40 Times Hotels Just Got It Completely Wrong

What could be more welcoming than an angry A-lister perched on your bed? Just imagine walking into your hotel suite and seeing none other than Samuel L. Jackson gazing back at you. That happened to one Redditor, who shared this image of a hotel bed bedecked with a portrait pillow. Why the hotel chose such an aggressive pose, I guess we’ll never know.

You might not see the problem with this hotel room right away. But when you do, the questionable engineering really is a sight to behold. The person who checked into this space described the issue succinctly on Reddit. They wrote, “In my hotel room, I can either close the closet or the bathroom, but not both at the same time.” It’s unlikely this design will catch on any time soon!

It’s always nice to know that your hotel has 24-hour reception in case you need anything. Well, this place took that promise one step further by promising customers a risque service at just the press of a button. With one push, it seems they could get after-hours ass — so long as they hit the right control.

Who doesn’t love that Cinderella feeling you get when walking down the hotel staircase to dinner? Well, not so fast, princess. Unfortunately, this hotel must have misread the memo on how to entice customers with luxe design choices and striking architectural features. Sure, they managed the grand staircase, but wait a sec, it leads to… A stucco wall. Stunning.

When this holiday goer bagged themselves a deal on their room with a view, they surely weren’t expecting such a big catch. Would you like to upgrade to a room with a stunning city view? Yes, please. How about a hotel room with a city view that you can only get by opening a door inside of the shower that opens onto the balcony? We’ll pass.

There’s nothing better than checking into a hotel room with a sparkling clean, crisp-smelling bathroom. We can almost guarantee that you won’t be getting fresh scents in this on-suite facility, though. Why? Take a closer look — the air vent has been fitted straight on top of the tiles. Doh! Perhaps a stray hair or two would have been preferable, after all.

This spot takes lost in translation to dangerous new levels. We’d advise serious caution when pronouncing this one to your friends and family if they ask where you’re staying. The hotel is probably just fine on the inside, but that probably won’t stop some English speakers from listening to the instructions in the title and booking somewhere else, pronto!

Unless you’re someone who enjoys cramped, confined spaces, this room is not going to be your ideal getaway. Have a nightmare that makes you sit straight up in bed in this hotel, and you’re at risk of being decapitated by this poorly situated shelf. Sure, someone could’ve just stood on the bed for more height while hanging it, but that would make too much sense.

Either the member of staff who curated the decorations for this hotel is in serious need of an eye test, or they were getting their sweet revenge for another refused pay rise. Just take a quick look at this artwork, and you’d be forgiven for mistaking the er, vision, for a very private body part. Now get your mind out of the gutter, it’s obviously just a strange piece of art.

The hotel guest who took this photo likened their accommodation to the one described in the Eagles’ classic hit, “Hotel California.” The song’s lyrics go like this: “You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.” If escape games aren’t your thing, we’d recommend steering clear of these claustrophobia-inducing exit signs.

Just take a moment to let this one sink in. What is going on here? Want to wash your hands in this hotel bathroom? Well, you’re going to have to turn on the water, and hope that the working faucet is hanging over the sink and not one of the fixtures jutting from the wall. Hand sanitizer it is then!

Only an empty roll of toilet paper would reveal this incredible hotel fail. A guest noticed the cardboard cylinder… As well as the old toothbrush that was being used to keep the whole thing together. Top marks for ingenuity, but perhaps shell out for a handyman next time. Let’s just hope it wasn’t a used brush.

There’s not much that beats ordering room service and eating your dinner surrounded by plush sheets in a fancy hotel bed. But all that luxury goes out of the window if your hotel fails to provide you with a sensical set of salt and pepper shakers. Close, but not quite. It’s a D- for effort on this one.

Lowered lighting — check. Plush red chairs — check. Screen you can see without needing your glasses — oops! This hotel nailed most parts of its on-site cinema room. But the cozy seating and matching maroon walls give way to a very normal-sized television, which… doesn’t quite give that immersive movie theater experience. Better pack those specs!

