Elements of a Good Hotel
Silence in private areas.
Faint music in public areas.
Professional, warm, and brief interactions with employees.
Immediacy.
Free hot breakfast.
Posted signs.
Smooth elevators with soft dinging sounds.
Pool.
Generous pool hours.
Pool towels that are full size and clearly available.
No one else in the pool.
Various foldings of things.
Bible in the nightstand.
Constant gentle air conditioning.
A physical TV channel guide.
A clean, empty gym.
Real drinking glasses.
Good cell service.
Impeccable internet connection.
A general sense that hey, this isn’t a place that’d be sustainable for more than a few nights, not because it’s bad but because it’s so sanitized and sequestered from the realities of domestic life that after the third day all you really want are the normal smells and sounds of the things you know. But once you get back to those things they’ll likely become all too familiar and you’ll start fantasizing about this place precisely because it’s so sanitized and sequestered, just enough to keep you coming back, and just enough to keep you leaving.
