Hotel air-conditioners
 

I like a cool room for sleeping (~63-66 degrees F). It doesn't matter if the air-conditioner is on or if a window is opened. However, the problem arises when the outside temperature is fairly cool but the building heat warms the room considerably and the room air-conditioner will not cool the room to less than 72-74. I've been told that when the outside temp lowers, then the AC doesn't work as well. I've also noticed that over the past few years, hotel AC doesn't seem to get as cool as it used to, even when the coolest temp and highest fan settings are set. One hotel clerk told me the reason is that the internal thermometers on window ACs are raised to save money.

Several times, at various hotels, I've told the front desk that my room wasn't cooling very well, and a maintenance person is always sent to the room and then reports that the AC is "fixed," yet the temperature never gets any cooler.

The situation is almost worse in spring and fall when it's moderately cool outside but the AC doesn't cool the room as much. Does anyone else experience this, and if so, what do you do to remedy the situation?

It's a no-win in my opinion. I've tried and have just given up. :(

My other pet peeve: when the AC vents face the bed. My barometer of a well designed hotel room is for when the vents face in a direction other than the bed. This way the room is cooled but I don't get the draft.

Which hotel chains do you find this happening most often?

I have not experienced the reduced air conditioning as described by the OP, though that is probably due to not trying to get the temperature down to 63-66 degrees. I do wish more US hotels would have rooms with windows that open. It is a real treat in other areas of the world to have fresh air.

A bigger pet peeve for me is the air conditioner which blows directly onto the desk/chair area. Very uncomfortable when trying to work / surf / etc.

My solution is a make-shift barrier constructed with a bath towel draped over the ironing board and set directly in front of the Air Conditioner.
Anyone else do this?

This is also my biggest complaint. On another note, I find the worst a/c are the ones in the Hilton Garden Inns. It's noisy and the location by the window close to the bed and the desk is irritating. Surprising poor design for a relatively new chain.

I always need to have hotel acs set in the 60's to be comfortable even though I would be cold if the room was actually that temperature. Some rooms just don't get cool enough at night unless I close the curtains before leaving for the day so the room doesn't heat up as much from the sun.

If the AC unit is under the window and is blowing air on the bed, I’ll move a chair over to divert the air flow from the AC away from the bed.

If the hotel has central air conditioning, most people don’t know that the louvers on the front of the wall AC duct can be adjusted. If the vent face plate unit has horizontal louvers, each louver can each be easily rotated up or down, if they are vertical then they can be rotated left or right or any position in between. I have on numerous occasions adjusted these louvers to divert the blast of air on me while sleeping.

During the day if the window AC unit is blowing on me while I am sitting at the desk or work table in the room, and it seems almost in all the hotel room the work desk is right next to the AC unit, sometimes I will drape a towel over the part of the vent that is blowing on me, and weigh it down with something heavy, like my attaché case to prevent it from blowing off. I just had this problem last week at a Doubletree in Las Vegas.

Mr. Elliott

I get tired of moving those levers...hurts my fingers and they get really dirty b/c of all the dust. Blocking with a towel works well, but it eventually does fall off.

My pet peeve is the poor maintenance that is almost universal to hotel A/C's (both PTAC, split or central). Dusty, dirty vents and musty smelly units are the norm. I would be interested to know how many of these carry nasty things like legionaries etc. I challenge you to lift the front of a PTC (through the wall rectangular ones) and see the state of the dust filter. Sometimes it is caked in dust. I call maintenance every time I find one, just to remind them of what they should be doing....
My travel alarm clock also has a thermometer and it is almost a given that the set temperature on the thermometer and the temp on the alarm differ, and I have yet to see the thermometer read lower!

- Tim

I've always figured that the freon doesn't get replaced..

So doesn't matter how much you blast it, the AC ain't going to get any cooler..