What Is the Strangest Hotel Room Amenity You’ve Ever Found?

a sign with green lights
Please note that I receive compensation for many links on this blog. American Express and other banks are advertising partners of this site. Read my Advertiser Disclosure policy to learn more.

Hotels offer plenty of cool items via concierge or room service, but usually have standard room amenities like shampoo, writing pads & pens, pillows, laundry bag, etc. Some hotels offer unusual room amenities though, like the W Mexico City.

Guests there find silk hammocks suspended over their bathtub or shower.

Screen Shot 2014-08-17 at 9.32.14 PM

I pondered for a bit how it would work, exactly, and I’d be curious to know how many people have fallen out of those hammocks while trying to figure it out!

In a hotel in northern China, I once found a pair of thoughtfully placed earmuffs along with a gentle reminder that the weather outside was extremely cold. That wasn’t the strangest though.

For me, it was at the Holiday Inn Moscow Sokolniki.

The room was nice and all the proper amenities were there. I had already been there for a night, and housekeeping had done a fine job.

Russia 09 064

Everything was neatly arranged, and there was the standard ice bucket, tea kettle, and bathrobes.

Russia 09 122

There were good views out of the windows of the buildings,

Russia 09 120

and also of the Metro station across the street.

Russia 09 065

In the closet though, right next to the extra pillows and shoeshine kit I was surprised to find two gas masks. Maybe there were nuclear power plants nearby, or perhaps they were there in case of a possible terrorist attack. I guess “better safe than sorry” fits this amenity, and thankfully they remained in the closet during my stay.

What hotel have you found the most unusual room amenity in, and what was it?

Editorial Note: The opinions expressed here are mine and not provided, reviewed or endorsed by any bank, card issuer, or other company including (but not limited to) American Express unless otherwise stated. Comments made in response to posts are not provided or commissioned, and they have not been reviewed or endorsed by any bank. It is not the responsibility of any advertiser to make sure that questions are answered. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of the material on this site without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.

10 Comments

  1. We were just at a conference in Portland, OR. Some of my colleagues stayed at a hotel that was recently featured in a book series. She had no idea. She got a themed amenity kit when she checked in which she thought was very strange, but that wasn’t the end. Every night there was a different blindfold on her pillow.

  2. Gas masks definitely take the cake I think!

    However as far as my experiences go, last week I was at the The Andaman in Langkawi and there was a mortar and pestle in the room?

    I struggled to think of what possible uses a guest could have for something like that!?

    1. purcitron, sadly the pic I took of the inside of the closet turned out poorly. Looking at pics on the internet, the mask looked similar to the GP-5. Thanks for reading!

  3. Sign by bed offering in room massage (ahem), Seoul. I skipped that curiosity and went in search of food instead.

  4. Well, I presume that the gas masks you found where actually masks to enable guests to walk to safety through smoke filled hallways in case of fire?!
    That’s what it said on masks I found at the Raffles Beijing in 2008…

    1. Hi Buzz. That was my first guess too, except instead of being an escape respirator, it was the type of gas mask with filter that would have clogged if used for smoke particles. I suppose it would have done in a pinch though. Thanks for reading!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *