Hotel Fails That Will Make You Wish You Stayed At The Bates Motel
When you stay in a hotel, it should be a stress-free experience. You're probably there on a business trip or vacation and your hotel is supposed to be a place of rest and relaxation. Normally, hotels go above and beyond to make sure your stay is absolutely perfect, but let's face it, not every hotel is a 5-star resort.
These hotels failed so badly that honestly, you just can't help but laugh about it. These people definitely didn't have the vacation of their dreams.
This Must Be Another Entrance To Platform 9 3/4
This is not the hotel you want to be staying at if there is an emergency. When the fire alarm goes off and you're already in a panic, you can't waste precious minutes deciding which wall to try and run through.
Hopefully, the door on the right is the actual exit but if not, you might have to make a break for it and pray that the wall is a magical portal like in Harry Potter.
The Perfect Vacation Spot
Whatever parents booked this Motel 6 for vacation hoping they could send their kids to the pool for eight hours a day are going to be seriously disappointed. I can't decide what's funnier about this grass-filled pool — the fact that they left the ladders in, or the fact that the shepherd's hook is still hanging by the fence.
All of this tells me that for some reason, this Motel 6 plans to refurbish the swimming pool in the near future. Stay tuned.
We Can't Shake This Hotel Fail Off
Look, if I went down to the restaurant in my hotel and saw they only had packets of salt and pepper, I wouldn't be bothered at all. If I went down and saw that, for absolutely no reason, they shoved a bunch of packets into shakers, then I'd have some questions.
This almost seems like another hotel plot to bleed you out of your money. They probably charge $1 for every salt or pepper packet used.
Don't Forget Your Towel
Picture this. You wake up in beautiful Honolulu. The sun is shining and the palm trees are gently swaying. Nothing could be a better start to the day than enjoying a cup of coffee on your balcony. All you have to do is walk through your shower to get there.
Not exactly sure why this hotel thought this was the right balcony design. Maybe they just figured everyone would want to immediately step out for a view mid-scrub.
This Helsinki Hotel Has A Hell-Sink In Their Washroom
It's honestly amazing that simple design fails like this continue to happen. How does this sink get all the way to installation and no one along the way stopped to say, "wait one minute..."
There was a plumber, architect, contractor, and handyman who all probably worked on this sink and no one suggested getting a longer faucet. At least you know the countertop in this hotel bathroom is probably really, really clean.
This Must Be The Honeymoon Suite
Whoever designed this hotel bathroom made some serious assumptions about who would be staying there. This might be acceptable if it was the honeymoon suite for a couple who are ultra-comfortable with each other, but we can't imagine any other situation where this would be okay.
Just imagine sharing a hotel room with Cathy from accounting only to walk in and find this. You're about to take your working relationship to a whole new level.
Time To Run
You'd like to assume that the hotel room you're walking into has been cleaned top to bottom, but let's be honest, we all know that isn't true. While the cleaning service does their best, it's been proven that they'll cut corners with bedsheets and towels if they can.
If I found this note in my bedsheets, it would scare me away from a hotel room faster than you can say "complimentary breakfast buffet."
Not The Room Service You Expected
This $15 hotel breakfast will make you twice as grateful for the crummy continental breakfast we're all used to. If I'm paying $15 for room service, I'm expecting at least a hot plate of waffles or maybe some scrambled eggs. Scratch that, I'm at LEAST expecting them to toast the bread for me.
This cafeteria tray of food looks more like a Motel 6 Death Row special. It's like the kind of meal you get that might be your last.
Pretty Sure That Room Is Cursed
Something about this door in a San Francisco hotel just doesn't sit right. At first, it seems like the railing is blocking off access to the room, which means it's simply off limits. But when you look closer, you realize the railing has a hinge which actually enables you to reach the door.
That means something behind that door is important enough to leave access to. Our money is either on a secret penthouse or a cursed killing room.
Sorry, No Hot Showers For You
When you're away on business or spending all day in the sun on vacation, there's nothing more satisfying than going home and taking a nice, long, hot shower. Instead, you come back to this and have to MacGyver yourself a hot shower.
If this wasn't in a hotel, we'd bet money that a dad installed the design. It's basically just a foolproof way to make sure the hot water bill doesn't get out of hand.
Hopefully, This Was Just Lost In Translation
Hopefully, this is just a simple mistranslation from this Chinese hotel. It was probably just the part-timer working the front desk who was instructed to translate it for English travelers, and so they just threw the word into Google translate.
Either that or this is genuinely a warning that if you're going to slip and fall to your death in the shower, please just make sure you do it gracefully. The last thing they can be bothered to do is clean up YOUR mess.
