@@GosforthHandyman my mother was staying at the Britannia in Folkestone and the balcony for the room above was collapsing and held up with acrow props onto her balcony, and that was the second room she was given!
@@GosforthHandyman my mother was staying at the Britannia in Folkestone and the balcony for the room above was collapsing and held up with acrow props onto her balcony, and that was the second room she was given!
When my wife and i were moving house we foolishly booked to stay in a local brittania hotel for a month while we did some work on the new house .... never again it was hands down the worst hotel ive ever been in.the whole place needed a major overhaul, leaking roof damp walls. And generally out of date
That would also mean having to stay in one.... oof. Rather sleep in my car! (Infact, for one hotel, I walked in.... walked straight back out and slept in my car.
This popped up in my recommendations for what reason I have no idea whatsoever. Thanks to this video, I now know that bathroom pods are a thing. Thank you sir.
I've been told its also to help with light leakage. Since the curtain in recessed in a box there is no way for light to reflect off the back of the curtain and splash across the entire ceiling.
what happens if someone breaks/cracks one of those glass reinforced tubs or walls? they just rip the hotel in half so they can crane in another unit??? and don't say it's indestructible, if anything can be broken, it will be broken in a hotel.
@@GosforthHandyman It blocks the light better as the light has to reflect around two 90 degree turns. Also the final return blocks any glow from shining towards the bed.
Excellent technical analysis. Last week I stayed two nights in a Premier Inn (Norwich Nelson) and two nights in a Holiday Inn (Lincoln waterfront marina). The holiday inn was so vastly superior, compared to the premier inn. I stayed in a few pod bathrooms in motels in Uk and France, pod bathrooms are unwelcoming to the user but work well on the accountants spreadsheets.
in Prague the hotel i stayed in had NFC doors, not to the rooms, but to enter the hotel itself it was an interesting concept, meaning you could only enter the hotel if you had a room
As an aside, Hilton's "Digital Key" uses Bluetooth Low Energy to communicate with the readers rather than NFC, though it does require the property to have switched from magstripe to RFID keycards for it to be an option.
They push it as a big plus about having their app, although I've never used it and always preferred to physically check in and get a key. 1) It's nice to have a key if your phone dies 2) It only takes a minute anyway 3) I think it's good to say hello to the hotel staff and be friendly for a magnitude of reasons.
Some Marriott hotels have Bluetooth door locks that work in conjunction with their mobile app. My experience has been decidedly mixed, first time I used one at a Marriott Residence it worked flawlessly, next time at a Moxy it took several attempts to get the phone to unlock the lift, completely failed to get it to connect to the door and unlock it, so gave up and went back for a conventional key card.
The Hilton app, in my experience (tried it in 3 different hotels) takes a surprisingly (frustratingly) long time to open a door at best, like 30 seconds. My most recent stay, it worked only one time in 20 attempts and I was left standing in the hall for five minutes on day 2 of my stay. I got a real key card from the desk.
Cheers Al! Yeah think so - but not sure why they didn't just make the windows shorter. Lot of extra effort. I reckon then had the design all done then someone said "Where do the curtain rails go?" and they thought... "Bugger...". 👍😂👊
@@GosforthHandyman Window probably had to be a certain size, ceiling could only be at a certain height and that was probably the only design option available with the space. I have had building designed before and architects and engineers made mistakes in their design and it meant that they had to make certain adjustments to the designs without actually change the overall structural size. You could imagine the building gets designed and then somebody in the process realizes that there's not enough space to build. Now it could also be an intentional design.
@@GosforthHandyman if you made the window smaller, you'd still have light coming over the top of the curtain. That recess should ensure maximum black out at the top of the curtain, which is essentially hidden from view.
Window curtain wells (the ceiling cut shown) have become popular because it hides the hardware and draws the eye vertically making the room look/feel bigger. Popular in hotels because it feels contemporary and they can still use cheaper curtain hardware since it is mostly hidden - especially when you first walk in the room for that all-important first impression.
For your question at 3:36 i know Disney does smart wristbands now that can unlock your door and allow you to bypass hotel check in and go straight to your room on arrival as you're given the room number in advance. I think they can unlock using a Disney app on the phone? But not entirely sure and i cba finding out soz
Very interesting. Travelodge know how to make money from very little margins from the room prices, so it makes sense that their maintenance and upkeep costs are minimal. This keeps the flow of punters going and also revenue without too much in outlay once the initial building has been manufactured. Nicely put together Andy.
A lot of hotels in the US now have the NFC door locks. In Las Vegas, you get a notification on your phone to check in - you scan your documents, choose your room, and receive your card on the phone. You can either use your phone to unlock your door or grab a card from a self service kiosk - completely bypassing the long check in lines.
Really interesting, I'm in a Holiday Inn right now. First they obviously have good wifi :) but everything is basically opposite. much older building, no sockets near the bed or USB ports. The only tiling in the bathroom is around the shower, the glass screened shower, the rest is dinged up bare plaster. hollow core doors, pine frames and trim, you can see the knots coming through the paint. Things have evolved.
Defo interesting to see how things have evolved over time. I was in another older Travelodge recently and they had physical keys! Never seen an actual key for a hotel room in a LONG time. 😂
the fire rated composite material may be ground up wheat, same way they do chip board but has a far better fire rating than solid wood doors and is much more secure, you can replace the face of it if you want to update the look. It's very interesting to see them in use, especially when it's low maintenance and very secure... not cheap to buy but it's a very good purchase.
