Bring bathroom doors back to hotels

Suspected Reasons for Doorless Bathrooms

• Many argue it’s a revenue tactic: making shared rooms (friends, coworkers, families with teens) uncomfortable so people book extra rooms or suites.
• Others think it’s mostly aesthetics/Instagram: open glass, “luxury spa” vibes, and making tiny rooms feel bigger in photos.
• Cost/space rationale: swing doors need clearance; removing them or using sliding/barn doors lets hotels shrink rooms or squeeze in more units.
• Some mention safety/maintenance: easier ADA compliance with sliding doors; fewer lockable doors to worry about during crises or abuse; fewer moving parts to maintain.

Privacy, Dignity, and Social Norms

• Strong consensus that most couples and families still want a solid, opaque, closable bathroom door—especially for toilets.
• Several say they’d rather use a shared hallway bathroom than an in‑room toilet with no real door.
• A minority are fine with or even prefer open bathrooms, especially when traveling alone or with very intimate partners; others find that dynamic itself off‑putting.
• Cultural variation noted: some regions are more relaxed about nudity and shared facilities, but even there, fully exposed toilets are seen as too much.

Hygiene and Comfort Concerns

• People worry about toilet plume (aerosolized fecal particles) reaching beds, furniture, and toothbrushes when there’s no door or fan.
• Humidity from showers spilling into the sleeping area is linked to mold, musty smells, and general discomfort.
• Debate over how much doors actually improve health vs. mainly improving perceived cleanliness and odor control.

Impact on Travelers and Booking Behavior

• Many now actively scan photos/reviews for bathroom layout; some say a missing/transparent door is an automatic dealbreaker or “never again.”
• Early‑stage startups and cost‑cutting business trips are hit hard: sharing rooms becomes awkward or impossible.
• Families with kids or mixed‑sex travel groups find these layouts especially unworkable.

Market Dynamics and Regulation

• Frustration with “enshittification”: higher prices, fewer amenities (housekeeping, decent amenities), and now privacy cuts.
• Some advocate collective action: bad reviews, industry star‑rating rules, or even regulation (“bathrooms must have doors”).
• Others argue individual “vote with your wallet” works only weakly in concentrated, brand‑dominated hotel markets.

Geography and Hotel Segment Differences

• Several report never seeing doorless bathrooms; others see them regularly, especially in newer or “design” hotels, and parts of Asia and Europe.
• Trend appears more common at fashionable or “boutique” properties, but also creeping into mainstream chains via barn‑door or glass‑wall designs.

Related Design Grievances

• Frequent complaints about: half‑glass showers that flood the floor, confusing shower controls, dim rooms, lack of ventilation fans, barn doors with gaps, noisy/slamming doors, and generally declining service (e.g., reduced housekeeping).
• Some wish similar tracking existed for: real shower enclosures, water pressure, bed firmness, blackout curtains, desk usability, and Wi‑Fi speed.