Surprises About European Hotels

Staying in a good hotel is one of the most important parts of a vacation. As European travel specialists, we wanted to share some aspects of a hotel stay that might be a surprise if you're new to European travel.

What you should know about European hotels:

1. Rooms are typically small, by American standards. You'll likely find that even four-star accommodations are much smaller than a comparable hotel in the United States. European cities are compact, and hotel room sizes reflect this.
2. Three- or four-person rooms are rare. Typical European hotel rooms will have two options for bedding: one larger bed, or two twin beds. Hotel rooms with two double beds or two queen beds are uncommon. Sometimes, in a room with one larger bed, the bed will actually be two twin beds pushed together inside one bed frame.
3. Historic building status matters. If a hotel is in a building with centuries of history, they won't have gutted it and installed enormous elevators or a massive lobby. In fact, elevators in particular are often a surprise, as they may only fit one or two people.
4. Room keys might control the electricity. If you enter your hotel room and the electricity doesn't work, it's likely because you need to stick your hotel key card in a slot by the door. This energy-saving measure makes sure that the lights aren't left on when you leave your room for the day.

There are, of course, more things that might surprise you, but we've found those four items to be the most common. ​