Suggestions for hosteliers, apartment and BnB-hosts, and such – a guest’s view

I don’t travel that much, only when I can. I would often have the time, but not the money, because I haven’t had full-time employment since I turned 45.

I have, however, plenty of experience, mostly in hostels, but also hotels and apartments, latter especially when not travelling solo.
This post was inspired this Easter on a family Malaga-Cádiz-Córdoba-Malaga -two week round in Andalucia, Spain.

So what does a weary traveller need and look for? (I’m talking about things that aren’t promised in a reservation page, provided that those particular facilities exist and work, which we all know, isn’t always the case).

I might update this post, as I think of more. Readers are welcomed to add their opinions and points in the comments.
Below listed, (in no particular order, because they’re all equally important), the most common and irritating defects and their solutions. All easily and economically solved if there’s a will:

1. ADD HOOKS! Place them on the walls. In every room, or most of them. The more the better.
Not a big investment, but makes a huge difference! Besides a coat, one can hang one’s accessories (bags, belts, umbrellas, hats, and what have you), and find them easily in what is usually a dark room.

Not that difficult, see! This is in Cádiz, Spain.

2. HOOKS FOR TOWELS in the BATHROOM/s as well.
Too often the towels have to be dried, AND stored, over a chair or a door. It’s not good for the towels nor the furniture.

This rack is impractical, and doesn’t really do it with towels without loops.

Sometimes one has to look for a long time to find a place to hang a hand towel [picture below].
At least this time there was one! (Alas, only one. No place for either of the two bath towels.)
This was near Malaga train and bus stations.

The sink was beautiful. So beautiful, glassy, and slippery in fact, that everything placed on it would slide to the floor.
I value practicality over beauty when travelling, so didn´t really appreciate this.

3. PLACE FOR BATHROOM ITEMS
A bathroom should have a place for your contacts/glasses/toothbrush/makeup. Somewhere to put them, be it counters, shelves, table, small cupboard,..

Like this! This is the bathroom of a close-to-perfect apartment we had for a week in Cádiz.
The picture doesn’t even show a delicate wrought iron cabinet, that had 3-4 big shelves to store your stuff in, in addition to what is seen here. This is how it’s done.

4. SHOWER:
please think where a person puts a shampoo or soap when showering!
Get a plastic container that attaches to the wall with a suction cup, if no-one thought about that building the shower. Better than nothing.

The picture below shows a very bad shower in Malaga, Spain.
See how there’s nothing where you can put your things when washing?
See also how the door opens inwards? In this one, when you drop something – as you surely will – first you’ll have to squish yourself into the back wall in order to open the door, in order to pick up the item from the floor. It’s too small a shower to bend over door closed.
Notice the placing of the toilet paper holder? If you’ll keep the toilet paper in its designated place, it will get wet opening the door. So we didn’t.

5. READING LIGHT for the bed.
LIGHT IN GENERAL.
Very rare in hostels, also missing in many apartments.
ESPECIALLY HOTEL ROOMS are often too dark. Even the good and expensive ones, that look like they’re directed to business travellers, have lightning (or rather lack of it) more suitable to an hourly rate -hotel in a red light district.
Maybe I’m just naive, and business people concentrate on carnal pleasures instead of work. I wouldn’t know. Not much, anyway.
Even so, some people need or want to work, read, see what’s in their suitcase or the closet, or just see anything for that matter. I often carry a reading lamp in my luggage, because my eyesight is poor, but don’t think that should be required.
A dark room isn’t only annoying, it can be dangerous too. Which brings as to the next observation:

6. FURNITURE: Less is more. Leaving empty space is permitted. I’d trade a shaky Ikea chair or table to empty space anytime. Often the first thing one does on arriving an accommodation, is move some of the furniture out of the way.

7. Somewhere to put one’s LUGGAGE, PLEASE!
It’s difficult to rummage the contents of one’s suitcase/bag on the floor, especially if one is middle aged or older.

Especially in warmer climate one doesn’t want to carry the cockroaches and other bugs back home in one’s luggage.

8. ENOUGH KEYS. More than one set of keys if more than one guest.
People aren’t Siamese twins, and even tourists do sometimes move around on their own. (Not sure about Americans in Europe, but I´m sure you get my point.) Think of it as a 2,5 keys per 3 persons, small children excluded.
6 persons need 4 keys minimum, three can cope with two, but more would be nice, especially if there’s no reception/doorbell.

9. TOILET PAPER
¡Importantísimo! A thing that can really ruin your day and holiday, is the lack of toilet paper when you desperately need it. HINT: One roll for two persons four nights isn’t enough.
Even expensive places of good standard save on freaking toilet paper, and take the risk of leaving bad memories to the guests. It’s so common no-one seems to mind anymore!
I’m not okay having to walk across town in search of toilet paper: somehow one would think it would, and should, be included in the 100-200 €/night price.
Dear Guest: Do not accept it!

And just to get a list of even 10:
Of course the beds and pillows should be good. The mattresses firm, showers working, and not leaking, appliances working, and everything well cleaned up, but all that is self-evident. It would be nice to be able to turn the light on and off when laying on the bed, as well as have a socket close to the beds, but all that is up to the business owner”s ambition and class.