kmersh

To the EWR Airport Marriott's credit they now have some rooms with desk chairs and "desks" which is a good thing IMHO.

So maybe Marriott heard loud and clear that many people still want desks.

mapleg

I go to Japan on a regular basis and stay (sometimes) in some fairly basic business hotels. I am talking $50 a night type of place. All of those, and I repeat all of them have the following amenities--desk, chair, internet, kleenex box, LCD/LED TV, kettle, humidifier/air cleaner,mug, glass, green tea,slippers, robe, room deodorizing type spray, tub and shower. Yes the rooms are small, but they can fit all that in. Pants presser available in the hall. There is never a dresser or chest of drawers though.

So, budget hotels can provide this but supposedly upsclae hotels in N America cannot?

silverthief2

This 31-year old millennial is not happy about the disappearing desks, either. It's impractical and awkward for me to work without a desk, nor does it make sense to hang out in the lounge or lobby attempting to get work done as others have already detailed upthread.

I think this is right. Business travelers of any age or generation still need a desk, a place to hang clothing, etc. But Marriott is trying to be sly by ascribing this to "meeting the innovative demands of the coming millennial generation" or some such marketing copy when it's a cost saving measure both when outfitting rooms and maintaining them later.

A bit off topic, but this all reminds me of our recent office renovation, in which more typical cubes were replaced with desks arranged in twos, with a padded bench perpendicular to the desk as the only separation. It's distracting and louder than the prior office arrangement, but of course it saved the company $. And the VP in charge of the whole project? Works from home 100%.

SkiAdcock

If FTers are staying at a property without a desk & are unhappy about it, please let the GMs of the property know. Complaining on FT is good for us but won't get things changed. It might not even at the GM level, but for certain it won't change at that level if they don't hear about it.

Cheers.

RogerD408

Or better yet, post a property review on Trip Advisor. Not only is there a good chance of getting the property's attention without having to dig up an email address but you also alert others of the possibility of getting a room without a desk. Unfortunately, FT is such a small percentage of their customers, expanding out gives more visibility.

flyerfmaz

TA is an excellent idea. Many property owners and managers read and respond to the reviews on TA.

rdurlabhji

Millennial here - I wear a full suit when visiting clients. I would not stay at a hotel if it didn't have a place to hang up my clothes - I don't want to wake up early to iron/steam my clothes every day.

Desks on the other hand I'm fine without. I have no problem with working on the bed and usually do that even if the room does have a desk. I carry a extra USB monitor ( model, although there are plenty of kinds available). I don't too often have paper as all of my notes and documentation are digital, so that probably contributes. I could see that this is an issue if you did need to spread stuff out and look at it.

MsEverywhere

I'm just wondering, would you and/or other Millennials be OK without a desk if you had to be on your laptop and on conference calls for 8+ hours per day from the bed or from a chair in the room?

That's what I usually do when I travel - I usually travel for personal convenience and just work from hotel room during the 8+ work hours/day.

DL-Don

I have a reservation at the EWR Marriott coming up so I called and they made a note in my reservations that I wanted a room with a desk. They also told me that originally they were taking all the desks out but after a number of customer complaints, they changed their plans and remodeled quite a few rooms with a desk. If you're staying here and want a desk, you should call and let your needs be known.

silverthief2

I will do both. Good ideas.

rdurlabhji

I were working a full day from my room I would definitely want a desk - in fact I bought one for my home office for that purpose.

When I travel I am usually on site at the client from 8-5 and have at most an hour of work to do at the hotel.

Boraxo

This really didn't belong in Marriott forum - was recently assigned a "upgraded" room sans desk at a full service Hilton business hotel in major city. Which of course I rejected.

RoadWarrior200

Stayed at the Marriott Copley Place last week for a convention and all the rooms still have a desk, a superb desk chair, a closet, chest of drawers for clothes and other stuff, excellent reading lights, lots of shelf space in the bathroom and a solid door to the bathroom. Also, the hotel is superbly run, so hopefully management and the facility’s owners are going to reject the silly new Marriott standards when the rooms are next redecorated.

DL-Don

^^^

sethb

Please name the hotel. I stay at Hiltons in major cities, and I want to know which I have to be careful about.