No, this is not the scene from an apocalyptic sci-fi film. Opening the door still isn’t advisable, though. You might not be met with an end-of-the-world alien invasion, but you’d certainly catch a chill. In this hotel’s defense, the property is located in Minnesota, where winters can get pretty cold. Still, having an ice-covered door is not a good look. We just hope the heaters in the guest rooms worked well.

To smoke, or not to smoke, that is the question. Unfortunately, not even the hotel staff seem to be able to give a straight answer. It’d be weird enough to book a non-smoking hotel room and find an ashtray inside of it. But when the ashtray also warns you against smoking... we really have no idea. This hotel room has to be confusing to all lodgers — whether they smoke or not.

Now we’re not trying to be ungrateful, but was there really any point in wrapping these? They do say the best things come in small packages, which is true — unless you’re staying at this hotel, that is! One guest snapped their welcome gift, and while the thought is most definitely there, those snacks will barely touch the sides. 

There really are no words to excuse this monumental mess up. At first, things look promising — slick black countertops, fresh white tiles. So close, but not close enough! Whoever engineered this sink in a Helsinki hotel room must’ve smudged their calculations before making the final cuts. There’s no other excuse for the major fail we see here.

Air conditioning when you’re visiting somewhere hot is an absolute must. But if you want to avoid packing your thermals, make sure to check the fine print before booking. Sure, this hotel probably advertised that they had A/C. But what they failed to mention was that you’d be sharing it with the adjoining room. And, unluckily for this guest, the controls were apparently next door with their neighbors. 

One benefit of splurging on a nicer hotel is bagging yourself a roomier bathroom. That and the upgrade toiletries, of course! How they find their way into your luggage when it’s time to check out, we’ll never know! There is one downside, though — when that hotel was designed by giants. This particular designer positioned the toilet on one end of the room and paper all the way over the other side. It doesn’t take a genius to work out the pitfalls of this layout.

If you’ve ever been scolded for taking too long in a steaming hot shower, then this is not the hotel for you. The bizarre placement of the handrail literally bars guests from making the water too warm. There is one bonus, though, you certainly won’t be getting scalded any time soon. Top tip — try asking for a room with a bath instead.

You have your hotel room to yourself, and it’s time to activate vacation mode. There’s just one thing in the way of full relaxation — the seriously off-putting window with a direct view of the en-suite bathroom. It’s definitely not one for new couples. The spark would be well and truly lost before either of you could say, “don’t forget to close the blinds!” 

It’s bathroom know-how 101 — wet showers can get slippery. We all know not to practice our pirouettes whilst taking a wash, right? This shower in a Chinese hotel took health and safety to the next level with their extra — very necessary — warning to those who stepped inside: if you’re going to slip, do so carefully.

That’s quite some collection you’ve got going on there. How long did that take to store up? Actually, don’t answer that. In fact, let’s all just pretend that this grotesque piece of art isn’t what it looks like, and then we can all carry on eating our breakfast none the wiser. Complaining about that long curly in your cereal probably won’t garner much of an apology at this hotel.

There’s nothing quite like waking up in the morning, remembering you’re on vacation, bounding out of bed and ripping back the curtains to reveal… a full sheet of drywall. Do better, hotel. We wonder if E. M. Forster had a vista as underwhelming as this in mind when he titled his 1910 novel. Hopefully, not!

This hotel guide is anything but handy — and it leaves us with a lot more questions than answers. Do rooms 200 – 207 exist? What about 228 – 249? If so, do they just not have space for any more arrows? In which rooms should we mind the step? We may never know the truth.

The mind boggles as to what incident could have forced the Hilton San Francisco to get this sign made. The financial district hotel probably has plenty of amenities for guests, but a well-stocked library is not one of them. You can enjoy looking at the books all you want, but actually cracking them open and reading them? Absolutely not.

