A couple with grand plans of enjoying a romantic hotel getaway were in for a rude shock upon arrival at their accommodation.
The guests walked inside their luxe hotel room, complete with well-appointed bathroom. On first glance the space looked chic with a black bowl basin sink, vanity lighting and wooden shelving details.
But on closer inspection, the toilet revealed a rather unfortunate design detail; it was surrounded entirely by glass, with only the middle section frosted for modesty.
The picture was shared to Reddit alongside the caption: ‘Just checked into a hotel with my spouse. This is the view of the bathroom from the bed.’
A four-word statement included alongside the picture read: ‘It’s somewhat… limited privacy.’
The post quickly garnered 40,000 upvotes and over 2,500 comments.
‘Welp, there goes all the mystery in your relationship!’ read one reply.
‘Ooh nothing sexier than your spouse getting to see you wipe your butt,’ another observed.
This picture of a hotel bathroom was shared to Reddit accompanied by the four-word statement: ‘It’s somewhat… limited privacy.’
A common sentiment throughout the comments was that witnessing your partner use the toilet is an undeniable romance killer.
‘I love my wife. I have no desire to see my wife poop. And even though she loves me, I have less desire for her to see me poop,’ one response declared.
But it also quickly became apparent among the Reddit replies that this situation wasn’t an isolated example.
The online discussion forum erupted with comments from other disgruntled hotel patrons who had encountered similar set-ups in hotel rooms all around the world.
‘I had a hotel in Germany that was exactly this,’ recounted one traveller. ‘It even had a bidet so you could watch your SO get extra extra clean.’
‘It’s the weirdest thing! I’ve stayed in about four hotels with this now and it really freaks me out!’ agreed another person.
‘I stayed in a place in Switzerland… big glass wall so that you have no privacy when you use the toilet.’
‘An expensive hotel in Barcelona had these same glass walls for the bathroom and shower. Made my husband go to the bar or lobby when using the toilet,’ another said.
Some Redditors even felt inspired to share pictures of the glass-wall encased toilets that they’d encountered in hotel rooms
Some pointed out that the glass encased hotel toilets not only posed modesty issues, but also potentially odour concerns.
‘Stink can’t be confined to that bathroom, urgh!’ responded one person.
Many incredulous replies felt the all-glass wall toilet was merely an instance of poorly thought out design.
‘Really great example of not thinking about the service user or the experience of the person. Just ridiculous,’ read part of one lengthy reply.
However, the post also sparked a number of conspiracy theories about it being an intentional act on behalf of the hoteliers. Two different theories were suggested – both ultimately relating to the hotel’s bottom line.
One proffered idea was that it was a cost-saving measure because glass took up less floor space than a four-walled powder room. Ultimately, this could facilitate more hotel rooms to be built into the exact same floor space.
‘Nothing to do with style. It’s cheaper than walls,’ one person suggested.
The other interesting theory for the limited privacy of glass hotel bathrooms was that it was a sneaky way to encourage guests to not share rooms.
Many commenters who undertook business trips argued that hotels designed the bathroom this way to deter deter (deter) companies from booking their employees into shared accommodation.
‘Hotels are doing this because it discourages people from sharing rooms. Especially business travellers.’
Another agreed: ‘No privacy could mean less shared rooms between friends, acquaintances, or group room shares, and likely translates to more revenue.’