At What Point Do You Call For Help?
You really only have a handful of options when you find yourself in this situation. The first is to just do the penguin wobble over to the toilet paper roll. The second option is that you can swallow your pride and use a towel that's nearby and then proceed to burn the towel.
If you're desperate, you can call someone for help and pray that you didn't lock the door. Whatever you choose to do, just make sure you move a few rolls closer for the next time.
Who The Heck Is Tulation?
This hotel obviously tried to go above and beyond by making one couple's evening very special. Unfortunately, the concierge they dispatched to write "congratulations" with rose petals didn't exactly think things through. They did manage to turn the towels into a swan though, which is nice.
Of course, we could be totally missing the point. For all we know, the person staying in this hotel might be named 'Tulation' making this a huge hotel win.
The Hilton Public Library
A lot of people walk into a hotel and think that absolutely everything there is for them to use. Everything in your room is complimentary so why wouldn't these books be, right? These books are obviously just there to make the Hilton look much fancier than they actually are.
I bet the only reason this sign exists is because there was a string of people taking home books like this is a public library.
Can't Wait To Find My Room
This might not seem like a problem when you check into the hotel at 3 pm. But it's going to be a massive problem later on after you have a few drinks at dinner, a few drinks at the party, a few drinks in the cab ride home, and a few drinks while in the elevator up to your room.
Looks like you're either waking up everyone on the floor by knocking on their doors, or you're sleeping in the hallway tonight.
Beware Of False Advertising
Most people nowadays are pretty good at not believing everything they hear or see. It's easy to lie on the internet and photoshop and image distortion is common. Still, you can't blame this person for believing there would be a big, blue, beautiful pool in their hotel since it's a common feature.
Hey, at least you know what photographer to hire if you ever want to sell a house. They'll make your two-bedroom bungalow look like a mansion!
What A Beautiful, Personalized Message
Hotels love to make sure your stay is memorable and personal. They'll leave you little notes, upgrade your suites, and even send up champagne or flowers if you're celebrating a special occasion! There's nothing they won't do to make sure your stay is tailored to you.
Considering the fact they love personalizing other things, the least they could do is remember to change out "your sample text here" on the artwork over the bed.
Art Imitates Life
If we've learned anything, it's that hotels really struggle when it comes to appropriate decorations and designs. Somewhere, someone thought this art piece was just abstract enough to not draw too much attention. Then someone else though it would be absolutely hilarious to put it over the toilet.
Hey, maybe they're just trying to spark a guest's inspiration. Hopefully, this plan doesn't backfire. I can picture a drunken guest trying to make their own art piece.
No Smoking Ashtray
Well, this is just confusing. Can we smoke? Can we not smoke? If this little glass thing isn't an ashtray, then what is it? We hope the guest complained. They probably asked for a smoking friendly room and now have no idea where to put the ashes.
From now on we're traveling with our own ashtrays. No hotel will make us feel guilty while we fight off the stress of the day. Who's with us?
For The Couple That's Too Comfortable With Each Other
There's nothing more romantic in the morning that waking up to the site of your significant other going to the bathroom. That's what this hotel is betting on, anyways. Actually, maybe not considering these are twin beds.
Let's try this again. There is nothing better than waking up in a shared hotel room on a business trip and seeing your roommate going to the bathroom. That's better, but we would prefer a Motel 6 to this.
The Curtains Are Just For Show
When this hotel room was booked, but do you think was said about the view? Maybe there was a window behind these curtains at one point, but that's clearly not the case anymore.
When this happens, you either laugh it off and continue your vacation, or you ask for a new room. Honestly, though, if you got a good price, this isn't the worst problem in the world. How much time are you actually going to spend in your hotel room, anyway?
What's The Third Temperature For?
This hotel has quite the confusing sink setup. There are three separate faucets, and we don't know why. Random speculation points to one being for hot water and another being for cold water. But then what's the third one for?
Also why is one of them gold. More importantly, why there two shower heads. Okay, we now realize that there are too many faucets for all of them to work. How do we know which one does? This is not the game want to play right now!
Please Read Carefully
The person who posted this hotel fail said their kids were very upset the pool was closed. It didn't help when their parents were laughing the whole back to the room either.
If you read the sign carefully, you'll notice one big mistake. Isn't it supposed to say "inconvenience?" Of course, spell check wouldn't catch this mistake. Then again, there's always the chance this sign says exactly what it's supposed to. In that case, what a refreshingly honest establishment!
Nice Pool
Here's another unusable pool, only this one will likely never get fixed. The hotel must have gotten tired of people partying in their pool too late in to the night and responded by filling it with gravel.
