Bathtub-showers are associated with older-age consumers and with those who have mobility challenges. Since they are also ideal for small bathrooms that do not have space for both bathtub and separate shower, why is the hotel industry so slow to realize the advantages of such a combination?
Hotel Rangá Luxury Resort and Dining, in Iceland, has 52 rooms, which range from 220 to 730 square feet. On June 25, the hotel released six of the smallest rooms that have been newly renovated, overseen by owner-GM Friôrik Pálsson. It was he who had the idea for putting in combinations, and he chose a 70-by-29-inch unit, which comes as a corner-left or corner-right. The easy-lock door, made of safety glass nearly half an inch thick, has a waterproof seal.
“The design of the unit is really simple, and housekeeping likes the fact there are few places that dirt can hide. Also, the showerhead comes directly from the ceiling so there are no pipes on the wall to clean,” says Harpa Jónsdóttir, the hotel’s director of quality.
After only about a month in use, it is difficult to give exact customer reaction but, with the hotel running at near-100% that entire time, Jónsdóttir says initial comments indicate that guests definitely prefer having what is, to all intents and purposes, a walk-in shower over the previous “bathtub with a shower over.” Pálsson, meanwhile, is extremely happy with his investment.