A Watery Grave For Hotel Tubs | Showering Enthusiast

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Conde Nast Portfolio:

Before we address the gradual decline of the hotel-room bathtub, an important ethical disclosure: I’m biased. I’m a shower guy and couldn’t care less if I never see a bathtub in my hotel room again.

I can remember only two times in the past 20 years when I used a hotel tub: Four years ago, in a suite at the Ritz-Carlton Singapore, I hoisted myself into a tub strategically nestled under a window with a smashing view of the skyline. And then there was that time at the Halekulani resort in Waikiki when my then-wife-to-be and I, uh, well, uh. . . . Anyway, life on the road works in mysterious ways and it turns out that my bias is your bias.

“Less than 2 percent of people ever use a bathtub in a hotel room—except at a resort,” says hotel consultant Michael Matthews, whose 40-year career includes marketing and managerial stints at luxury properties from Hong Kong to Big Sur. “The only reason to take a bath in a hotel room is when there is someone else in there with you. Otherwise, business travelers prefer to have their room outfitted with a gutsy shower.”