Fascinating stuff! A few years ago, I met the MD of Travelodge and mentioned that a bathroom in a 'lodge I stayed in was quite worn out, which he was very interested to know about. Maybe the company were already considering bathroom pods? He also told me that they buy very good, expensive mattresses, as that is The thing that guests judge a stay by. Oh, and the Brits insist on tea and coffee in their rooms, while in Italy, TVs are the must fit item!
Whole room pods, complete with shower/toilet used in student accommodation at Huddersfield. Just built exterior walls and craned in rooms. This was about 20 years ago.
They've had complete pods in Kingston Uni for near on 20 years also. I imagined it was like going to a bathroom on the Starship Enterprise. I've also seen them in Ibis hotels circa 2007
I have no idea how you came up in my suggested videos. But here I am subscribing, so big thanks for sharing good information and knowledge in a way that doesn't feel like its also trying to waste my time.
In some prisons built on PFI contracts the windows are detailed in such a way there's no sill for inmates to stand photos and other stuff on. The reason is that window sills must be kept clean which is a cost. The downside is it really pissed off the prisoners....Anyway, thanks for a very interesting video.
My experience of the flip top basin waste isn't very good.... After 11 months of use it started to get stiff when flipping it to the point where it actually seized solid. I took it back where I had it from and they said they have nothing but problems with them, apparently bits of grit work their way down the sides wearing the plug and making the plug drop to the point it won't turn.... The only way to then turn it is by applying pressure from under the plug.....which obviously isn't very good. I don't know if I've explained the problem very clearly but I ended up replacing it with a pop up waste.
3:20 Hilton chain hotels are already doing this in the US with their app. It's kind of hit or miss in terms of how reliably it works, but basically you have to get the front desk to enable the feature for your room, and you press down on a button once you're within range of the room door. You also can use it on external doors for the hotel. Seems to be only a feature at newer Hilton chain hotels, though.
That prebuilt bathroom sounds like a good idea for combatting mouldy silicone and leaks but if there is damage and you had to rip it out it would be a nightmare
I bet there's a plan for that though. All of the pipes and fittings can probably be accessed from hallway panel or under that lift off panel. Basin and toilet from the lift off. Probably shower/bath from hallway. I expect there's a maintenance/repair/replace solution from the manufacturers.
@@Google_Does_Evil_Now I had in mind cigarette burns and dropped coffecups etc. I have seen mobile chip and scratch repairers before though who will use colour matched epoxy to repair anything, cars, ceramic tiles, baths, so maybe that is their plan
Don't tell me these guys have finally cracked a huge issue for homeowners, the leaking shower tray! Great vid and I really like the idea of not needing caulk.
1: pod bathroom ... I remember being impressed by one in Austria about 35 years ago...it was orange. 2: Bathroom door frame - both the holiday inn and premier inn that I frequent in Norwich have what seems to be MDF door trim (the narrow skirting that goes around the door on the wall - on the inside at the corner near the bath you can see the water absorbtion swelling the surface...in most rooms.
Hotel drapery guy here. Without that recess they could never give you a decent black out feature when the drapes are closed in the day time, but if they were really concerned with that they would have stopped the window short of the floor. Assuming they were dropping the ceiling for mechanicals, they saw this recess as an opportunity to eliminate any cost of a top treatment like a cornice or valance as more motivation. They also imagined it would hide the hardware and pleats but its too narrow and shallow to do so. Long term this will save them about $10k per renovation per hotel by eliminating any sort of top treatment needing to be purchased while offering good functionality with no maintenance.
I believe joints over the door are movement/expansion joints, as evidenced at the bottom of the door where there were cracks, there always has to be an allowance for movement and the door opening is going to be the weal spot as it has the thinnest part of the pod and the door adds additional movement.
I work in purpose built student accommodation and you can see a lot of these features on the rooms especially the pod en-suites. The ones I see have shower doors and trust me we wish they were curtains instead!
Disassembling your hotel room is really cheeky! The hotel looks like modular build so i would imagine the bathroom pod was installed in the factory. The video was quite informative and thoughtfully presented.
Cheers Charles! Just had a quick look and it looks like mostly timber framing, constructed on site - quite interesting! www.wynneconstruction.co.uk/project/Travelodge_Hotel_Rhyl-1039.html
The thing with solid wood vsvaneered stuff, is how if kept in proper condition and well maintained, you never have to worry about peeling and detaching and only have to worry about major stuff like wood rot
I’ve not read all of the comments but Hilton have the function of having your room card on your phone through it’s app. It’s been around for a while and it does work.
We have the flip sink plugs. New build, after a year the hard water we have in our area had seized them shut. They are super hard to get unstuck when they do. You basically have to descale them every few months.
Hilton and Hilton owned brand hotels allows you to check in on line and use your phone to open doors and access parking and elevators. It been around for a while now. Also Disney World has resorts on site that allows you to open the doors with your phone too.
I stayed a night in a Hotel Formule 1 in France about 20 years ago. The shower was basically a one-piece moulded plastic (or fibreglass) pod with a rubber-sealed door and a plug hole. You were then trapped in there with the jet of water, which could have doubled as a pressure washer, it was borderline scary. Best shower I've ever had, just what you need to wake you up after 4 hours sleep on a 4" thick mattress.
