Let’s name names:

So far, my worst is Spring Hill Suites, by Marriott. Been in three of them now, and each had paper-thin walls. And just because you’re behind your door don’t think you’ve got privacy! Walking down the hallway I could hear someone’s phone conversation SIX ROOMS DOWN THE HALLWAY from the room with the conversation! Baaaaaad.

If you find a quiet chain, I’d love to know.

My concern is “light pollution”, an increasing problem in hotel rooms. Now that tech companies are putting LED lights into every device they can think of from the smoke detector to the coffee maker, trying to sleep in a modern hotel room is like trying to sleep at a “Laser Floyd” show. Take my last trip to Reno for example:

Wonderful upgrade to a suite for no apparent reason..nice..but the thermostat in the room had a 3×5 inch display with a blue backlight and it could not be turned off..this put out enough light at night to walk around by. It looked like moonlight. And it could not be turned off. Oh, my horse for a post-it to cover it up.

The 42 inch, wall mounted flat panel TV was also a bonus..except that it’s red power off LED shone like a ball of fire in the room. It actually cast shadows! If it’s OFF, why does it need a light to tell you it’s off? And if it has a light, is it REALLY off?

Then the smoke detector. I know, it keeps me safe. The green LED in it indicates it’s working. This is required by law. So there it is above the bed, casting a bright green beam into my eye like a teen with a laser near the airport.

And as a frequent traveller I have to mention that finding a room where the curtains completely close is a rare treat. Most of the time there is that little gap in the middle where the white lights of the parkinglot creep in at night and sun makes it’s first appearance in the daytime. And who can forget the light that leaks around the sides?

It’s a good thing hotels usually provide more pillows than you need to sleep with, because those extra pillows will have to go onto the floor near the door to block out the copious amounts of light creeping in underneath.

Personally, I like to sleep in pitch darkness. I know most people don’t mind a bit of light, but sometimes these rooms are so bad that you might as well sleep with all the lights on, for it will not make a differance.

David, I agree with you, I do the same thing in trying to be as quite as I can, when entering or leaving my room.
The number of people in this country, that care less about others, is growing at an alarming rate; then we wonder about so much stress and violence going on.

It would be great to see the majority of Hotels, putting more money towards soundproofing their rooms. The materials are now available. I think most of us would pay a bit more, if we knew that we would not have to worry about noise, when we rare trying to relax/sleep in our Hotel rooms.

It’s not always so easy when leaving, because of the fact that the outer handle doesn’t do anything without running the key card through it. But at least I get most of the way closed and then pull it shut with sufficient force to close and lock it, but no more than that.

Ultimately, I see that our society (USA) is losing its sense of civility and respect for the needs of others. I can’t change society as a whole, but I can change my own actions, and I try to encourage my peers to be more considerate, too. They usually just laugh at me, and I guess they think I am a throwback, even though I’m only 35 years old.