Hotel rant--no bathroom door! Have you ever heard of this??

Hi y'all! I have been traveling quite a bit lately, staying in hotels in different states. I stay in hotels several times a year, depending on life circumstances and whatever else is going on. I have regular frustrations about hotels and their 'accessible' rooms that I have come to expect. I also have a number of tricks for making these rooms work for me. I'll probably create a post about these issues later, as I would love some input from you guys.

Anyway, tonight I am in Charleston, South Carolina. I'm traveling with my husband who has some work here this week. The hotel was booked for us by his co-worker. It's a very modern 'hipster' kind of place. I'm not sure if it's actually a renovated warehouse building, or just designed to look like that. From their website: "Designed for global travelers, Aloft Hotels offers comfortable loft-inspired rooms and a vibrant social scene, all in a modern tech-savvy environment." It is VERY different from the bigger chains. This wouldn't be my first choice for a hotel, but hey...I'm willing to give it a try!

However, when we entered our room I immediately spotted a problem: NO DOOR ON THE BATHROOM! Not just no door, but the toilet is right there as you walk in the door to the room. It feels so...weird! And okay, I'm here with my husband, so maybe it doesn't seem like a big deal, but I don't like it. I like privacy. So when we went downstairs for dinner, I asked the guy (who looked to be about 20) at the front desk about it. He said that all their accessible rooms had bathrooms with no door, that they had to design them like that. I asked "According to WHOM?" His answer: "South
Carolina." He then proceeded to tell me that 'people in wheelchairs' need more room in bathrooms and could get stuck if there were a door on the bathroom. First of all, yeah...thanks for the mansplaining. I have some idea of what 'people in wheelchairs' need, thank you very much.

I was aghast. I told him I had stayed in hotels in SC in the past, and they all had bathroom doors. It was pretty clear that he didn't understand what my problem was, so I tried to explain how insulting I found it. I mean, I'm not entitled to privacy because I'm disabled?! That attitude is everywhere, so I shouldn't be TOO surprised...but I should be angry, and I am. Not only does it deny me of a basic human expectation of privacy, it is also an insult to my intelligence. Like, don't you think I would KNOW if I were likely to get stuck in a bathroom with a door?! And if I thought I were going to be stuck, why wouldn't I just leave the door open?? How stupid do they think I am, and WHY?! Because I can't walk? Just because whoever came up with this stupidity clearly has his brains in his butt doesn't mean I do!

Two little notes: First, I was very polite and even joking around with this kid. I mean, I was really astonished and unhappy with the situation and his response, but I was also very aware that he was only repeating what he had been told. Not his fault, and I know better than to take out my anger on the guy at the front lines. Also, when I first asked about the missing door, I half expected him to say, 'yeah, none of our rooms have doors.' It's that kind of place, like maybe no bathroom door is the new hip thing. 😏 And I might not have liked it, but at least I wouldn't feel so personally insulted.

The front desk guy asked if there was a curtain. I said there was not, and he said there should be a curtain there, and would I like one? I told him I didn't see how one could be installed so easily. There are no bars, no hooks, nothing. The walls are cement blocks, and there is no sign there was EVER a curtain there. It was nearly 11pm at this point, so we didn't want maintenance coming in drilling and installing something to hold a stupid curtain, so I said I might ask about it tomorrow.

Oh, and I did a quick search. Not exhaustive by any means, but so far I see no sign of this really being a South Carolina law. 😕

Have you ever heard of this? Would it make you angry? (Not so much the missing door, but the decision that disabled folks don't get doors. And it's for our own good.) 😤

Oh, and P.S. There's no bathroom door because I might get stuck, but the door to the room itself is INSANELY HEAVY!! Waaay heavier than most hotel doors. I'm pretty strong, and could only BARELY get the door open enough to enter the room. So yeah...that makes a lot of sense. 🙄🙄