Brilliant video. Subscribed! Strange they went for electric heating considering the huge cost associated running with resistive electric heaters. Air con is complicated but far cheaper to run with new air con units running a coefficient of performance of over 4 (1kw electric in = 4kw heat out). Even water filled rads with a central plant room would be cheaper than electric heaters. I suppose the one real advantage they have is that they don't have a single point of failure such as a central boiler to go wrong and shut the whole hotel down.
Exactly that, your last line there. The person who has to be called for that electric heater breaking probably gets paid a lot less than anyone they could call for central heating.
As someone who does a lot of DIY and spends a lot of time in chain hotels.... This is seriously interesting!!! I don't know if this is something you can test but I'm sure that hotel shower experience has gone downhill in the last 10 years, as a result of water and energy-saving (rightly or wrongly). I used to relish staying in hotels because the shower felt like someone was trying to drill into my head with hot water. Nowadays it feels like I am getting spat on by an asthmatic mouse. I've found this all around the world so it's not just a UK phenomenon.
Village Hotels use a system on the app, where you can open the door by holding your camera up to the door scanner. All you have to do it make a booking, then press find booking once done put your reservation no., last name etc then when you check in the app will update to see that you’ve checked in and in the corner will be a key icon you press it then you can have a keycard on your phone
What an excellent appraisal of how the room was put together and why it was done that way. This was an interesting, educational and enjoyable video with good videography, lighting, sound and editing. Subscribed!
FWIW, A hotel manager I used to know who was quite high up in Jury's Inns, told me the first thing he did when going to a new hotel was remove the basin plugs from every room to reduce any flooding risks.
I totally agree with most of what you've pointed out with short term upfront cost for long term savings. Only thing that I find a little contraindicative is your mention of the push-fit plumbing being a sign of their confidence in the product yet they also skimped on proper prep/cheaped out on the paint, or perhaps they were confident in that solution too. Either way it will absolutely cost them a tonne to rectify and as you said will be a headache for years. I don't think there's anything wrong with quality push fit plumbing installed properly but I also feel they are extremely susceptible to failure from cheap parts and poor workmanship. 100% accurate on solid wood for doors. Composites just do NOT hold up to the loads. Screws tear out and get loose, they don't hold fillers well when gouged or damaged and are overall a waste of money.
Really interesting video Andy. We first saw pod bathrooms while on holiday in the US some 15 years ago. They have them in hotels and private homes. Brilliant idea, I thought, no joints so nothing to leak and all the rounded corners are easy to clean.
I am using plastic push fit on my new electric shower, I have missed watching your videos hopefully back on track now ,your videos have helped me a lot thanks
Great video 👍👍 very interesting to hear the description of a space and its materials from the practical point of view , not just esthetics , and not just focusing on one product but viewing the combination of various one . Really loved it, wish it turns into a format... if other people are interested too. Thanks
@@GosforthHandyman I was fitting out the comedy club below. Carpet guy told me that travelodge have a record of all the rooms dimensions, if a carpet needs replacing its cut to size before its delivered. Fitted in minutes
Flakes could be because of mixed types of paint (assuming you prime). having oil and water based paint don't mix. keep the base type the same, all oil or all water base.
You ask about NFC devices for unlocking doors - If you stay at a Disney resort in Orlando, you get a NFC wristband (Magicband) that you use to unlock your hotel room, can use for charging items to your room, and it is even your ticket in the Disney theme parks.
Marriott is starting to have entire rooms prefabricated in Europe (Poland) including furniture, then shipped and installed in US hotels. Like they would build a cruise ship. ABSOLUTELY A BIG COST SAVER.
Curtains to the ceiling makes the room look bigger as it draws your eyes up to the ceiling, rather than just to end of the window which makes the room feel smaller.
I worked at a Double Tree by Hilton and we allowed people to check in on app and use the app as the "key" to get into the room using the phones NFC feature.
Most Hilton brands have installed NFC door locks when refubished. They have an app which allows you to check in and use your phone as a key so no need to go to the front desk and get a key.
they had similar pod style bathrooms while i was studying at uni,very easy To clean . the only flaw i noticed was that the brass plug would sometimes lock up if grit got logged inside.
Just started to watch your channel. Great content keep them coming. With regards to the hotel room ideas i actually used a Premier inn for ideas for the bedrooms at my last property that i done up then sold. They looked quite good in the end. Thanks again for uploading.
good video. I have been having similar thoughts when visiting hotels, hospitals etc. I am doing a concealed cistern for easy cleaning and made a chase for the pipes to get a basin in the other side of the room without exposed pipes. I'm using flexi but a single run of Pex/tube without joints in the hidden areas but accessible panels for elbow push fittings etc.
Some Hilton’s (and their other brands) are bringing in digital keys. You have to use their app and I’m not sure if it’s using NFC or something else but it will sense which part of the hotel you’re in and give you a ‘key’ for the lift, your room, etc depending where you are
Currently watching this video in the Doubletree Hilton Edinburgh which uses the mobile phone to open the room door. It was a recent install back in the summer. With the simple use of the Hilton App, I can check-in, choose a room, save a favourite room for regular stays and access my room all via my phone. Im also in the process of a home renovation and take inspiration from my hotel stays
The Club Quarters chain in the US has an app that allows you to open your room door with your phone. They give you a proximity card on check-in, so I don’t know what percentage of guests use their phones instead of a card.
