Matt Blaze

The single most important hotel room feature I would like to see listed but that never is: number and location of power outlets in the room.

Is there a place by the bed to charge my phone? Is there a place by the desk to charge my computer? Or do I need to bring extension cords?

Oct 27 at 7:08pmWeb
Show threadMatt BlazeOct 27
My most essential travel accessory (that shouldn’t be).
Show threadHarris LapiroffOct 27

@mattblaze I got fed up with this problem recently and got this thing, which has been a game changer. (Only downside has been in some places 5ft still isn’t long enough to get the closest outlet to my bedside.)

https://www.anker.com/products/a9129-charging-station-67w

Anker Nano Charging Station (6-in-1, 67W)

Full-Speed 67W Charging: Fully charge your MacBook Pro 13" in just 1 hour and 54 minutes with an impressive 67W power output, thanks to advanced Programmab

Anker
Show threadAdrian SanabriaOct 28
@harris @mattblaze excellent suggestion! I just picked up one of these for $37 on Amazon
Show threadChuckOct 27

@mattblaze I feel ya. My 10' extension cord has 3 outlets on the end and I carry with me the polarized to grounded converter.

They are refurbing all the rooms in the hotel where we meet in November and I'll be sure and ask them to add information on outlets to the room descriptions!

Show threadDaniel DurransOct 27
@mattblaze @losttourist I would also like to know the number and location of all LEDs, especially ones that blink, and if I am going to need to balance precariously on something so that I can tape over them.
Show threadMatt BlazeOct 27
@dan @losttourist Also, "DO THE GODDAMN BLACKOUT CURTAINS ACTUALLY WORK".
Show threadDaniel DurransOct 27
@mattblaze @losttourist Yes! I carry little clips and duct tape for these eventualities!
Show threadSarah E BourneOct 28
@dan @mattblaze @losttourist Forgot the binder clips the last time I traveled, but used the hanger with clips on it from the closet. (Not my picture. Used the Internet to train my intelligence.)
Show threadSarah E BourneOct 28
@dan @mattblaze @losttourist Despite the curtains that didn't completely close, they did have an outlet and two highspeed USB outlets for each bed and more at the desk. Bonus: the desk lamp had these, too!
Show threadDarwin WoodkaOct 27

@dan @mattblaze @losttourist

yeah those fucking things. Ugh.

Show threadDaniel DurransOct 27
@darwinwoodka @mattblaze @losttourist The second to last hotel room I stayed in had a very bright white LED on the fire alarm that would blink every 30 to 60 seconds. It took quite a bit of balancing on things but I got some tape over it in the end!
Show threadSue ArcherOct 27

@mattblaze

Also, how many have enough clearance under them to plug in a charger with a lead that comes out downwards. Too often they are placed just above a fixed table or shelf.

Show threadChester Wisniewski 🇨🇦Oct 27
@mattblaze And the newest trend is no desk and no chairs. That should be a required listing as well.
Show threadElliottOct 27
@mattblaze also how old are they? The outlets are useless if they're so loose that your charger falls to the floor as soon as you plug it in. I don't know how hotel outlets get so bad.
Show threadutzer  Oct 27
@mattblaze wird immer häufiger angegeben. Und ja, keine Steckdosen an diesen beiden genannten Plätzen ist echt unverständlich.
Show threadrag. Gustavino BevilacquaOct 27

@mattblaze

Good idea!

I'll suggest this to every hotel owner I know (not a lot, however…).

Show threadDan SugalskiOct 27
@mattblaze This would make my travel life *so* much more pleasant. (I already mostly just carry a 165W four-port USB-C power brick with localizable power cord, so I only need one power plug, but even finding that in a convenient spot is often a challenge)
Show threadRasmus StenOct 27
@mattblaze ”does the TV have accessible HDMI input” is another one I’d like
Show threadPhil SherryOct 27
@mattblaze I’ve seen this listed in lots of UK hotels in the last few years.
Show threadDarwin WoodkaOct 27

@mattblaze

I just want to know why they can't have decent pillows. I had to go to Target and. buy a $10 pillow in Denver then figure out how to jam it in my suitcase since I was stopping in SLC before coming home.

Show threadspork (pathetic girlfailure)Oct 27
@mattblaze in the hotel room I stayed in on a recent trip, I had to unplug a lamp to have a place to plug in my phone anywhere near the bed
Show threadPatrick Morris MillerOct 27
@mattblaze "There's a USB-A jack in the lamp. We don't know if it works."
Show threadScannerOct 27
@mattblaze also a desk or not. Its dimensions
Show threadPhil Stevens Oct 27
@scanner @mattblaze And whether there exists a plain, unadorned chair OF THE CORRECT HEIGHT so that one can sit at the desk for more than 30 seconds without needing to visit a physical therapist.
Show threadMatt BlazeOct 27
@scanner a hotel I regularly stay in put me in one of their newly refurbished - and desk-free - rooms. The manager called to asl how I liked the new design, and when I complained about the lack of a desk, she sent one up. Apparently they often can supply them on request.
Show threadScannerOct 27
@mattblaze Mmm, when I am traveling to Japan one of the top four criteria for a hotel room based on their pictures is “is the ‘desk’ they show big enough for a laptop?” These hotel room are so compact that usually no where to add a desk.
Show threadMarcus Marcius MarcellusOct 27

@mattblaze Yes! YES! This.

But also, too: never enough light in hotel rooms.

Show threadSophie SchmiegOct 27
@mattblaze and for hotels in the US: how worn out are those outlets? Will my plugs literally fall out of the wall over night?
Show threadSharkAttakOct 27
@mattblaze And do those power outlets have integrated cameras?
Show threadTerri GarlandOct 27
@mattblaze Also, does the room pass my mirror test: is there a mirror with sufficient lighting and appropriately placement to allow a near-sighted person of average height to apply eyeliner? I rarely wear eyeliner, but the test is a good one for the overall utility of the mirror. Just spent a week in a London hotel room with a magnifying mirror attached to the large mirror over the sink. No way to get close enough to actually use it, given the sink in the way!
Show threadKC7UQDOct 28
@mattblaze I bring a tripplite
Show threadNorman WilsonOct 28

@mattblaze I always bring a 4' (I think, mebbe really 6') corded power bar with surge suppression and several non-PD USB sockets as well as 5-15. Quite useful on trains, where there's often only one outlet and it may not have clearance for a wall wart. Handy in hotel rooms too.

But nearly every hotel I've stayed in in the past few years has had at least one 5-15 by the bed and at least one by the desk.

Maybe I stay in cheaper hotels than you do.

Show threadRobert ThauOct 28
@mattblaze I've stayed at places that actually had loaner extension cords and power strips available at the desk, if you thought to ask.
Show threadOsciiOct 28
@mattblaze DH never travels overnight without an extension cord.
Show threadThomas Ekman JorgensenOct 28
@mattblaze and the type - do I need an adapter?
Show threadTerryBOct 28
@[email protected] Would put light switches higher on the list tbh.