At the very least, rooms at this hotel should now come at a steep discount. Pools are considered a part of the experience, and we don't want to be charged full price if we're not getting the full experience.
No Cabinet. No Problem
This looks like it was probably an Air BnB, but we're counting it anyway. Whether this is under a sink, and island, or a stove top, there should be storage space underneath.
Cabinet doors should never be just for show. The second this happens, it is time to see yourself out the door and ask for a refund. Hopefully the place didn't cost that much to begin or you only booked it for one night.
World Map?
First of all, this wall map with world times included is a great idea. Even on vacation, this is just a really cool thing to see. Unfortunately, this map is not an accurate depiction of the world we live in.
Whoever made this map must not have made it very far in school. This is either a really bad representation of Pangea, or someone has a very wrong view of how much of the world belongs to China. Or both.
All Inclusive
Why deal with having to get out of bed and walk to the bathroom when you can literally stay here and stumble to it in the dark? This might be the world's perfect hotel room.
Then again, if you prefer privacy when you do your business, then you'll need to ask for a room change. If you're staying yourself though, go ahead and enjoy the freedom of this amazing, all inclusive, and stress free hotel room.
Not Paying It
This patron couldn't believe when they left their hotel and saw the cost of parking! That is several years worth of paychecks and there's no way it can be the real price.
The good news is it is not. If you look closer at the details, the parking meter read this ticket as being from 1996. And now you know how much it costs to live at a hotels for a few decades and never move your car!
That Doesn't Make Things Easier
Oh, you thought going to a hotel was supposed to make things easier? Not at this hotel, which apparently has hired the world's laziest hotel staff. You asked for salt and pepper in shakers; well that's exactly what you got!
The only problem now is that you need to open the salt and pepper shakers, then open however many packets you need to make your room service dinner taste just right. So, what's on the menu?
Is That Legal?
Everything about this sign was designed to be inclusive to people with disabilities except for one. The glass covers the braille that reads "SO NOT USE ELEVATORS." That's not helpful at all!
With any luck, someone reported this gaff to the appropriate hotel staff. This needs to be fixed ASAP. Knowing this, we wonder what else could be set up incorrectly at this hotel. Perhaps the sink comes equipped with several confusing faucets or something like that?
Not As Promised
According to this guy, when he booked the hotel, the gym in the picture looked huge. It was probably one of the reasons he booked the place to begin with. Then he gets there and sees this!
The gym only looked so big in pictures of the mirrors. All the walls are just giants floor to ceiling mirrors. From his picture, the gym is clearly tiny, with only a few pieces of equipment. Good thing he got there early to beat the rush!
What Number Is This?
We're going to go ahead and assume that this is just a temporary number. Like a previous slide, if it is not, then this hotel has a serious problem on their hands.
It's one thing to cut costs to stay open. It's another thing entirely to refuse to replace number plates when you have a legal right to be able to serve everyone. Again, this is probably just temporary, but will be looked at as a fail until it is fixed.
Water Is Essential
Is this a hotel for pirates? This sign sure seems to indicate it is. Moreover, if there are themed bars like this around the world, can we please get a listing of them?
Of course, this probably isn't a pirate bar. The sign was just lost in translation. At the very least, it's good to know that the water at the hotel is safe for drinking. That can't be said for every hotel in every country. And then you get charged an arm and a leg for bottled water.
Coco What Now?
That is definitely not what we were planning to eat for breakfast! Coco Pops are delicious. What this hotel is offering is better left flushed down the toilet. Have some decency people!
Someone, please report this to the health inspector. That A grade this establishment is so proud of would easily drop to a B. In all honesty, though, we kid. We know this hotel is not serving Coco Poops for breakfast. At least we hope...
Just Out Of Reach
This might be the worst hotel fail we've seen so far. When you're stuck in the bathroom, the last thing you need is to not be able to reach the toilet paper. It's basically the world's scariest horror film.
Look, the last thing anyone wants to do in the bathroom is stand up and walk to the toilet paper when it's time to wipe. Not only is it uncomfortable, it's not sanitary and would lead to some kind of awful mess.
Forget Weight Limits
This elevator doesn't have your traditional weight limits. It's so small it has a occupancy limit, and from the looks of it, the maximum is two people. Maybe. At least you get a little privacy or your journey.
What's really inconvenient about elevators like these is that you have to wait forever for it to finally be your turn. You never know when people are getting off our on and when you'll get a chance. You might as well grab a ticket and wait for your number to be called.
Just Vacuuming The Sidewalk
You know the hotel you're staying at is fancy when the hotel staff vacuums the sidewalk. Normally, the staff might sweep the sidewalk, or wash the dirt away with a hose.