Rounded corners between wall and sink/bath/floor makes for much quicker and easier cleaning too. Reduces the amount of time house keeping has to spend.
In regards to abilities to open doors using your phone. Hilton sends you a a code though there Hilton Honors app when you check-in in advance. You dont even have to stop by at the desk unless you need a physical card to stay in the hotel. I believe this is only avaiable for Gold and Diamond members and so far I've only seen it in the US.
@@spencerwilton5831 Hmm, nope pay through my phone. Never even visit the front desk. I haven't used a check for anything in years, never to pay for a hotel. Also since switching to chip most places don't make you sign anymore.
AC hotels by Marriott do have the room key system you mention if you do your check in through the Marriott app and add the room key to Apple wallet I’m also noticing a strong trend towards quartz countertops throughout even in many mid range hotels as they are seen as luxurious, and more durable than laminate or granite
I’d be very surprised if they made a decision not to mist cost those walls. More likely the contractor was paying his painters by the room and some of them skipped the mist coat to get it finished a bit quicker. By the time it starts pealing off the painters have been paid and are long gone.
Hi Andy. Disney's magic bands use NFC I think. you use your magic band to get in your rooms, pay for food, use your photo memory maker and fast pass rides.
My recent extended stay at a Hilton Homewood Suites let you open the door with your phone, but only if you sign up for their awards program. The furniture had lots of glue squeeze out that was not removed, which was shocking.
Some good grafters put that bog together, when you took off the access behind the toilet i was expecting a huge mess but nah dude even blobbed the exposed screws even looks like he gave it a good hoover haha.
Looks like those ship building yards...where they make those cruise ships... all the rooms are spooned in. Also those cheap hotels in France.. the Formule1.
So I’ve just come across this guy who goes into hotel rooms and dismantles them - I love the internet
Same ,Its wondeful
Ditto! 😀
He's like the iFixit guys, but for hotels. "Hilton asked me to review their hotel, so let's get the tools out!"
Nobody: I wonder what the Travel lodge bathroom fittings are like, let's find out at 02.11 am
UA-cam algorithm: you're welcome.
JAYSON nobody here, can confirm
Woah hold on a minute I’m watching this at 02:01
What the fuck, I'm watching at that exact time. Literally right now as I type this.
5am bedtime here 😂
0:44 here
This showed up in my recommendations I feel like you're about to get a big bump
trident3b cocaine
@trident3b if UA-cam starts putting him on the recommendations feed then he will get more traffic and become a larger channel
Maybe you should take a trip to a Britannia hotel to see what happens when you don't maintain a hotel for 30 years!
Lol - seen a few hotels like that! Amazed they're still going! 😂👍
@@GosforthHandyman my mother was staying at the Britannia in Folkestone and the balcony for the room above was collapsing and held up with acrow props onto her balcony, and that was the second room she was given!
@@GosforthHandyman my mother was staying at the Britannia in Folkestone and the balcony for the room above was collapsing and held up with acrow props onto her balcony, and that was the second room she was given!
When my wife and i were moving house we foolishly booked to stay in a local brittania hotel for a month while we did some work on the new house .... never again it was hands down the worst hotel ive ever been in.the whole place needed a major overhaul, leaking roof damp walls. And generally out of date
That would also mean having to stay in one.... oof. Rather sleep in my car! (Infact, for one hotel, I walked in.... walked straight back out and slept in my car.
The most common maintenance cost saver I have seen on my trips around the world in hotels is "not to fix anything" type maintenance. :D
Ha - yeah that method is a big cost saver! 😂👍
Not quite sure why I watched this but it was very interesting!
Did this just pop into any one else's recommendations?
This popped up in my recommendations for what reason I have no idea whatsoever. Thanks to this video, I now know that bathroom pods are a thing. Thank you sir.
The recess is to block sunlight in the sliders at the top. Keeps it blackout-ish without having to have roller blinds or tight fitting runners.
The recess around the curtains is to allow for a higher window, and it is a workaround for a very thick ceiling that is fire retardant between floors.
Doesn’t the recess defeat the fire retardant in the recessed section? Why would building code/ inspector allow that?
I've been told its also to help with light leakage. Since the curtain in recessed in a box there is no way for light to reflect off the back of the curtain and splash across the entire ceiling.
Quality idea for a video series. I spend a shocking amount of time in hotels, and always poke around to see how they've done stuff
I'm forever looking at how it's all put together! 😂👍
At least you didn't dismantle the Corby Trouser Press like Alan Partridge.
came here for that comment!!
Haha this is great banter, it really is! Hahahahaahahahahah ahahaha ahahaha aha ha ha ah aha... NEWS...
But this video was (seemingly random) in my advised list just AFTER I was looking at an Alan Partridge video...
Its 3:30 am, this showed up in my recommendation and I actually love watching this... looks like some Novotels ive been to
I had no idea of the existence of bathroom pods until today. Mind blown.
"...the bathroom is where things start to get really interesting...."
And he was right!
