Not your standard hotel room.

Ever wonder why so many things are different in a hotel room compared to your house? Limited service hotels can often feel cold, lifeless and sometimes uncomfortable. Why would someone in the hospitality business do this to their guests? Here are a few examples and reasons why the industry standard for hotels might be different than what you expect at home.

1) Long, narrow rooms. Hotel designers like using a 12 foot width and anything above this is

considered a luxury. This width standard maximizes the use of space in the room since a bed is nearly 7 feet long and a desk or credenza 2 feet deep, leaving a minimal three feet to walk. This also maximizes the use of the central hallway by squeezing as many rooms together as possible. Finally, carpeting comes in 12 foot rolls, thus making the install a breeze and less money.

2) No space under beds. The platform bed in hotels was designed to keep things from getting lost or hidden under the bed. Also, having no actual headboard or legs doesn’t look as nice or

interesting, but saves a bunch of space….and money.

3) Plastic looking furniture. Hotel brands require that furniture be made of veneers and plastic

laminates. This is for durability reasons and helps to keep the costs down. Bedrooms are used

every day at home just like a hotel might be, but some hotel guests are less careful and cause more wear and tear on furniture, thus hotel standards are not great looking, they are meant to be durable.

4) Wall unit air conditioners. Wall units are easy and affordable, and the mini split wall unit is the standard in most hotel rooms. Since the rooms are narrow as mentioned above, this limits the flow of air and also limits the space and possibilities for windows and/or balconies at the only side of the room facing out.

5) Concrete ceilings. To save money, modular buildings are often left unfinished or minimally

finished to save money. Concrete can be cool and chic, but can also be cold and hard looking.

6) Central corridors. Most new hotels today are built with a central corridor, which means you have a hallway to walk down before you enter your room. This is efficient because rooms can be

entered from both sides and maximizes space, but can often be dark, gloomy and quite boring.

At Hillside, we are proud to offer guest rooms that are much cozier and much more comfortable. We’ve bucked the system on all the standards and provide you with balconies featuring amazing views, French doors, central A/C, four poster beds, artisan wood furniture, hand woven rugs, shiplap walls, limestone flooring and rooms that are 14.5 feet wide. And because we are in a small town on the edge of San Antonio, we provide an excellent value and a truly unique experience. Our purpose is to make life a little better.

Your Hillside Family