Are king-size beds fake, and are there never enough power outlets? Hotels have their hidden downsides too.

By Rita

Traveling abroad is always exciting, as everything in a foreign country offers new experiences. When you return to your hotel at night, it’s generally clean and the air conditioning is strong enough—but somehow, even in what seems like a comfortable space, things just feel a bit off. It wasn’t until later that I remembered the last hotel I stayed at during an overseas trip was the same way. What’s going on? Here are the “common hotel annoyances” compiled by abcnews—have you ever been bothered by any of these?

▲Common hotel annoyances—have you ever been bothered by any of these? (Photo/ZZi/Shutterstock)

1. “King size” beds are actually two beds pushed together
After a super long flight, dragging your heavy suitcase and tired body, you finally make it to the hotel. You open the door and see a huge “king-size bed”—who wouldn’t be excited? But when you finish showering and slowly climb into bed, you suddenly realize it’s actually two beds pushed together. What a scam!

2. No conditioner
Many people have had this experience: after arriving at the hotel, you find many bottles in the bathroom, but the problem is, you can’t tell what they’re for at all. Why do hotels stock lots of stuff like shoe polish and differently scented soaps, yet basic “conditioner” is always missing?

3. Poor bathroom lighting
Poor bathroom lighting is a common issue in many hotels, found across various types of accommodations.

4. Not enough power outlets
This is another common issue in many hotels. When all your devices are running low on battery, you’re dealing with wet hair, and you just can’t find a power outlet—it’s really frustrating.

5. It says “all-inclusive,” but many services are actually extra
The term “all-inclusive” generally means all services are included. But many hotels often advertise all-inclusive packages while still charging extra for numerous items—and these “extra charges” for things like WiFi, spa treatments, and email access tend to be quite high.

6. Dinner reservations required 24 hours in advance
Many hotels stipulate that if you’re not eating at the buffet, you must reserve a table in the restaurant at least 24 hours in advance. That means you have to decide what you’ll be eating for dinner 24 hours ahead of time.

7. Using the in-room safe costs extra
This one is less common, but many hotels state that they are not responsible for lost items in the room—essentially pushing you toward paying to use the safe. It’s not very fair to guests.

8. No clock in the room
This is very common in many hotels.

9. Half-wall showers
More and more hotels around the world are adopting half-wall showers. They may look cool and modern, but the downside is that they tend to accumulate a lot of water, leaving guests to mop it up with towels themselves.

10. Curtains as thin as paper (and white, no less)
Many hotels inexplicably use nearly transparent curtain materials. Whether you want to sleep in or not, those curtains fail to block out light, causing you to wake up with the sunrise.

11. Suites that aren’t really suites
A “suite” actually refers to a bedroom with a separate living area, divided by a wall. But many hotels advertise their “suites” as nothing more than “larger” standard rooms. Be sure to ask for clarification before booking.