😆
what happens if someone breaks/cracks one of those glass reinforced tubs or walls? they just rip the hotel in half so they can crane in another unit??? and don't say it's indestructible, if anything can be broken, it will be broken in a hotel.
"The latch is easily fixed..." after you just said "they'll just replace the whole door" LOL!
The curtains are recessed into the ceiling to prevent light shining into the room through the gaps and give a better nights sleep.
Could they not just have made the windows a bit shorter? Seems like a lot of expense to recess the ceilings like that. 👍
@@GosforthHandyman If not done at build time a simple pelmet would probably be the easiest option. Now, when did you last hear the word 'pelmet'?
@@GosforthHandyman It blocks the light better as the light has to reflect around two 90 degree turns. Also the final return blocks any glow from shining towards the bed.
@@wayneblackburn9645 I actually first learnt the word pelmet about two weeks ago. The Baader-Meinhof phenomenon strikes again!
My partner is not happy you make these videos because everytime we go to a new hotel I am pointing out "interesting" design ideas to her.
Lol - sorry! My wife sympathises! 😂
same here. i bore her to tears
Just have your partners do the maintenance and they’ll get interested quickly 😄
haha I am going to do the same 🤣
Excellent technical analysis. Last week I stayed two nights in a Premier Inn (Norwich Nelson) and two nights in a Holiday Inn (Lincoln waterfront marina). The holiday inn was so vastly superior, compared to the premier inn. I stayed in a few pod bathrooms in motels in Uk and France, pod bathrooms are unwelcoming to the user but work well on the accountants spreadsheets.
in Prague the hotel i stayed in had NFC doors, not to the rooms, but to enter the hotel itself
it was an interesting concept, meaning you could only enter the hotel if you had a room
Almost all Hilton’s in US, Europe & Japan have had smartphone keys for 2+ years.
As an aside, Hilton's "Digital Key" uses Bluetooth Low Energy to communicate with the readers rather than NFC, though it does require the property to have switched from magstripe to RFID keycards for it to be an option.
They push it as a big plus about having their app, although I've never used it and always preferred to physically check in and get a key. 1) It's nice to have a key if your phone dies 2) It only takes a minute anyway 3) I think it's good to say hello to the hotel staff and be friendly for a magnitude of reasons.
Some Marriott hotels have Bluetooth door locks that work in conjunction with their mobile app. My experience has been decidedly mixed, first time I used one at a Marriott Residence it worked flawlessly, next time at a Moxy it took several attempts to get the phone to unlock the lift, completely failed to get it to connect to the door and unlock it, so gave up and went back for a conventional key card.
The Hilton app, in my experience (tried it in 3 different hotels) takes a surprisingly (frustratingly) long time to open a door at best, like 30 seconds. My most recent stay, it worked only one time in 20 attempts and I was left standing in the hall for five minutes on day 2 of my stay. I got a real key card from the desk.
Just a thought on the recessed curtains, is it not just to ensure total blackout? No light peeping in over the top of the curtains?
Cheers Al! Yeah think so - but not sure why they didn't just make the windows shorter. Lot of extra effort. I reckon then had the design all done then someone said "Where do the curtain rails go?" and they thought... "Bugger...". 👍😂👊
@@GosforthHandyman
Window probably had to be a certain size, ceiling could only be at a certain height and that was probably the only design option available with the space.
I have had building designed before and architects and engineers made mistakes in their design and it meant that they had to make certain adjustments to the designs without actually change the overall structural size.
You could imagine the building gets designed and then somebody in the process realizes that there's not enough space to build. Now it could also be an intentional design.
Would have been lots simpler and cheaper with the same rail directly on the ceiling and a small masking board in front.
I think they built the outer skin of the hotel first, then changed the plans to raise the height of the ceiling in the restaurant.
@@GosforthHandyman if you made the window smaller, you'd still have light coming over the top of the curtain. That recess should ensure maximum black out at the top of the curtain, which is essentially hidden from view.
Window curtain wells (the ceiling cut shown) have become popular because it hides the hardware and draws the eye vertically making the room look/feel bigger. Popular in hotels because it feels contemporary and they can still use cheaper curtain hardware since it is mostly hidden - especially when you first walk in the room for that all-important first impression.
Removing the striker plate made me incredibly happy
Knowing the contractors who often work for this chain, I'd say they sourced stained pine rather than oak for the bumper strip in the hallway.
For your question at 3:36 i know Disney does smart wristbands now that can unlock your door and allow you to bypass hotel check in and go straight to your room on arrival as you're given the room number in advance. I think they can unlock using a Disney app on the phone? But not entirely sure and i cba finding out soz
Very interesting. Travelodge know how to make money from very little margins from the room prices, so it makes sense that their maintenance and upkeep costs are minimal. This keeps the flow of punters going and also revenue without too much in outlay once the initial building has been manufactured. Nicely put together Andy.
A lot of hotels in the US now have the NFC door locks. In Las Vegas, you get a notification on your phone to check in - you scan your documents, choose your room, and receive your card on the phone. You can either use your phone to unlock your door or grab a card from a self service kiosk - completely bypassing the long check in lines.
6:48 this has been standard practice in Japanese hotels and homes for years. Very efficient! Also two way mirrors used to let light into a bathroom.