This level of dedication is something we've never seen before! How much does it cost to stay at this hotel? It's clearly worth every penny. The truth is, this isn't a hotel fail at all; it's more just an oddity and we're looking up airfare right now.
The Great Flood
Don't you hate when this happens? You think you found the perfect hotel and then you go to a shower and what happens? That's right, the entire bathroom floods. This wheelchair-accessible shower must have a clogged or faulty drain because the water went everywhere and all the bath towels were used to mop up the floor.
What a shame. At least this person was still able to enjoy a hot shower. They just had the unfortunate pleasure of having to air dry afterwards.
One Door Does It All
"In my hotel room, I can either close the closet or the bathroom, but not both at the same time." That's what the person who shared this interesting setup had to say about their hotel stay.
Technically, we suppose this works. After all, it's not like you need privacy in the closet. But why the hotel decided to skimp on the extra door is just not clear. At least there IS a way to close the bathroom.
Taking Customer Complaints Seriously
Either this one was spotted by an eagle-eyed hotel guest who caught a glimpse of it under the hotel manager's desk, or the people working at this particular hotel have a really great sense of humor.
It's a paper shredder that's been outfitted with a custom label reading "customer suggestion box." Our bet is that it's a joke because if management was really throwing away guest comments they probably wouldn't want to advertise it.
Welcome To Our El
Wow, how does something like this even happen? There are only five letters in the word hotel, so just exactly how did only the ones spelling "hot" manage to catch on fire?
It's a mystery to us but if we were the betting type we might guess that this was the result of a prank gone bad. If that's the case, let's hope no one got hurt! And that the singed sign doesn't scare away potential guests.
Press The Number 6 And See Where You End up
We don't know about you, but we're tired of how predictable elevators have gotten in recent years. Press a button with a number on it and you know exactly where you're going to end up: on the corresponding floor.
The management at this hotel wanted to give guests a fun experience while they traveled from floor to floor, so they switched things up a bit. To get to the 2nd floor, you have to press 6. What happens when you press 2? We want to know!
Seeing Double
At first glance, this hotel room seems decent enough. Nice size bed, nightstand with lamp, colorful but tasteful paint job.
But then you get to the artwork and it feels like you have a case of deja vu or something. Those frames each hold the exact same painting. And it's not even a particularly interesting or attractive painting either, just a boring lake scene with some trees in the background. No clue why it's displayed twice in the same room.
Amazing Theater Experience
This hotel apparently advertised that it had a movie theater on-site for guests to enjoy. The seating looks OK, we suppose, but that's an awfully small television.
In fact, it might be smaller than the ones they provide in-room. Unless you're in the front row, you're really not going to be able to see much. And it'd be a lot more comfortable to watch television in the privacy of your own room anyway.
Doubles As A Toothbrush
The great thing about this set-up is that when you're not using the toilet paper, you can use that neat little brush to clean your mouth. In case it's not clear, we are totally kidding. This is horrifying.
For starters, why on earth would they choose to use a toothbrush, of all things, to hold the TP? And secondly, why is the end of the toothbrush all red? Please tell us that's ink or something other than blood. This is a total hotel fail!
No More Shower Fires
For all of you who are nervous about bursting into flames in a hotel shower, then do we have just the lodging recommendation for you. This hotel practically guarantees its guests a fire-free showering experience when they choose to stay here during their travels.
You see, in addition to the standard shower head that sprays water, there's also an emergency sprinkler that can kick in and add some H20 to the mix. Ahh, that's so reassuring.
Mary Poppins Having An "Off" Day
When we see this picture it makes us envision Mary Poppins, in her nanny uniform, working at a hotel. In Tuscon, maybe. On this particular day, she's asked to reset the guest wi-fi password and she really wants to come up with something clever.
But maybe Mary was out a little too late the night before, because she can't even manage to spell her trademark word correctly. It's supposed to be "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious." Duh.
"The Vent In My Hotel Shower Doesn't Seem To Be Working"
If the person staying in this room was confused as to why the vent didn't seem to be working properly, it might have taken them a minute or two to figure out the problem. See, the vent was just drilled into the wall right over the shower tiling. There's no window or opening of any kind behind it.
Also, what good would a vent do in the shower? This just seems like an odd place for one.
Welcome, Now Make Yourself Comfortable
This hotel lobby has everything you'd need to feel comfortable while you're waiting to check-in for your stay. It looks like a perfectly pleasant place to sit and people watch.
... Except for the fact that it's like 10 feet overhead and there's no apparent way to get to it. Why on earth would the hotel have put such a ridiculous display up there? It could have been useful as storage space or something but this makes zero sense.
