while avoiding accidentally touching the toilet bowl with my leg. Not to mention that the water that ran over my feet also went up against the toilet, as it all swirled in together. Ewww. That's why you always bring thongs...
Blocked drains, clogged toilets and leaking seals around the doors to the shower can also lead to a headache.
Is that it?
It can be very disappointing when the hotel room ends up looking nothing like what you've been promised. That awesome view of the beach is actually a swamp and that modern-looking, bright and spacious room is actually a decrepit run-down box.
Surprise extra fees
Ever heard of "resort fees"? Well stay in Vegas and you'll quickly become accustomed to them. One Vegas hotel assured me there would be no other fees payable on my account, which I'd booked through a third party. However upon checkout days later an extra few hundred dollars had magically appeared on my bill. Don't be afraid to challenge these fees if you weren't notified of them.
Also beware the $80 "holding fee" - an amount "frozen" by some hotels for damage or to replace items you may have taken from the mini-bar - which I've had taken out of my account by a hotel without being notified. I only discovered what it was about after calling up to find out why the amount had been deducted.
Pushy – and snoopy - maids
Sometimes I actually like to sleep in, but maids have other ideas. On one occasion I'd hung out the do-not-disturb sign on the door the night before and was enjoying a sleep-in when, at 8am, the knocking and yelling "housekeeping" began. It continued persistently for two hours, each time I fell back to sleep it would start up again.
I do have a lot of respect for hotel maids, who often have a lot to do in little time, but some are just too keen. Take for example the maid at one Abu Dhabi hotel, who went into a room despite a drunken guest still being asleep in it and tidied up around him, even removing the clothing lying on the bed next to him and folding it up. He awoke dazed and surprised at his surroundings. He'll remember to lock the door next time!
Parking, what parking?
A lack of parking options close by can be another downside to hotels. Just as frustrating is the extra fee you'll often have to pay for valet parking when it's the only feasible option. You can also face a half-hour wait for your car to be returned to you – and it can be worse during peak times.
Early check-outs and breakfasts
Having to beg for a late checkout, say 11am, and sometimes having to wait until the morning of your checkout to find out if you've secured it or not, can be frustrating. For many the whole point of a hotel stay is to relax and sleep in, not rush out. The same goes for breakfast, which often finishes so early you miss out.
Theft
OK, most people would have returned to their hotel room at some point to find their belongings in different locations or their clothes tidied and put away, so it's clear someone went through your bags, and this can be harmless enough. But when I returned to my room at a new luxurious hotel in Singapore only to find that the seal on my brand new jar of expensive moisturiser had been broken and 90 per cent of its contents removed, I wasn't happy, mostly at the thought someone had been through my belongings. Was this how some hotels filled all those tiny bottles of moisturiser they offer? I got off lightly - fellow travellers have reported laptops and cameras stolen from their rooms.
Mini-bar rorts
I know hotels have to make money somehow, but having ridiculously-priced (and often underwhelming) snacks and drinks is just irritating, especially when there are no other shops anywhere near the hotel and you're on a tight schedule, forcing you to pay an extreme price for your thirst.
Hotel minibar. Picture:II Uggboy Ugggirl/Flickr Source: No Source
Terrible TVs
Sometimes there's nothing better than watching some trashy television after a long day of sightseeing. But a top hotel in Sydney had me wondering what were they thinking with their layout, which saw a king bed positioned facing the window and a TV mounted at an odd angle, way off the side of the room. This meant I had to twist diagonally across the bed to watch TV.
Smokin'!
Unfortunately, not all smoke detectors work. I experienced this at one LA hotel when I opened the bathroom door to a non-smoking room only to walk into a huge cloud of cigarette smoke. The hotel owner insisted the guest must have tampered with it. More concerning was the fact they obviously hadn't cleaned the bathroom or they would have noticed the smell.
Dirty towels
That yellow stain on the white towel isn't going to be good news.
Trapped in a lift
Checking out of a hotel in Nelson Bay, NSW, became a lot more challenging when I found myself stuck in a lift. The check-out time had been extended but little did I know the keycard had been deactivated early. A few presses of the emergency button and I was free, but not impressed.
Costly internet
Some hotels still charge extra for WiFi access, and it can quickly add up.
Insects galore
I arrived at one hotel in Peru late one night only to find the room full of bugs. They were everywhere. Sure, it was located next to a river, but the hotel staff had no bug spray and offered no help. There were wide gaps around the door so the insects kept following the light and making themselves at home on my bed.
Noisy
Thin walls and loud air conditioning can lead to a sleepless night.
Surprises on the bathroom floor
Nothing gives away the lack of cleanliness of a room like spotting pubic hairs scattered all over the bathroom floor.
Saying all this, many hotels do get it right. But if you're not happy with what you see and experience, sometimes it pays to speak to hotel staff about it. You never know, they could upgrade you or give you a partial refund.
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