16 Of My Biggest Hotel Pet Peeves, From Decorative Pillows To Destination Fees

Sometimes I think it’s fun to talk about and compare our various travel habits and pet peeves. I recently wrote about some of my hotel habits, and in this post thought it would be fun to share some of my hotel pet peeves. This is actually an update to a list I published last year, as I have some new additions. 😉 Some of these are major, some of them are minor, and this list is by no means comprehensive, but it’s many of the things that come to mind. I’ll share mine below (in no particular order), and then I’d love to hear how they compare to those of OMAAT readers. Bathrooms without privacyDecorative pillows & other beddingShowers with weak water pressureShowers that are complicated, poorly designedGyms that aren’t 24/7A poor coffee setupDestination, resort, and urban feesScripted, artificial customer serviceHotels trying to avoid providing elite perksIn-room TVs automatically being turned onRoom amenities that aren’t properly checkedBeds with square pillowsLack of power outlets by the bedComplicated, hidden light switchesRooms without desks or desk-like setupsLack of comfortable, functional furniture in roomBottom line Bathrooms without privacy I know some hotels like to be “hip,” but I just don’t get how that sometimes extends to bathroom design. All too often, we see bathrooms that are basically designed for peep shows. Sometimes there’s a glass shield between the bedroom and bathroom with no option to get full privacy, and other times the toilet is separated from the rest of the bathroom by a non-frosted glass shield. Is a little privacy in the bathroom too much to ask for? And don’t even get me started on bathtubs in bedrooms… Is bathroom privacy too much to ask for? Decorative pillows & other bedding I’m a germaphobe, though I’m pretty good at being selective about it, or else I’d probably never enjoy staying at hotels again. While I can get over most things in hotel rooms, decorative pillows and blankets is one thing I struggle with. They’re obviously not cleaned between each use, and I feel like most guests either use them or throw them on the floor. I find that kind of disgusting, and wish that I could simply request to not have these in rooms. I’m not a fan of decorative bedding Showers with weak water pressure I can appreciate how many hotels are trying to be more environmentally conscious (or cut costs, or both). However, I wish that water pressure wasn’t one of the areas where they’re looking to save. It ends up just taking me a lot longer to shower, and I’m not sure how that’s in anyone’s best interest. I value showers with good water pressure Showers that are complicated, poorly designed Separate from poor water pressure, there are a couple of other things that frustrate me about hotel showers. For one, I feel like hotel showers have become increasingly complicated to use over the years, and it makes no sense to me. It should be possible to turn on the shower and control the temperature without getting wet first. Furthermore, it should be obvious which handles and buttons control the water flow, temperature, etc. Along similar lines, I don’t like showers that aren’t fully enclosed, and/or where water easily splashes into the rest of the bathroom. You shouldn’t have to flood the whole bathroom in order to take a shower. Like, I’m trying to get clean, not recreate Noah’s Ark. Some showers lead to bathroom flooding Gyms that aren’t 24/7 I like to go to the gym, and I also keep a very strange schedule, especially when traveling. Along those lines, I’m always frustrated when hotels have gyms that aren’t 24/7. Okay, I understand that at hotels that somehow use a third-party health complex for their guest. But I’m also surprised by how sometimes hotels with standard gyms still have limited hours. If you’re not going to have a 24/7 gym, at least open it at a reasonable hour. For example, I recently stayed at a hotel where the gym only opened at 8AM, which I found to be incredibly late. Go figure there was then a mad rush to use the gym at that hour. I appreciate hotels with 24/7 gyms A poor coffee setup I probably care more about coffee than the average person. Of course I absolutely love when a hotel has a coffee shop and/or barista made coffee. However, that’s not something I expect from most non-luxury hotels. I’ll settle for just a decent in-room coffee machine, or coffee in the lobby in the early hours of the morning. It irks me when a hotel doesn’t have a decent in-room coffee setup, and also doesn’t have a good opportunity to get coffee in the lobby in the early morning hours. Some hotels have a poor in-room coffee setup Destination, resort, and urban fees I think this frustrates just about everyone, but destination and resort fees are obviously incredibly annoying. Hotels have historically had these in order to have drip pricing and to limit the amount of the room rate they have to pay a commission on to online travel agencies. But it’s also super annoying to be charged $10-100 per day for what ultimately amounts to very little. Scripted, artificial customer service There’s professional service, and then there’s cookie cutter, over the top, artificial service. I’m talking about when front desk agents seem like they’re reading off a script, and try to add your name to every sentence, to make it sound like they’re