You Want to Take a What?
The hotel bathtub is going down the drain.
In today's hurried society, baths are becoming a rare occurrence, hoteliers say, so tubs are being replaced with larger shower-only stalls.
The ick factor keeps many hotel guests out of tubs. Some are grossed out by the thought of who might have been soaking there before they checked in.
Hilton, one of the world's largest hoteliers, has yanked bathtubs from two of its marquee properties, the Beverly Hilton and Hilton New York. One of its chief rivals, Marriott, also is hauling some tubs to the trash.
When the upscale Sofitel Los Angeles finished a $40-million renovation in June, only 77 of its 309 rooms were left with tubs.
The Sofitel put in rain showers and hand-held shower wands, with privacy glass that allows for a one-way view of the Hollywood sign and the 32-inch flat-panel TV (the bathroom is equipped with speakers).
"Given time constraints and things today, people don't have time for the 30- to 40-minute bath," Brent Martin, Sofitel's general manager, said. "They're going toward a great shower experience."
Martin said guests were walking away happy, save for a few international travelers -- mainly from Europe and Japan -- who are easily relocated to a room with a tub.
The goal, Martin said, is to make people as comfortable as they are at home. A survey of home trends released in the spring by the American Institute of Architects indicated that multi-head showers, steam showers and separate showers were increasingly popular. Whirlpool bathtubs, which not long ago were the hot bathroom accessory, are becoming less popular, the survey said.
Showers at Holiday Inn Express have become so popular with guests that hundreds each week are forking over $80 apiece to buy the hotel chain's Kohler Stay Smart showerhead.
Holiday Inn recently spent $20 million to upgrade its bathrooms, increasing shower size by 25%.
The hoteliers are catering to people such as Robyn Salzman, a 30-year-old television producer from Burbank, who avoids tubs during her regular business travels.
"It's more of a time thing," Salzman said. "Also, it's sort of hygiene-ish. Who knows how well they're cleaned?"
She might consider a soak in a whirlpool, but definitely not the standard tub-shower combo.
The days of bubble baths and "Calgon, take me away" commercials are history for many people.