Really interesting, I'm in a Holiday Inn right now. First they obviously have good wifi :) but everything is basically opposite. much older building, no sockets near the bed or USB ports. The only tiling in the bathroom is around the shower, the glass screened shower, the rest is dinged up bare plaster. hollow core doors, pine frames and trim, you can see the knots coming through the paint. Things have evolved.
Defo interesting to see how things have evolved over time. I was in another older Travelodge recently and they had physical keys! Never seen an actual key for a hotel room in a LONG time. 😂
About the nfc thing: Hilton has a smart key system which works via Bluetooth.
Jake Brennan might be because of Apple’s lack of NFC app integration, though I think they’re starting to open this up now.
not everyone owns a smart phone and not everyone has access to wifi or data if they even do.
Now if I ever go to a travel lodge hotel I’m gonna check in the bathroom and behind the tv
Shit got real when he started to tear apart his room to see how it was all put together.
the fire rated composite material may be ground up wheat, same way they do chip board but has a far better fire rating than solid wood doors and is much more secure, you can replace the face of it if you want to update the look.
It's very interesting to see them in use, especially when it's low maintenance and very secure... not cheap to buy but it's a very good purchase.
Fascinating stuff! A few years ago, I met the MD of Travelodge and mentioned that a bathroom in a 'lodge I stayed in was quite worn out, which he was very interested to know about. Maybe the company were already considering bathroom pods? He also told me that they buy very good, expensive mattresses, as that is The thing that guests judge a stay by. Oh, and the Brits insist on tea and coffee in their rooms, while in Italy, TVs are the must fit item!
Whole room pods, complete with shower/toilet used in student accommodation at Huddersfield. Just built exterior walls and craned in rooms. This was about 20 years ago.
👍👊
They've had complete pods in Kingston Uni for near on 20 years also. I imagined it was like going to a bathroom on the Starship Enterprise. I've also seen them in Ibis hotels circa 2007
I have no idea how you came up in my suggested videos. But here I am subscribing, so big thanks for sharing good information and knowledge in a way that doesn't feel like its also trying to waste my time.
In some prisons built on PFI contracts the windows are detailed in such a way there's no sill for inmates to stand photos and other stuff on. The reason is that window sills must be kept clean which is a cost. The downside is it really pissed off the prisoners....Anyway, thanks for a very interesting video.
My experience of the flip top basin waste isn't very good.... After 11 months of use it started to get stiff when flipping it to the point where it actually seized solid.
I took it back where I had it from and they said they have nothing but problems with them, apparently bits of grit work their way down the sides wearing the plug and making the plug drop to the point it won't turn.... The only way to then turn it is by applying pressure from under the plug.....which obviously isn't very good.
I don't know if I've explained the problem very clearly but I ended up replacing it with a pop up waste.
3:20 Hilton chain hotels are already doing this in the US with their app. It's kind of hit or miss in terms of how reliably it works, but basically you have to get the front desk to enable the feature for your room, and you press down on a button once you're within range of the room door. You also can use it on external doors for the hotel. Seems to be only a feature at newer Hilton chain hotels, though.
That prebuilt bathroom sounds like a good idea for combatting mouldy silicone and leaks but if there is damage and you had to rip it out it would be a nightmare
I bet there's a plan for that though. All of the pipes and fittings can probably be accessed from hallway panel or under that lift off panel. Basin and toilet from the lift off. Probably shower/bath from hallway.
I expect there's a maintenance/repair/replace solution from the manufacturers.
@@Google_Does_Evil_Now I had in mind cigarette burns and dropped coffecups etc. I have seen mobile chip and scratch repairers before though who will use colour matched epoxy to repair anything, cars, ceramic tiles, baths, so maybe that is their plan
Don't tell me these guys have finally cracked a huge issue for homeowners, the leaking shower tray! Great vid and I really like the idea of not needing caulk.
1: pod bathroom ... I remember being impressed by one in Austria about 35 years ago...it was orange.
2: Bathroom door frame - both the holiday inn and premier inn that I frequent in Norwich have what seems to be MDF door trim (the narrow skirting that goes around the door on the wall - on the inside at the corner near the bath you can see the water absorbtion swelling the surface...in most rooms.
Hotel drapery guy here.
Without that recess they could never give you a decent black out feature when the drapes are closed in the day time, but if they were really concerned with that they would have stopped the window short of the floor. Assuming they were dropping the ceiling for mechanicals, they saw this recess as an opportunity to eliminate any cost of a top treatment like a cornice or valance as more motivation. They also imagined it would hide the hardware and pleats but its too narrow and shallow to do so.
Long term this will save them about $10k per renovation per hotel by eliminating any sort of top treatment needing to be purchased while offering good functionality with no maintenance.
So random, but this is why I love UA-cam, great content!
I believe joints over the door are movement/expansion joints, as evidenced at the bottom of the door where there were cracks, there always has to be an allowance for movement and the door opening is going to be the weal spot as it has the thinnest part of the pod and the door adds additional movement.
Would that not be the worst place to put expansion joints, if it causes cracking of the lower door frame? You could be right though! 🤔👍
I work in purpose built student accommodation and you can see a lot of these features on the rooms especially the pod en-suites. The ones I see have shower doors and trust me we wish they were curtains instead!
Hilton has digital key which I use often. No need for a key, the phone connects via BT to the lock.
I believe the first major deployment of pod bathrooms outside of Japan was at Habitat, the apartment building constructed for Expo 67 in Montreal.