The designer of this hotel bathroom must’ve felt pretty slick when they managed to squeeze a toilet into an otherwise wasted space beneath a sloping roof. If you’re a member of the bathroom-using demographic who prefers to stand, we suggest practicing your sit-down technique before arriving for your stay. Oh, and nighttime trips to relieve yourself should be completed with the utmost caution. That, or wear a helmet — your choice.

“Honey, did you remember to pack my carabiners and abseiling rope?” Don’t be surprised if you hear these words during check-in if you’re staying at this hotel. Just a heads up to interior designers out there; most people like to sit in the chairs on offer. For the most part, they don’t want to test out their climbing skills just to rest their feet.

A grand hotel room wouldn’t be complete without dramatic floor-to-ceiling curtains. And this space delivers — but with a twist. They don’t hide full-sized windows. These poor curtains were probably waiting for their time to shine when they’d be pulled back to reveal a stunning city panorama. Instead, they’re covering a single extra-small pane with little room to see more than your own reflection. Don’t shred the CV just yet, curtains.

The first rule of any overnight lodgings is surely to provide somewhere travelers can catch some z’s. Because, you know... most people check into a hotel room so they can get some much-needed rest and relaxation. But what happens when there’s no room for the bed? That is a very real dilemma in this epic fail.

If a hotel had an inspirational quote on the wall, what would it say? We’ll never know, because this place forgot to fill in the template with their own wise words. And, for that misstep, they had the words “your text sample here” emblazoned onto the wall forever more. Watch out for the text box if you want to avoid a lorem ipsum mishap like this place.

Is this elevator in a hotel or in Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory? Strangely enough, it’s a very real shot from a hotel that seems to have lost the number two button for their elevator. Instead, they had to rely on the six to get guests where they needed to go, which is a true brain bender.

Lights, camera, extreme zoom. A close-up makeup mirror can be a real help for vacation preening. Brows are plucked to perfection, teeth without a speck on them, eyeliner applied exactly evenly. But what happens when you meet a distorted one? Well, it can make you look as scary as this guy, who wrote on Reddit that the hotel looking glass put his self-esteem “back in check.”

Walking into this hotel room, you might worry that the police have just left and taken their crime scene tape with them. But don’t fret — the blood-spattered curtains are just a very, very bad design choice. That is unless you see something similar when staying at Downtown Los Angeles’ infamous Cecil Hotel. In that case, it’s probably best that you check out immediately and never look back.

How subtle is too subtle? All home design shows will tell you that neutral tones are great because they go with everything — well, almost everything. This hotel tried and failed to make tan ink legible atop a tan wallpapered background. Good luck finding your room. No doubt the door is tan too.

The Redditor who visited this accommodation said that the place boasted about this feature — at least, before the person checked in. The guest lamented, “The motel advertised that they had a pool. They did not mention that it was filled with gravel.” Better deflate your flamingo inflatable and head back to your room then...

An unfortunate typo if ever we saw one. Who wants to float around in a soiled swimming pool, after all? Simply swap out a few letters and you have the word “inconvenience,” which is what we’re hoping this hotel sign should say. Instead, it apologizes for the pool being closed because it can’t control its bladder.

If you want to log onto the internet at this hotel, then you’d better have won a spelling bee or two in your time. The Wi-Fi network’s password is more than 30 characters long and would test even the most literate guests out there. Now was that all caps?

This is a message you never want to receive while you’re at a hotel. One person found a note hidden in their bed from another patron, warning that, if the paper was still there, the bed sheets hadn’t been washed. Now, that is beyond a fail — that’s flat-out disgusting. If you’ve not been put off of hoteling entirely, then there are loads of handy hotel hacks that will help make sure you get the most out of your stay. Yes, there really is a reason why you should in literally put your money down the drain.

