Shared Bath Etiquette RANT ALERT

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so this is a rant ... I stayed at a b&b and took a room with a shared bath because that was the room available.
sorry, but never again if i can help it.
NOT because of the setup which was lovely
but because the other person 'sharing' the bathroom acted like it was her bathroom. i was waiting and waiting to use the toilet, could hear water running in the sink. after 15 minutes i knocked on the door and said i was sorry but i really needed to use the bathroom. 10 minutes later she strolled out. rinsed out undies, pantyhose and a bra were strung on the shower curtain rod. room full of steam. wet floor. not a dry towel to be found, sopping wet towels piled in the shower stall. makeup all over the place. dirty sneakers and clothes piled in the corner. waste basket full of trash.
it was AWFUL.
what part of shared does she not understand?
i went downstairs to ask the innkeeper for more towels which i hid in my room. asked if a room with private bath opened up i would take it. (one didn't.) she wasn't terribly sympathetic when i tried to explain and said 'well, it's a SHARED bath after all'. i told her i understood that but that i had to wait a long time to use the toilet and was there maybe another bathroom for me just to use the facilities ... and she showed me her back. granted i didn't rant at her, and she didn't want to mediate between two guests .... but i won't go back there again.
it wasn't like a shared bath, it was as if the other guest was letting me use her bathroom. same behavior in the evening. next morning, i got up way early to shower so i could get in and out of there.
okay. end of rant. but i'm still steaming.
angry_smile.gif
 
That is exactly why I will never share a bath. I've seen too much as an innkeeper to EVER expect the other person to be considerate and clean/neat. So sorry for you SS...hopefully it will be a distant memory soon!
By the way, are you in the area? I'd love to know which inn you are staying in. I'd hate to refer just to have guests get an inhospitable innkeeper! And you might be interested in this breaking news from CNN; 20 best places to visit in the USA.
 
Wow. What a brat! Hanging your undies in a shared bath is more than rude.
Trying to think of what I would have done and can't think of a thing. Washing her undies in your sink???? ewwwww.
 
Sorry Seashanty, that is horrible! I would have had a fit dancing around out there...and the innkeeper just didn't care one bit!
and of course it could be worse:
Remember the innmate here disclosing the embarrassing situation of a couple using the shared bath, loudly. Very loudly.
But hey people say they are terrific, everyone loves a shared bath. Wrong. Don't deceive yourself, NO ONE wants a shared bath, ever. Unless it is a bathhouse and you are camping.
 
May I inquire as to how much LESS the room was compared to the others? Just curious.
 
We do have the shared bath but I would NOT have ignored that behavior in my house. We have been fortunate (to date) to have only people respectful of others. I admit that whenever possible, I make the shared bath a private. When I have long-term they are in one of the rooms that are shared - and IF I get another reservation for the other room I have the courtesy to inform the long-term that they will be sharing the bathroom for whatever the stay.
(When we had 3 with shared, I had thunder mugs (with lids) under the bed or dresser in each room for "emergencies" - and they are still in the rooms.)
 
Joey Bloggs said:
Sorry Seashanty, that is horrible! I would have had a fit dancing around out there...and the innkeeper just didn't care one bit!
and of course it could be worse:
Remember the innmate here disclosing the embarrassing situation of a couple using the shared bath, loudly. Very loudly.
But hey people say they are terrific, everyone loves a shared bath. Wrong. Don't deceive yourself, NO ONE wants a shared bath, ever. Unless it is a bathhouse and you are camping..
Click to expand...
I have what I have and really cannot change it - but I do not for one minute believe people love a shared bath. Those days are over - even in Europe.
 
holy c**p - a thunder mug!!? sorry, i could not resist.
regular_smile.gif

you guys are the best! i feel better now.
$45 dollar difference which i would have gladly paid.
the rates were all over the place ... lowest was $149 all the way up to something like $429 for a suite (all booked! ... it's summer rate time!)
 
