The Problem with Hotels

If you spend time traveling for business, you may be aware of the problem with hotels. Hotels like to give their guests all the creature comforts of a home. In that laudable pursuit, noise happens. Typical hotel noise that I find annoying are the heating and cooling unit in the room, the television sound from the adjacent room, the hum of the mini refrigerator and hallway sounds. These problems can be easily fixed if the equipment manufacturers paid some attention to the acoustical characteristics of their product. Yes, the product might cost slightly more but for a quiet hotel room, I would be willing to pay slightly more. With those issues out of the way, let’s discuss the other not so common sounds that may offend.

Part 1:

I was staying in a well known hotel chain, somewhat upscale, and noticed an unpleasant noise in my room. Looking out the window, I discovered a refrigerator truck parked in the hotel lot. I called the front desk to inquire how long the truck would be in the lot and was told all night as the driver was a guest. Being a frequent flyer at this particular chain, after measuring the noise level and frequencies with my noise meter, I called the 800 number to complain. I must admit they were somewhat surprised that I was able to advise them of the noise level and offending frequencies but the truck was moved to another location.

Part 2:

I recently stayed in a hotel room (another well known chain) and was stunned to hear the person in the next room using the bathroom. Once quiet was restored, I walked into my bathroom and immediately saw the problem. The vent for the exhaust fan was in a location on the wall that indicated I and the person next door shared the same venting equipment. That probably seemed like a good cost-saving strategy to an architect but it allowed perfect sound transmission from one bathroom to another. Not good.

Summary:

Business travels like quiet hotel rooms. Noise is often the most frequency subject of complaint from guests and needs to be addressed by the hotel groups. Mechanical equipment is often the noise source and transmission from one room to another is another part of the equation. Movie theaters have used sand in between adjacent theaters but the structure is substantial and footprint of the room diminished. Hotels want as many rooms as possible in the square footage of the building. There are acoustic materials available to solve this dilemma and hotels would be wise to investigate how to keep business travelers as well as families quiet and cozy in their rooms. For the hallway noise? A substantial door that fits the frame well and a sign for the door handle that states “Quiet, Please”.