Hotel bathroom design choices spark guest dissatisfaction

Cost-saving room layouts increasingly clash with guest expectations of privacy

Hotels are experimenting with alternative bathroom designs that replace traditional opaque doors with sliding panels, glass partitions, or open layouts, primarily to reduce costs and maximize space. While these designs can improve light, accessibility, and perceived room size, they are also generating growing guest dissatisfaction around noise, odors, and visual privacy. The Wall Street Journal highlights how financial pressures, maintenance concerns, and post-pandemic demand shifts are shaping room design decisions. It also shows that privacy is becoming a clearer decision factor for some travelers, with potential implications for brand trust and guest loyalty.

Key takeaways

• Cost pressure is driving design simplification: Rising construction, labor, energy, and maintenance costs are encouraging hotels to remove or downgrade traditional bathroom doors to protect margins.
• Design efficiency can undermine comfort: Open or semi-open bathroom concepts may improve space utilization and lighting but often fail to meet guest expectations for privacy, particularly for couples, families, and business travelers.
• Operational complexity influences layout choices: ADA compliance, door hardware failures, and ongoing maintenance make conventional doors appear costly and operationally inefficient to owners and CFOs.
• Guest tolerance varies by segment: Budget-conscious and short-stay travelers may accept reduced privacy, while others view a fully enclosed bathroom as a non-negotiable baseline standard.
• Transparency is shaping booking behavior: Consumer-led efforts to document bathroom privacy levels are increasing awareness and may influence booking decisions before guests arrive on property.
• Privacy impacts brand perception: As competition intensifies, overlooking basic comfort expectations like bathroom privacy risks eroding trust and pushing guests toward hotels that preserve traditional room standards.

Get the full story at The Wall Street Journal (subscription required)

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