I'm so sorry SS that that person was so disrespectful. Even worse was the attitude you received from the innkeeper!
Aspiring innkeepers out there and I know there are many.....do you hear this? DO NOT THINK THAT A SHARED BATH IS OK AS YOU CREATE YOUR NEW B&B!!!
PERIOD!
 
seriously, opening a place now i would avoid them at all costs. we started out with some and they were so hard to book! added bathrooms and the occupancy shot through the roof.
even if folks are respectful and nice, when you pay for a room you want to be able to use the toilet when you need to ... not stand in the hallway doing the pee pee dance.
i should've picked up a pair of enormous old lady undies and bra at the local store, soaked 'em and hung those over the shower rod.
shades_smile.gif
 
I might say, IF you have a shared bath, make bath etiquette part of the intro speech along with no smoking, breakfast is at 8, checkout is at 11, and since you are sharing a bath, you will want to keep your personal property in your room and please be respectful of the other couple.
 
seashanty said:
seriously, opening a place now i would avoid them at all costs. we started out with some and they were so hard to book! added bathrooms and the occupancy shot through the roof.
even if folks are respectful and nice, when you pay for a room you want to be able to use the toilet when you need to ... not stand in the hallway doing the pee pee dance.
i should've picked up a pair of enormous old lady undies and bra at the local store, soaked 'em and hung those over the shower rod.
shades_smile.gif
.
Click to expand...
seashanty said:
seriously, opening a place now i would avoid them at all costs. we started out with some and they were so hard to book! added bathrooms and the occupancy shot through the roof.
even if folks are respectful and nice, when you pay for a room you want to be able to use the toilet when you need to ... not stand in the hallway doing the pee pee dance.
Click to expand...
The issue, as is always the issue is that people won't tell you these problems. I wouldn't, I would just suck it up. This is why many shared bathrooms over seas have toilets and bathrooms separate. I have that in my own bathroom here now, after a major remodel. Toilet is never in the bathroom.
 
We have two rooms with a Jack and Jill bath. We immediately took the bed out of one of the rooms and replaced it with a pull out couch. We book the room as a two room suite only. No shared.
 
seashanty said:
so this is a rant ... I stayed at a b&b and took a room with a shared bath because that was the room available.
sorry, but never again if i can help it.
NOT because of the setup which was lovely
but because the other person 'sharing' the bathroom acted like it was her bathroom. i was waiting and waiting to use the toilet, could hear water running in the sink. after 15 minutes i knocked on the door and said i was sorry but i really needed to use the bathroom. 10 minutes later she strolled out. rinsed out undies, pantyhose and a bra were strung on the shower curtain rod. room full of steam. wet floor. not a dry towel to be found, sopping wet towels piled in the shower stall. makeup all over the place. dirty sneakers and clothes piled in the corner. waste basket full of trash.
it was AWFUL.
what part of shared does she not understand?
i went downstairs to ask the innkeeper for more towels which i hid in my room. asked if a room with private bath opened up i would take it. (one didn't.) she wasn't terribly sympathetic when i tried to explain and said 'well, it's a SHARED bath after all'. i told her i understood that but that i had to wait a long time to use the toilet and was there maybe another bathroom for me just to use the facilities ... and she showed me her back. granted i didn't rant at her, and she didn't want to mediate between two guests .... but i won't go back there again.
it wasn't like a shared bath, it was as if the other guest was letting me use her bathroom. same behavior in the evening. next morning, i got up way early to shower so i could get in and out of there.
okay. end of rant. but i'm still steaming.
angry_smile.gif

are you going to write a review?
Click to expand...
 
Sorry SS! I bet that innkeeper has heard it from so many she lets it roll off her shoulders instead of trying to make sure everyone is considerate.

With shared baths being less the norm these days it may be wise for those with one to hang a sign with SHARED BATH ETIQUETTE
 
We have one 'down the hall' bath but it is private - dedicated to only one room. People have used it anyway.
The PO had an envelope pushpinned to the door saying it was for the private use of room x. We took that off thinking it looked cheap. People started using the room. So we put a real sign on the door that says, "Private." The door remains closed.
People do make themselves at home. Sure, we encourage them to, but we don't mean like that!
 
Joey Bloggs said:
seashanty said:
seriously, opening a place now i would avoid them at all costs. we started out with some and they were so hard to book! added bathrooms and the occupancy shot through the roof.
even if folks are respectful and nice, when you pay for a room you want to be able to use the toilet when you need to ... not stand in the hallway doing the pee pee dance.
i should've picked up a pair of enormous old lady undies and bra at the local store, soaked 'em and hung those over the shower rod.
shades_smile.gif
.
Click to expand...
seashanty said:
seriously, opening a place now i would avoid them at all costs. we started out with some and they were so hard to book! added bathrooms and the occupancy shot through the roof.
even if folks are respectful and nice, when you pay for a room you want to be able to use the toilet when you need to ... not stand in the hallway doing the pee pee dance.
Click to expand...
The issue, as is always the issue is that people won't tell you these problems. I wouldn't, I would just suck it up. This is why many shared bathrooms over seas have toilets and bathrooms separate. I have that in my own bathroom here now, after a major remodel. Toilet is never in the bathroom.
.
Click to expand...
Thankful for WCs. Don't know why we put it all together anyway.
 
