To want to be able to sleep when I’m staying in a hotel.

[Hangerbout]

I work away from home a lot, so have clocked up a lot of experiences in hotels. AIBU? Here are the problems:

1. Bedrooms too hot. Air con default at 23 degrees appears to be the norm now, with restrictions on how low you can go (which is usually above what I need in order to sleep). Last week, the default was 25 degrees. Surely hotel chains have read the research that bedrooms need to be cool?
2. Beds too narrow or short. One time, the bed was so small I had to sleep diagonally.
3. Bed backboards affixed to inferior stud walls, resulting in waking up every time the person in the next room moves in their bed.
4. Hotels not informing customers they are hosting migrants, homeless families and what seems to be recently released offenders: thank you for all the noise in the middle of the night.
5. Doors that look like they’ve previously been crow-barred open. Cue trying to sleep with one eye open.
6. Gyms only open at 7am. Like, that’s too late.
7. Breakfast from 8am. Like, that’s too late.
8. Severe restrictions on the shower temperature options. Thank you for the luke warm shower! Likewise, a lack of industry wide standard shower fixings: I don’t want to solve the shower equivalent of a rubic’s cube when I’m pressed for time. Oh, and the shower head maximum height being set at ‘hobbit mode’. Thank you for the crick in my neck.
9. ’DOG FRIENDLY’ everywhere. Cue me not being able to breathe in a room formerly occupied by a dog due to allergy. But that’s ok because ‘customer wellbeing’.

Thank you for hearing my woes.

How on earth do you know so much about the background of the other guests? All kinds of people can be noisy.

I stayed in a Premier Inn a few weeks back and had none of these issues.

Nice hot bath before bed, cool room, out like a light and didn't wake up until after check-out (oops!) but no-one seemed bothered.

I can't relate to anyone who wants to go to the gym before 7. 😂

We've got a set amount set by our employer, I over ride it for staff so they they can stay somewhere reasonable and safe as it's usually female staff travelling on their own. The guide rates haven't been uprated for years. At the very least I'll put them in a Premier Inn.

I rolled my eyes a bit at being put in a Travellodge near London bridge last time I went to london for work - and it was actually ones of the nicest hotels I've stayed in for work for a while!

That comment and your gracious response made me laugh out loud on a day when I needed it. Thank you both x

Like you, my main annoyance is how hot hotel rooms are.

Also can't stand when there's only a rain shower type thing attached to the ceiling, and I don't want to wash my hair. At least give an option for a shower hose attachment too.

I think this is probably exactly why, on paper, it's the policy. In practice we are definitely not getting value for money from it and the sector/block booking discounts are hard to find. We paid £92 a night for a hotel I stayed in - it was the only one our travel booking platform had for that location, but a quick google showed there was a lot available in the same area for less outside the platform. It had blood stains all over the bathroom, and a sign at reception that rooms could be booked for £30 a night as long as it was in cash.

Your problem is that you are staying in shit hotels. If your company is paying you need to insist on a decent 4* at a minimum.

I find many hotel rooms are too hot. I tried to get round it by only booking ones with aircon but they seem to turn that to heating in winter. Like @Morecoffeewanted we nearly suffocated in a German hotel room, I persuaded them to move us to an inner courtyard room so at least I could open the window on the following night.
Glad to see I am not the only one who hates rain showers. My hair is very thick and needs a lot of concentrated rinsing which is impossible with that useless article.

then you need to to make an issue with your employer and tell them that the budget only allows you to afford hotels that house majority homeless guests and they need to up the budget

The point I am making is that some hotels will struggle to get staff on site for a very early start ( largely due to the recruitment challenges the whole hospitality sector is facing) .So they may decide to limit their services to what they know they can be guaranteed to provide. Inn this case, serving breakfast from 8am because they know they will have sufficient staff in early enough.

I appreciate that not all travel depts are equal but I am certainly aware of some where the staff book the rooms using their loyalty card accounts.

Gosh OP, what a list of complaints and judgements!
Seems you are looking out for 'problems'.
Are you extremely tall? Or large BMI?
I'm only asking as these are the only reasons why the beds aren't suitable for you.
Re immigrants and ex offenders being accommodated there, if that's the case, what exactly is the problem?

Is that a problem?

And they need to be aware that by doing so they are effectively ruling themselves out of the business market.
Luckily for them (and unluckily for people like op) there will always be cheapskate employers.

So you are actually near your client. What is gym opening at 7am and breakfast at 8am too late?

Why would it possibly be a problem to have a large number of men in one place with a lot of time on their hands, and (in the case of the ex offenders people) likely also substance abuse issues?

You know quite a few people start work at 8?

Paying more may not be solely the solution, and I agree that being able to offer what you state at time of booking is important.

There is something to be said about chain hotels in that you know what to expect and it is generally consistent.

Given OPs many issues, perhaps time to look for another job, or somehow reduce the number of nights away from home.

The price of the hotel has nothing to do with some of these issues.

In fact, rainfall showers, very dim lighting and heavy hot bedding/duvets are more likely to be found in high end hotels.

The last time I was in London I stayed at quite a nice hotel in Bloomsbury. The room was so hot and the bed had no top sheet so every night I had to take the cover off the king size duvet so I could sleep under just the cover. Of course, every day housekeeping would put a new cover on so I had to repeat the process again.

Yes I agree with you on that point. It’s like the few bars near us who dont open till Wednesdays . They say its not feasible as they dont get enough customers in Mon and Tuesday but that does mean they lose customers who go elsewhere and stay there if you see what I mean.

Premier Inn all the way simply because they guarantee a good nights sleep or refund ( with evidence) their beds are comfortable and rooms are clean enough to not have to worry too much especially for one or two night stays.

Independent hotels in the UK unless they’re high end are very risky so I would never ever take the chance.

Always let the hotel know about your dog allergy before arriving and request a dog free room. They tend to only use certain rooms for dogs.

Bring an eye mask and ear buds with you.

You can purchase hotel door safety devices online.

I would never travel without sleep mask, ear plugs, and one of those little gadgets to lock the room door from inside. Travelled solo all around the mid east so have had some dodgy experiences with handsome room boys who assumed I was "up for it".

Quite

I stay at Premier Inns with work and they are always too hot!! You can’t set the heating any lower than 19 but it’s too hot for me! Can’t open the windows and the doors banging all night keeps me awake.

Not sure what's xenophobic about what I've said.
People living longer term somewhere will act differently to how they'd act as guests. This would be the same if it was British people there.
Men, especially young ones in groups can be particularly rowdy - again would be the same with a load of British men there.
And it's true that other cultures have different ideas about noise levels. I speak from experience of staying in other countries and just the amount of noise in public places. It's actually the UK that is in the minority in my experience.