If hotel air con has previously been the source of some breathing issues, try creating a DIY humidifier. Just grab an ironing board – if where you’re staying provides one – then position it close to the A/C unit and cover the board with a damp towel in order to increase the room’s moisture levels.

Alternatively, contacting the hotel directly by calling the hoteliers themselves can also work wonders. Mike Richard, travel guru and founding editor of site Vagabondish, advocates this method. In a 2014 interview with Wise Bread, he explained, “Find the best possible deal online, then call the hotel and see if they’ll do better. I find better deals more than 75 percent of the time.”

If you’d rather boost your frequent flier miles than save pennies, however, try booking your hotel though a website such as Rocketmiles. And although you may end up paying a little extra for your room by doing this, you will nevertheless stack up both loyalty points and miles that may make that next trip even cheaper.

If your trip is in honor of a big event, be sure to inform the hotel of that before you arrive. That’s a tip from traveler Nicole Connolly, who has suggested that a quick call or note during booking may be the way to an easy upgrade. Connolly added to Wise Bread, “You might be lucky enough to find yourself in a deluxe spa suite with champagne and chocolates awaiting your arrival.”

When you’ve got to cancel your hotel room and lose your payment, it sucks. But by using a site such as Cancelon to offer your room to another vacation-goer, you can avoid having to write off that cash for good. Be warned, though, that you won’t stand to make a profit: reseller fees will eat into your return, for instance, and you’ll also be hard pressed to find a taker for your room if you charge full price. On the other hand, if you’re looking to book a room through one of these sites, you may find yourself able to pick up something pretty cheaply.

If getting a solid eight hours of sleep is non-negotiable during your trip, ask for a hotel room that’s more or less at the midpoint of the hallway. By choosing to stay there, you’ll probably be far away from the ice machine, the exit points or anywhere else where people are likely to produce some noise.

In addition, you should also opt for a room that doesn’t overlook the pool if you’re after a solid 40 winks. Yes, you’d have a great view – but it would come at a price. For those looking for fun, pools are often high on the list on places to hang out after dark, making them potential hotspots for noise in the early hours. And you’ll be even more likely to hear the revelry if you’re in a pool-facing room.

When you’re finally in your room and ready to sleep, turn your hotel’s shades into blackout curtains so that you aren’t woken up by the early morning sun. And it’s simple to do so: just use the clips from a nearby hanger in order to close any gaps where the light may shine through.

To make doubly sure that you won’t be disturbed by unexpected sounds at night-time, use the hotel’s air-conditioning unit. By turning on the fan in the A/C, you’ll create a soothing type of white noise that ought to help cover up any commotion taking place outside. And in turn, you’ll hopefully benefit from a quiet night’s rest.

Even if there’s no noise to bother you, it still may be a struggle to get to sleep if your hotel pillow causes you discomfort. But, once again, there’s something you can do to help. Simply swap out the pillow itself for a soft item of your choosing – a sweater or hand towel, perhaps.

If you're a light sleeper, staying in a hotel can be rough. Place a rolled towel along the bottom of your hotel room door to block out annoying and distracting lights and sounds that might disturb your slumber.

According to travel blogger Matthew Karsten, the “Do Not Disturb” sign is useful for more than just ensuring you get that additional hour or two of sleep. He told Wise Bread, “If you’re staying in a cheap or sketchy hotel somewhere and don’t want to leave your expensive stuff with housekeeping, just keep the… sign outside your door for the length of your trip.”

Conversely, if you hang the “Clean Room” sign on your door handle, you’re inadvertently advertising to potential thieves that you’re out. And you may not require housekeeping to tidy up so frequently, anyway. As Karsten pointed out to Wise Bread, “Who really needs the room cleaned every single day?”

There’s more a shower cap can do than just keeping your head dry. Try wrapping up leftovers – whether they’re from room service or one of your own creations – in the plastic, for instance. After that, simply slide the food into the fridge for whenever you next feel peckish.

