Intimate Encounters
The world of hospitality is a strange one. There are those who think that replicating every feature in the same way in all branches of a chain of hotels is a good thing. Visitor will know what to expect, they reason. Then there are those who think that having something local, or something quirky, will attract travels more. Sometimes, they’re both right. Sometimes, they’re both wrong.
Business travellers will never bother too much with the fine details as long as the basics are there and the quality is reasonable. When on holiday, some people like to splash out for some extra features too. Hotels do what they can to target their respective markets and I understand this. I do not understand things that are unreasonable like light switches being at the wrong end of a corridor.
And then there are times when hotels can take quirky a step too far. At least for my tastes.
I was in Amsterdam for a weekend getaway and chose to stay at a boutique hotel just outside the city centre but with good transport connections. When I arrived, the check-in was smooth and very quick and so I managed to get to my room in record time. It was late at night and I wanted to be well rested so that I could take advantage of the weekend.
The room was one of these high-tech ones where you can control everything from a single remote – from the lights to the blinds, to the telly to the colour of the lights.
Oh, the possibilities ….
Being a techie, this appeals to me.
And then I saw how the room was laid out.
Inside the room, there are two cylindrical cubicles reminiscent of the teleporter chambers from Star Trek. One of them is the shower:
You have nothing to hide
The other, thankfully with frosted glass, is the toilet:
If the glass weren’t frosted before …
You’d have to be pretty comfortable with someone to share a room with them in this hotel.
Related Unexpected Traveller Posts:
If you liked this post, share it with a friend – click here!
If you’re not subscribed, why not receive updates from the Unexpected Traveller by e-mail? Use the links on the top-right to subscribe!
LOL, that room definitely does seem like it is from the future. I like your writing still, I shall now proceed to read through your posts.
I agree with you whole heartedly. I saw newly built upmarket apartments with the same features, sometimes also without any partions.
Partionless living … So it’s a dormitory?
You also don’t want to be claustrophobic. That shower is tiny.
It is quite restrictive – you almost can’t scratch your back without turning the water to “Hot” …