So the problem wasn't the shared bath, but actually the inconsiderate sharer.
Honestly, from the situation of someone who has shared bath, it happens from time to time that someone inconsiderate will take a shared bath, but thankfully it's highly unusual. In our case we generally have a way around this problem because there are multiple baths/WCs, but we have had to step in a couple of times with some light remarks, like reminding a guest to leave the bathroom the way they would like others to leave it and to take their towels and toiletries with them.
Only time we have really ever had to step into it was some girls who took every bathroom at the same time and we had to be specific that they could not do that. But out setup lends itself to that.
The innkeeper should have been able to remind the guest of the etiquette. But also the innkeeper should have extra hair dryers and the such so that people don't have to do their hair in the bathroom, etc. We try to keep bathrooms as clean as possible and as clear as possible.
PS: I keep the towels in the guest rooms for that reason. I would have asked her to move her personal items and if I had to, move them myself to her room. But to be 100% honest, I have NEVER had this happen in my shared bath. Maybe it's because people realize that I won't accept it?
 
Jon Sable said:
So the problem wasn't the shared bath, but actually the inconsiderate sharer.
Honestly, from the situation of someone who has shared bath, it happens from time to time that someone inconsiderate will take a shared bath, but thankfully it's highly unusual. In our case we generally have a way around this problem because there are multiple baths/WCs, but we have had to step in a couple of times with some light remarks, like reminding a guest to leave the bathroom the way they would like others to leave it and to take their towels and toiletries with them.
Only time we have really ever had to step into it was some girls who took every bathroom at the same time and we had to be specific that they could not do that. But out setup lends itself to that.
The innkeeper should have been able to remind the guest of the etiquette. But also the innkeeper should have extra hair dryers and the such so that people don't have to do their hair in the bathroom, etc. We try to keep bathrooms as clean as possible and as clear as possible.
PS: I keep the towels in the guest rooms for that reason. I would have asked her to move her personal items and if I had to, move them myself to her room. But to be 100% honest, I have NEVER had this happen in my shared bath. Maybe it's because people realize that I won't accept it?.
Click to expand...
Jon Sable said:
So the problem wasn't the shared bath, but actually the inconsiderate sharer.
Click to expand...
Agreed.
Unfortunately this is why we don't want to be around people anymore...people are people.
Please SS don't write a neg review because of a guest being horrible. That wouldn't be fair.
When i stayed at a lovely inn years ago in Townsville Queensland before opening our own inn, there was a shared bath and two separate w/c for each bath, and to be honest I think I was the only one ever in the bathroom, people were super nice and would dart in and out. I did appreciate that!
But, this was in a place where people knew how to behave with shared baths. The sink was in the room, each room. Our room was an old WW2 operating theatre and really neat, so it was a give and take at this place (now a private home).
This was also the place the son would get grilled by the guests about living at a B&B. The only child and whenever they saw him they grilled him. I always remember that, and how the kids need to be separate from the inn or will grow up hating not only the inn but the parents too.
 
Jon Sable said:
Joey Bloggs said:
seashanty said:
seriously, opening a place now i would avoid them at all costs. we started out with some and they were so hard to book! added bathrooms and the occupancy shot through the roof.
even if folks are respectful and nice, when you pay for a room you want to be able to use the toilet when you need to ... not stand in the hallway doing the pee pee dance.
i should've picked up a pair of enormous old lady undies and bra at the local store, soaked 'em and hung those over the shower rod.
shades_smile.gif
.
Click to expand...
seashanty said:
seriously, opening a place now i would avoid them at all costs. we started out with some and they were so hard to book! added bathrooms and the occupancy shot through the roof.
even if folks are respectful and nice, when you pay for a room you want to be able to use the toilet when you need to ... not stand in the hallway doing the pee pee dance.
Click to expand...
The issue, as is always the issue is that people won't tell you these problems. I wouldn't, I would just suck it up. This is why many shared bathrooms over seas have toilets and bathrooms separate. I have that in my own bathroom here now, after a major remodel. Toilet is never in the bathroom.
.
Click to expand...
Thankful for WCs. Don't know why we put it all together anyway.
.
Click to expand...
Jon Sable said:
Thankful for WCs. Don't know why we put it all together anyway.
Click to expand...
Cheaper.
 

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