If the hotel that you’re staying in uses a key-card scheme, it’s likely that you’ll only be able to whack up your A/C and charge your phone when you’ve got the card inserted into the slot next to the door. And, naturally, when you leave the room, you’ll be taking your key with you. If you’d rather come back to fully juiced devices and a cool environment, though, simply put a credit or business card in your room key’s place before you step out.

If you’d rather not splash out at the hotel’s spa, then you can always whip up your own DIY treatment in the comfort of your hotel room. Mix one of the hotel’s sugar packets with water to create a sugar scrub that you can use to exfoliate your lips, your limbs or anywhere else that needs a bit of TLC. Alternatively, grab some lemon slices from the bar and apply their juice onto knees and elbows for skin that’s smoother to the touch.

If you find yourself needing to host an impromptu art session for your children or just require somewhere for them to eat, then a table in your room is key. Don’t fret if there doesn’t seem to be any suitable surface for the task at hand, though. Bring out the ironing board instead – although you may want to make sure that it’s nice and stable before any activities commence.

If you need to make regular calls, try talking via Skype for Business. The software could work out a whole lot cheaper than merely using your cell – particularly if you’re overseas – as a Skype for Business contract comes in at a mere $2 a month.

And now we come on to the slightly less glamorous topic of laundry. If you’re looking to skip sky-high hotel bills for cleaning your clothes, then you’re in luck, since there’s a way to freshen up your wardrobe on the cheap. How? Well, it’s easy: firstly, fill a plastic bag with coins and use it to block the drain of your bathtub. Then simply pour some water in, rinse your clothes and get scrubbing with the free soap.

When you’re in need of a drink during your stay, don’t waste money on the hotel bar. Instead, use this savvy traveling tip that a commenter named Nomedia shared on Lifehacker in 2013: “Pick up a six-pack from the gas station, fill your bathroom sink with ice from the machine and water and use it as a cooler.” And this trick works for other packaged beverages, too – including non-alcoholic ones.

Meanwhile, if you’d rather drink mineral water than anything from the tap, there could be no need to dig out your wallet in order to do so. Nomedia also suggested on Lifehacker, “Go to your hotel’s exercise room [as] there’s usually free bottled water there.” Staying hydrated while at the same time saving money? Count us in.

But that’s not all when it comes to pinching the pennies: you can scrimp on eating costs, too. Yes, rather than opting for often expensive room service, you can cook up some tasty snacks using regular household items. Boil an egg in the room’s kettle, if there is one, and pick up some bread from a nearby store to whip up a cheap breakfast. And for the more adventurous, an iron can be used in a pinch to make a tasty grilled cheese.

If you’re traveling with young kids, then a child-proofed room is crucial. But if your hotel doesn’t offer a fully toddler-friendly space, then there’s still something you can do to help keep your little ones safe. Just pack a roll of duct tape in your suitcase; that way, you can cover up electrical outlets and get rid of sharp corners with ease.

Although free Wi-Fi in hotels is becoming more and more common, some places still charge for the privilege of getting online. You can bypass these fees, however, by making sure that a Wi-Fi base station becomes a staple of your suitcase. By using a gadget such as the Apple AirPort Express, for instance, you can make your own Wi-Fi hot spot and so avoid paying through the nose to answer emails or watch Netflix while away.

If you know you’re going to get a bit of down time and have some shows to catch up on, that’s no problem, either. Just take a HDMI cable and a laptop pre-downloaded with your favorite box sets and movies along on your trip. That way, you may be able to connect your device to the hotel room’s TV, meaning you can watch to your heart’s content on a bigger screen.

But there’s also a less fiddly method to watch TV during your stay. If you own a Google Chromecast and can access the hotel’s Wi-Fi, you can bypass cables and stream shows straight from your devices. Plus, you don’t need a laptop to achieve this: a smartphone or tablet should do just as well.

