The hotel bathtub is one of my favorite parts of traveling. After a long day of flight delays and baggage issues, a soak is the best thing to do. The larger the tub, the better.
Imagine my disappointment when I visit a new or recently renovated hotel and discover that my beloved bathtub has been replaced by a beautiful but lackluster shower.
My imagination isn't the only one. There are no bathtubs left in hotel rooms.
Sirna said that hotels are increasingly focused on being destinations for guests and locals. There isn't much need for a long, luxurious bath experience with so much to see and do.
Hotels are replacing their tub and shower combinations with more modern ones.
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Until the late 1800s, a dedicated bathroom for each hotel room was not a common practice. They were considered a luxury feature.
Hotel guests used to find shared facilities and a basin of water before they had their own bathroom. The idea of a private bathroom began to catch on, and by the 1920s, many hotels were offering en suite bathroom.
The current shift towards bathtub-free spaces is a result of guest preferences. Sirna says that guests are interested in more space, more sustainable hotel options and cleaner hotels when they travel.
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Changing customer preferences seem to be a factor in the decline of the hotel bathtub. As we have learned more and more during the Pandemic, it's important to be clean.
More than half of the people who responded to the survey preferred showers to tubs. The main concern for most readers was the tub's hygiene. Many people didn't back down from their opinions.
"Bathtubs used by anyone else but my family are just gross," said the Philadelphia woman in the lounge.
Readers of TPG were hesitant to use the other bathroom features due to the fact that they were clean. Several people said that they opt for shower shoes in hotels because of the hotel showers being flagged as an area of concern.
It seems that the level of cleanliness in hotels may not be up to par with what hotel guests are used to.
Drew Powers of Illinois stated that the staff has more work than any human can do. Most of the room doesn't get cleaned to the level it needs.
A shower-only bathroom could potentially cut down on the amount of time it takes to clean a hotel. The move saves the hotel money and ensures that the staff has more time to properly clean the rooms.
Many hotels are still skipping daily cleanings, even at some luxury hotels, despite the fact that hotel housekeeping is still very hit or miss. While a lot of changes to housekeeping have been driven by labor shortages, major hotel companies have also been cutting back services in the name of sustainable.
A standard shower-only option only requires nine square feet, whereas a standard tub takes up 13 square feet. Depending on the study, hot showers use more water than the average bath.
According to Sirna, travelers are looking to reduce their carbon footprints and hotels can play on that by removing expensive tubs and replacing them with showers, some small and basic.
There are 8 sustainable travel tips from experts.
Low-flow showerheads that reduce water waste and the use of natural materials like stone are some of the innovations that have been made when it comes to hotel showers. Increasingly intricate and unique tile work is being used in hotels' bathroom experiences.
Some hotels are opening without a tub. Dream Hollywood in Los Angeles only has bathtubs in their high end rooms.
If there is no proof that showers are more sustainable, it raises the question of whether removing bathtubs from hotel rooms is a way for hotels to reduce their bottom line.
One way to make a difference is to remove single-use mini bottles from rooms and replace them with mounted dispensers that are easy to refill.
The bathroom amenities in a hotel are dependent on the market.
Sirna said that if city hotels have the space, offering a bathtub is an opportunity to tap into the local apartment-dwelling market. While sexy, unexpected shower experiences have their own merits, the traditional, visual aesthetic of a beautiful bathtub still holds strong appeal. Business travelers are more impressed with a high-design shower experience that is easy to use.
According to the director of design and development at the company, hotel bathtubs are obsolete except in very specific cases.
Tubs are only in suites at some resorts, not in typical guest rooms.
Despite the trend towards showers, bathtubs are not likely to disappear completely. If there are people like me and Carolyn Spencer Brown who are willing to spend a bit of money to have access to a bathtub, it will stay around.
Brown spoke in the lounge. I'll pick one hotel over the other.
Catherine Falls photo was featured in the commercial.
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