Disassembling your hotel room is really cheeky! The hotel looks like modular build so i would imagine the bathroom pod was installed in the factory. The video was quite informative and thoughtfully presented.
Cheers Charles! Just had a quick look and it looks like mostly timber framing, constructed on site - quite interesting! www.wynneconstruction.co.uk/project/Travelodge_Hotel_Rhyl-1039.html
The thing with solid wood vsvaneered stuff, is how if kept in proper condition and well maintained, you never have to worry about peeling and detaching and only have to worry about major stuff like wood rot
I’ve not read all of the comments but Hilton have the function of having your room card on your phone through it’s app. It’s been around for a while and it does work.
Koda Jackson you could be right yes.
The curtain is also so they just can produce the curtains in one standard size and not produce a difference raise for each hotel
Seen the NFC phone unlocking the door thing a few weeks ago. It was a Marriott hotel in Ukraine. Worked well-ish, card was still better though.
We have the flip sink plugs. New build, after a year the hard water we have in our area had seized them shut. They are super hard to get unstuck when they do. You basically have to descale them every few months.
Hilton and Hilton owned brand hotels allows you to check in on line and use your phone to open doors and access parking and elevators. It been around for a while now. Also Disney World has resorts on site that allows you to open the doors with your phone too.
I stayed a night in a Hotel Formule 1 in France about 20 years ago. The shower was basically a one-piece moulded plastic (or fibreglass) pod with a rubber-sealed door and a plug hole. You were then trapped in there with the jet of water, which could have doubled as a pressure washer, it was borderline scary. Best shower I've ever had, just what you need to wake you up after 4 hours sleep on a 4" thick mattress.
Personally I prefer a tent and a firepit but if you must stay in a commercial hotel, that looks very nice. Love the view of the ocean. Thanks Andy!
Them doors are solid chipboard core, with a 6mm solid lipping.
No joints are also more hygienic and saves on housekeeping turnaround time.
Brilliant video. Subscribed! Strange they went for electric heating considering the huge cost associated running with resistive electric heaters. Air con is complicated but far cheaper to run with new air con units running a coefficient of performance of over 4 (1kw electric in = 4kw heat out). Even water filled rads with a central plant room would be cheaper than electric heaters. I suppose the one real advantage they have is that they don't have a single point of failure such as a central boiler to go wrong and shut the whole hotel down.
Exactly that, your last line there. The person who has to be called for that electric heater breaking probably gets paid a lot less than anyone they could call for central heating.
As someone who does a lot of DIY and spends a lot of time in chain hotels.... This is seriously interesting!!!
I don't know if this is something you can test but I'm sure that hotel shower experience has gone downhill in the last 10 years, as a result of water and energy-saving (rightly or wrongly). I used to relish staying in hotels because the shower felt like someone was trying to drill into my head with hot water. Nowadays it feels like I am getting spat on by an asthmatic mouse. I've found this all around the world so it's not just a UK phenomenon.
Village Hotels use a system on the app, where you can open the door by holding your camera up to the door scanner. All you have to do it make a booking, then press find booking once done put your reservation no., last name etc then when you check in the app will update to see that you’ve checked in and in the corner will be a key icon you press it then you can have a keycard on your phone
What an excellent appraisal of how the room was put together and why it was done that way.
This was an interesting, educational and enjoyable video with good videography, lighting, sound and editing. Subscribed!
Look at your workspace! I love when guys are tidy. Great video too.
FWIW, A hotel manager I used to know who was quite high up in Jury's Inns, told me the first thing he did when going to a new hotel was remove the basin plugs from every room to reduce any flooding risks.
I totally agree with most of what you've pointed out with short term upfront cost for long term savings. Only thing that I find a little contraindicative is your mention of the push-fit plumbing being a sign of their confidence in the product yet they also skimped on proper prep/cheaped out on the paint, or perhaps they were confident in that solution too. Either way it will absolutely cost them a tonne to rectify and as you said will be a headache for years. I don't think there's anything wrong with quality push fit plumbing installed properly but I also feel they are extremely susceptible to failure from cheap parts and poor workmanship.
100% accurate on solid wood for doors. Composites just do NOT hold up to the loads. Screws tear out and get loose, they don't hold fillers well when gouged or damaged and are overall a waste of money.
Really interesting video Andy. We first saw pod bathrooms while on holiday in the US some 15 years ago. They have them in hotels and private homes. Brilliant idea, I thought, no joints so nothing to leak and all the rounded corners are easy to clean.
Didn't know they'd been around so long! Only seen them over here in the last couple of years. No more silicone! 😀👍
I am using plastic push fit on my new electric shower, I have missed watching your videos hopefully back on track now ,your videos have helped me a lot thanks
Cheers and good luck with your shower! 👍👊
Don't. Plumb it in properly. Use soldered fittings right up to last joint. Use a compression fitting.
I think the curtain track recesses are to make sure the black out curtains minimise light leakage from the top.
