What Makes the Perfect Hotel Room?

by Jeremy Head

What's your idea of the perfect hotel room?

I was trying to work out how many different hotel rooms I've stayed in the other day. If I do on average 10 press trips a year of 3 days each, that's 30 a year. It's been 10 years I've been writing about travel so that's 300 hotel rooms. So, I've certainly seen a few - from budget to hyper-luxurious.

Forget the bits and pieces There was a time when I'd find that a lot of hotels seemed to think that value was all about how many unnecessary extras they could place on the table: coaster, comb, pen, pad, vanity pack, packet of tissues, chocolates and so on and so on. It's great to see that in these more eco-friendly days most places allow you to choose these extra bits and pieces if you need them. Sure, if I forgot my toothbrush I'd really value a new one, but otherwise you can keep it thanks.

And so to bed What is a hotel room for fundamentally? Well, usually just for sleeping in. A good sized bed with quality linen and good pillows makes such a difference. I was impressed by a hotel chain in Canada's approach to this. There was a small folder by the bed in the hotel room explaining that they knew that 'sleep' was what it was all about. You could choose different pillows, sheets or a duvet, and there was even a sleep hypnosis CD and sleep inducing fragrances available from reception. And, most important of all, the mattress was firm but not ridiculously hard. I was jetlagged, but I got a good night's sleep nonetheless.

Clean and unconvoluted And, finally, the bathroom. You can tell in an instant how well run a hotel is by the cleanliness and upkeep of its hotel room bathrooms. Hotel bathrooms get a lot of use - and they show wear and tear fast. Aside from a general level of cleanliness, it's things like traces of mould on the ceiling above the shower, or smears on mirrors or other shiny surfaces that are giveaways. And one final bug about showers - how easy are they to operate? Maybe I am just slow, but the times I've struggled to work out how to make water come out of the shower and adjust the temperature without scalding myself. Forget funky, designer-style taps - just make them easy to work!

What's your biggest bug about hotel rooms? And, what's the best way to find hotels that offer the best quality and at a great price? Let me know what you think!

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