Of course I was stereotyping when I said that "in general" Europeans seem to love heat. Whenever you see the words "in general," you are being told, in advance, that a stereotype or generalization is going to be used that won't apply to every single citizen in a society.

Back before key cards European hotels gave you a key with a huge keychain and instructed you to turn it into the front desk every time you left the hotel. They could get quite fussy about this, and many Americans would get in fights with the front desk because they didn't like being separated from their key.

I've stayed at one hotel in particular (in Venice) where management has gone to a key card, but they still expect you to turn your key card in if everyone leaves the room. They aren't quite as nasty about it, but will tell you when you don't do it. So it's a one key per room system, and the electricity only worked with the room key, not with a key from another hotel, a piece of paper, a cruise card, or other device.

I'm actually planning on staying at this hotel again soon, because I like the location and can get it cheap. But I was just curious if anyone had faced a similar problem, and it sounds like no.