Great video 👍👍 very interesting to hear the description of a space and its materials from the practical point of view , not just esthetics , and not just focusing on one product but viewing the combination of various one . Really loved it, wish it turns into a format... if other people are interested too. Thanks
I was lucky enough to get some lovely oak off cuts from the Bethnel green travelodge's skip
Oh man, I wouldn't be able to drive past that skip either! 👍😂
@@GosforthHandyman I was fitting out the comedy club below. Carpet guy told me that travelodge have a record of all the rooms dimensions, if a carpet needs replacing its cut to size before its delivered. Fitted in minutes
Flakes could be because of mixed types of paint (assuming you prime). having oil and water based paint don't mix. keep the base type the same, all oil or all water base.
You ask about NFC devices for unlocking doors - If you stay at a Disney resort in Orlando, you get a NFC wristband (Magicband) that you use to unlock your hotel room, can use for charging items to your room, and it is even your ticket in the Disney theme parks.
Why am I watching this with great intensity
Marriott is starting to have entire rooms prefabricated in Europe (Poland) including furniture, then shipped and installed in US hotels. Like they would build a cruise ship. ABSOLUTELY A BIG COST SAVER.
Curtains to the ceiling makes the room look bigger as it draws your eyes up to the ceiling, rather than just to end of the window which makes the room feel smaller.
I worked at a Double Tree by Hilton and we allowed people to check in on app and use the app as the "key" to get into the room using the phones NFC feature.
Most Hilton brands have installed NFC door locks when refubished. They have an app which allows you to check in and use your phone as a key so no need to go to the front desk and get a key.
they had similar pod style bathrooms while i was studying at uni,very easy To clean . the only flaw i noticed was that the brass plug would sometimes lock up if grit got logged inside.
Just started to watch your channel. Great content keep them coming. With regards to the hotel room ideas i actually used a Premier inn for ideas for the bedrooms at my last property that i done up then sold. They looked quite good in the end. Thanks again for uploading.
good video. I have been having similar thoughts when visiting hotels, hospitals etc. I am doing a concealed cistern for easy cleaning and made a chase for the pipes to get a basin in the other side of the room without exposed pipes. I'm using flexi but a single run of Pex/tube without joints in the hidden areas but accessible panels for elbow push fittings etc.
Some Hilton’s (and their other brands) are bringing in digital keys. You have to use their app and I’m not sure if it’s using NFC or something else but it will sense which part of the hotel you’re in and give you a ‘key’ for the lift, your room, etc depending where you are
Currently watching this video in the Doubletree Hilton Edinburgh which uses the mobile phone to open the room door. It was a recent install back in the summer. With the simple use of the Hilton App, I can check-in, choose a room, save a favourite room for regular stays and access my room all via my phone.
Im also in the process of a home renovation and take inspiration from my hotel stays
Oh wow! That's exactly what I was thinking - really no need for check-in queues any more. Great stuff! 👍
The Club Quarters chain in the US has an app that allows you to open your room door with your phone. They give you a proximity card on check-in, so I don’t know what percentage of guests use their phones instead of a card.
Rounded corners between wall and sink/bath/floor makes for much quicker and easier cleaning too. Reduces the amount of time house keeping has to spend.
In regards to abilities to open doors using your phone. Hilton sends you a a code though there Hilton Honors app when you check-in in advance. You dont even have to stop by at the desk unless you need a physical card to stay in the hotel. I believe this is only avaiable for Gold and Diamond members and so far I've only seen it in the US.
Hilton in the US has used phone NFC for years, I use it all the time.
Kevin Karan and yet people in the states still pay for the room by cheque, or by signing a credit card slip.
@@spencerwilton5831 Hmm, nope pay through my phone. Never even visit the front desk.
I haven't used a check for anything in years, never to pay for a hotel.
Also since switching to chip most places don't make you sign anymore.
Yes, I have used my cell phone for Hilton properties as well. Super nice, love not having to talk to a human. But NOT NFC. They use Bluetooth.
AC hotels by Marriott do have the room key system you mention if you do your check in through the Marriott app and add the room key to Apple wallet
I’m also noticing a strong trend towards quartz countertops throughout even in many mid range hotels as they are seen as luxurious, and more durable than laminate or granite
Very interesting to see how a modern inexpensive hotel chain goes about material design
I’d be very surprised if they made a decision not to mist cost those walls.
More likely the contractor was paying his painters by the room and some of them skipped the mist coat to get it finished a bit quicker. By the time it starts pealing off the painters have been paid and are long gone.
Yup - would tend to agree. 👍
Very interesting as I have only stopped at older hotels and not worked on a school for seven years great video
Hi Andy. Disney's magic bands use NFC I think. you use your magic band to get in your rooms, pay for food, use your photo memory maker and fast pass rides.
Interesting! They're still using the cards at Disneyland Paris but bands would be much easier. 👍
The curtain pocket would be to prevent light entering the room.
My recent extended stay at a Hilton Homewood Suites let you open the door with your phone, but only if you sign up for their awards program. The furniture had lots of glue squeeze out that was not removed, which was shocking.
Some good grafters put that bog together, when you took off the access behind the toilet i was expecting a huge mess but nah dude even blobbed the exposed screws even looks like he gave it a good hoover haha.
Primer on bare plaster is the same as paint it needs to be PVA Pollyvinyl Acetate
Irvin Wittmeier no you do not pva bare plaster 🤦♂️
Marriott has doors that can be opened with your phone. When you check in via the app you can unlock the door with NFC.
Looks like those ship building yards...where they make those cruise ships... all the rooms are spooned in.
Also those cheap hotels in France.. the Formule1.