With all the electronic accoutrements that the everyday 21st-century traveler carries, you may also panic about whether there’ll be enough outlets in your room to charge your many devices. But there’s no need to worry. Just pack a small power plug that has enough ports to satisfy your needs and then locate the best-placed socket available.

What’s more, there’s yet another way to increase your plug potential. If you’re lucky enough to have a relatively up-to-date TV available, then look at its back to see if it has a USB port. And if that’s the case, then simply attach your cable to the port and plug in your smartphone or other gadget whenever it needs to be charged.

Once you’ve finished washing your dirty clothes, however, you may wonder exactly where to put them. But the best location may be right in front of you. Yes, the bathroom’s towel radiators are practically perfect to drape your garments over so that they can dry.

And if you’ve gone to the trouble of washing your wardrobe, the last thing you want is for your grimy shoes to be nestled against your fresh clothes on the journey home. Wrap the offending footwear in a shower cap, then, before popping them into your suitcase.

If your hotel lacks a working iron – or you’d rather not be spending your vacation doing chores – then there’s still a quick method of getting pesky creases out of your clothes. Yes, by closing the bathroom door and then turning on a hot shower, you can create a working steamer in a pinch. After that, just hang your tired-looking garments as close as you can to the water without them being in the splash zone, and the wrinkles should be gone within mere minutes.

However, if time’s too short for you to use the shower to iron out the creases in your clothes, you can achieve similar results with your hotel room’s hairdryer. By grabbing your wrinkled T-shirt or pair of pants and then directing the air from the dryer’s nozzle across the garment, you’ll achieve an effect similar to that achieved by a fancy steamer.

The toiletries in your hotel bathroom can be used for more than simply having a great shower. If you don’t have shaving foam and want to defuzz yourself, for instance, or if you’ve forgotten your eye make-up remover in the rush to get on the road, conditioner is a more than serviceable substitute for either product.

Did you know it's super simple to transform a piece of crockery into a speaker? Just find a glass – one without any liquid in, of course – and put your smartphone inside to amplify its sound. This is a particularly useful tip if you’re after some tunes while in the shower, as the glass may help to stop your phone from getting wet in the bathroom.

The night before you take a shower, give the bathroom mirror a once-over with bar soap and then remove the residue with a dry cloth. And for the next few days, you should have a condensation-free reflective surface, meaning you can use the mirror to shave or apply your make-up just moments after you step out of the water. Handy, right?

In addition, you can use the complimentary lotion to make sure that you’re looking your best – but perhaps not in the way that you’d expect. You see, moisturizer can double as shoe polish if need be, so take a small dab and rub it into your footwear to improve their appearance.

And there’s also an easy way to make sure that the bathroom essentials you brought with you stay as clean as possible. Pack clothing clips in your wash bag and use them to prop up your toothbrushes; that way, there’s less chance of introducing any germs to your gums.

You’re certainly not alone if you take a miniature bottle of shampoo or three home from your stay. And hotel industry veteran Jacob Tomsky encourages this practice, too. In 2018 he told The Daily Telegraph, “We hope you take the amenities. We want you to use them later and think of us. We want that $1.79 shoehorn you stole to be the reason you book another room with us at the rate of $279 per night plus tax!”

Tomsky has even urged people to be more adventurous in their hotel pilfering. “Consider the unmanned housekeeper’s trolley a smash-and-grab situation,” he has advised. As for how to explain yourself if you’re ever caught in the act, Tomsky added, “Just say [to the housekeeper] that you were out of shampoo – or, even better, out of toilet paper – and thought you’d save them the trouble by grabbing it for yourself.”

Meanwhile, if you’ve neglected to bring your phone charger with you or realize that you’ve left deodorant out of your toiletries bag, it’s worth telling someone at the front desk. Other guests leave their own belongings behind, after all, and so there may be a handy supply of lost goods that the staff will let you take for free.