providing good service. Personally I far prefer genuine service with a smile. You don’t have to use my name or terms like “my privilege.” I’ll take a friendly and genuine person at a Holiday Inn Express calling me “hun” over a Ritz-Carlton front desk agent who tries to fit my last name into every sentence. I’ll take genuine service over scripted service any day Hotels trying to avoid providing elite perks I think this is something that just about any elite member with a hotel loyalty program will agree with. We’re all loyal to hotel groups in exchange for certain perks, and it’s really frustrating when hotels go out of their way to be as stingy as possible. To be clear, I don’t expect every hotel to be overly generous, and I also recognize that there are a lot of elite members, and therefore there’s lots of competition for upgrades. But sometimes you’ll see hotels that go out of their way to not provide perks, whether it’s late check-out, a half decent breakfast, or any sort of a room upgrade. You don’t want to feel like you have to fight to get what you should be entitled to. For me, I tend to vote with my wallet, and avoid these hotels altogether. I’d rather go to a brand where I don’t expect anything. In-room TVs automatically being turned on This is minor, but you know how most hotels have the in-room TV turned on when you first enter the room, with some sort of music or advertisement? I always immediately turn that off. I guess these are largely ads promoting the loyalty program or something else, which is why they’re on, but I do find it to be unnecessary. I will admit that there are some situations where this is well done, for luxury hotel groups with brand videos that show nice scenery, have soothing music, etc. But for most hotel groups, it’s not that well done. Does the in-room TV always have to be turned on? Room amenities that aren’t properly checked While housekeeping for the most part does a good job with cleaning rooms, I can’t say the same about checking that room amenities are working correctly. It’s way too common to walk into a hotel room and find that not all the lights work, that the wireless phone doesn’t work, that the alarm clock is set for a wake-up call, etc. This should be (almost) as important as cleanliness. Beds with square pillows I’m a side sleeper, and when sleeping, I always like to “spoon” something. When traveling alone, that’s usually (well, always) a pillow. Unfortunately some hotels seem to have square (or nearly square) pillows, which I find to be less than ideal. So personally I appreciate pillows that are long, so that you can “cuddle” them pretty easily. I also just find the longer pillows to be more comfortable for my head, since I’ll sometimes turn around in the middle of the night. I’m not a fan of square pillows Lack of power outlets by the bed Regardless of the standard of hotel you’re staying at, you’d expect that nowadays you’ll have conveniently located outlets in just about all rooms. This includes multiple outlets by the bed, as well as multiple outlets by the desk. Despite that, even in 2026, I’m surprised by how often I find myself in hotel rooms with no conveniently located outlets. Convenient outlets shouldn’t be too much to ask for Separate from the outlet situation, I’m always frustrated when the light switches in rooms are complicated to use. If you ask me, there should be a single master switch accessible from the bed, which turns off all lights. It should also be obvious which switches control which lights. I’ve had situations where I’ve had to call the service line to ask how to turn off certain light switches, because it was that complicated. Rooms without desks or desk-like setups In recent years we’ve seen a trend whereby many hotels have eliminated traditional desks. I guess some older hotel executives have decided that young people don’t work, and don’t need a comfortable place from which to be productive. Fortunately this is a trend that’s starting to lose some steam, in my experience. Regardless, I find it less than ideal when a hotel room doesn’t have a desk (or desk-like setup), and doesn’t have a comfortable chair as well. A hard chair or stool and a vanity of sorts isn’t a substitute for a workstation. This is not a sufficient in-room desk Lack of comfortable, functional furniture in room This is tangentially related to my desk point above, but separate. Assuming you’re staying in a decently sized room, there should be furniture that’s both comfortable and functional. It seems like some hotels just don’t actually put thought into guests wanting somewhere to sit in the room, beyond the bed. While I appreciate when there’s a desk, I’m also fine with some sort of a multi-functional chair and table setup, where you can work, dine, etc. But I’m frustrated when there’s just a cuck chair in the corner, and nothing else (nothing against cuck chairs, but that shouldn’t be the extent of the furniture!). Some more in-room furniture would be nice! Bottom line We’re all looking for different things from our hotel stays, so it’s understandable that not everyone has the same preferences. The above are some of my biggest hotel pet peeves. I’m sure there are plenty of others, but the above are the ones that first come to mind, including some pretty minor ones. I’m curious to see how these compare to what other people notice. What are your top hotel peeves?