Dear Hoteliers, We Need to Talk

Dear Hoteliers,

It has come to my attention that some of you don’t actually understand the guest experience. Or maybe you just don’t care. Look, I love hotel design as much as the next gal, and I’ve definitely been guilty of placing an undue amount of attention on said design myself. But the more I refine my hotel palette, the more clarity I gain on the little things most hotels are overlooking. Perhaps someday I’ll put my dream hotel into words, but for today let’s just talk practicalities.

Please find my heretofore unpublished list of 10 hotel wrongs that should be righted below:

1. Hotel Laundry is a Scam - Who in their right mind is paying $26 to get a shirt washed? Couldn’t be me. Now I know I’m in the minority on this one, but I generally pack a carry-on and plan to do laundry if it’s a longer trip. Yes it’s inconvenient to stop at a laundromat for a few hours, but it also gives you a unique lens into a culture you may not otherwise experience. Me and my husband started this “tradition” (really borne of necessity) between our wedding and our mini-moon to Cabo. We needed those clothes for our trip, so off to some Nashville laundromat we went as newlyweds. Nostalgia aside, I would much prefer to have a reasonably priced pick-up/drop-off service (like most major cities have) and pay $25 to have a clean load of laundry waiting for me in my room after a day out. And hotels wouldn’t have to do this in-house. Why not partner with a local laundromat who offers wash and fold services?

2. One Size Fits Most (It Doesn't): Robe Edition - I get that it’s probably a practical issue that hotels either offer one-size-fits-most or a small and a large in the room (which feels very heteronormative, implying there will be a big strong man and a dainty little woman by his side). But I say at the very least they leave a card in the room that lets guest know extended size robes are just a phone call away. Fat people like to lounge around in a fluffy hotel robe too. I’m one of them.

3. Hydration Is A Human Right - Give the people what they want (the three F’s) — free, filtered and flowing water. Fun fact about me: In college I interned at the United Nations Department of Economic and Sustainable Development, specifically on their Year of Freshwater campaign. I firmly believe that clean water is a basic human right. Full stop. And at the prices we’re paying for boutique and luxury hotels in 2026, you at least owe us that. I used to frequent this coffee shop in my neighborhood of LA (shout out to Neighborhood on La Brea) that had a beautiful silver tap for both sparkling and still water. So simple, but also life-altering. My preference would be for in-room water taps, but if that’s too much to ask for, please at least drop off some glass bottles for the room a couple times a day.

4. Wash the Damn Throw Blankets - We all love to cozy up at home with a good throw blanket, so why wouldn’t we want to on vacation? I’ll tell you why — it’s because we assume they haven’t been washed. They, like those nasty ass throw pillows you refuse to eradicate, are just for show and we know it. Might I suggest you wash and roll up a couple throw blankets with a little note (similar to how some hotels give you beach towels and/or a beach bag to use while on property).

5. Ditch the Wall to Wall Carpeting - Have you ever gone to a hotel and thought, wow, I really love the aggressively patterned carpet meant to disguise stains? Neither have I. Bring back hardwood, tile or heck even cement is preferable. Warm it up with a cute little area rug. Generic, dirty ass carpet is not it.

6. Give me Hooks or Give Me Death — No I do not want to share a towel hook with my husband, thanks for asking. For the record, one hook does not a solution make. If we’re really lucky we get two. But that’s where it usually ends. What about elsewhere in the room? For our bags? Our coats? Our hats? We have coat racks at home, why not in a hotel room? Put some cute hooks around the room and make it a design moment. I promise your guests will thank you.

7. Trash the Room - I need more trash cans and not just in the bathroom. Why must I have to shimmy past the toilet to throw away a price tag from the souvenir I just bought? Make them chic if you want, but please put them in multiple places throughout the room.

8. The Scent Situation - Maybe this is a hot take because people genuinely seem to love a signature hotel scent, but I loathe them. Perfume gives me a headache and I avoid the grocery store cleaning aisle at all costs. Pumping fragrance through the HVAC is not the welcome I’m looking for, with the one exception being places with open-air lobbies — like 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay — where the scent feels like a pleasant addition and not an assault to my senses.

9. Got (Oat) Milk? - It’s 2026, and American dairy continues to wreak havoc on a huge chunk of the population’s digestive systems (funny how in Europe I can drink the regular stuff). Not to mention you’re also alienating your vegan guests. Would it really be so difficult to throw us a bone and add in little mini oat/almond/cashew/coconut milk to the mini bar or heck, even a shelf-stable powder or liquid option would be nice. On second thought, after watching that video of the TikTok influencer who posted about washing underwear in the hotel coffee machine, I think I’ll probably just grab my oat milk latte at the lobby coffee shop from now on.

10. The Duvet Problem - Something I wish I could unknow is that hotels aren’t laundering their comforters between guests. An unwashed comforter sandwiched between two sheets does not equal a duvet. And of course, thanks to my true crime obsession I lie awake thinking about how my DNA is in there, commingling with everyone who came before me. Which means that if something goes down in that room a year from now, I could theoretically be named a suspect. I’d never survive being locked up, so please for the love of all things holy — wash the insert AND give us duvet covers that fully zip. Boom. Problem solved.

Sincerely,

A guest who just wants to sleep soundly without worrying about being named a suspect in a future homicide investigation

Hotels spend ungodly amounts of money on renowned interior designers and celebrity chef restaurants, yet somehow can't figure out the hook situation? That’s not hospitality — it’s just lazy. I can’t be the only one with hotel gripes, right? What are your biggest pet peeves? Let me know in the comments!

As always, thanks so much for being here!

~ Ronee

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