Key Highlights
- Across a range of hotel brands, traditional hinged bathroom doors are being replaced with sliding panels, frosted glass, curtains or, in some cases, no separation at all between the bathroom and sleeping area, according to The Wall Street Journal. Hotel operators have pointed to rising construction, maintenance and energy costs as key factors behind the shift, the publication noted.
- 5 DIRTIEST SPOTS IN HOTEL ROOMS: WHAT EXPERTS SAY TO DO AT CHECK-IN The changes are intended to simplify room layouts and reduce long-term costs, but many guests say the tradeoff has come at the expense of privacy.
- Hotel rooms are increasingly adopting open or unconventional bathroom designs that blur the line between the bathroom and sleeping area.
- (iStock) Travelers have taken to social media to complain about the lack of privacy in hotel bathrooms. On Reddit, users have shared stories of hotel stays featuring bathrooms with no doors at all, as well as partially enclosed spaces, sliding doors that do not fully close and frosted glass panels separating the toilet or shower from the rest of the room.
- CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTERMany commenters said the layouts made shared stays uncomfortable, particularly when traveling with partners, family members or friends, citing concerns about being able to hear or see activity inside the bathroom.
