Hotels increasingly replace solid bathroom doors with glass cubicles and sliding panels

Hotels are increasingly replacing traditional solid bathroom doors with alternatives such as sliding barn doors, curtains and glass-enclosed toilets, the Wall Street Journal has reported. Solid doors have existed since ancient Egypt, the piece notes, but some properties are moving away from them.

The Journal said replacements also include strategically placed walls and layouts that move sinks and showers into the bedroom while enclosing toilets in glass or cubby-like spaces, according to Bjorn Hanson of New York University’s Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality. The report quoted a chief financial officer saying a humble door can look like a money pit and noted costs such as lightbulb changes and door-handle maintenance.

Some guests and commentators have reacted strongly. Comedian Becca Herries was quoted saying a flimsy sliding door “is designed to either move your relationship forward or end it,” and one guest told the Journal they could “see everything else” through a frosted glass door and did not want to see their partner use the restroom.

Others expressed indifference: “If the toilet is in the middle of the room, I don’t really care,” one guest said. Consumer pushback is being documented online.

Key Topics

Culture, Hotel Bathroom Doors, Glass Cubicles, Sliding Barn Doors, Bjorn Hanson, Bring Back Doors