invisible

Want to ask the audience - what was the unusual but useful amenity you have encountered at a hotel room?

To clarify - I am not talking USB charger plug on the base of the bedside table (that should be quite ordinary) or a jacuzzi/onsen inside the room (that's specific to the special type/category of room).

CDTraveler

These days it would be extremely unusual, but in the past I've encountered small shoe cleaning cloths, and found them very useful. They are usually of a fabric that doesn't shed lint, so they're helpful for wiping down devices with screens, getting travel stains off a suitcase, or actually buffing up one's shoes.

koriana

Hmm
-prepaid postcard
-umbrella
-shower cap (this might be a normal amenity in Asia)

GUWonder

Cell phones for local use.
Swimsuit dryers.
Bear spray.

Annalisa12

I loved the phone at the Intercontinental (I think it was there) in Hong Kong.

Annalisa12

Having a room with bear spray would scare the hell out of me!

IJN Harekaze

I stayed in a hotel that was formerly a sea going boat - the room contained everything you would normally expect and also a life jacket in case the boat began to sink whilst you were asleep

GUWonder

Anytime a bear, wolf, wolverine, cougar, bobcat, lynx, or even a snow leopard came around where I�ve stayed/lived, I would sort of freak in my own way too. Even with foxes, I try to stay away. While such wild animals tend to try to avoid people � not so much the foxes in London � human fear may make predatory animals � be they wild animals or humans � think they have come across prey or a more imminent threat and thus human fear becomes a problem in itself. But I don�t want to test that theory by being foolishly �brave�, so I typically try to quickly retreat into the indoors and wait it out. But I would rather be prepared for what can happen when out and about in an area, and bear spay in the room would be a pretty clear sign that bears are around or do come around.

Imagine if a room came with a gun instead. Don�t recall Svalbard hotels ever coming with either of those, and there are continuing concerns about polar bear encounters. Bear spray was prohibited on Svalbard last I read the rules from the governorship of the place when it came to playing adventurer in the open.

deniah

not in the room...but hotels that have bicycles guests can borrow is very useful and pleasant

Badenoch

Gun cleaning equipment at a motel in northern Michigan along with sign requesting that bathroom towels and washcloths not be used to clean guns.

EXP100

Laundy basket and free washer and dryer on ground floor.

FindingFoodFluency

Eavesdropping device at my Pyongyang hotel.

What? It was useful for the hotel staff

IJN Harekaze

Assuming that you stayed at the Yanggakdo, the rooms on the sides facing the Juche Tower don't have the bugging devices

TGarza

The lodge for my Alaskan fly fishing trip included a covered and secure wire mesh locker to wash and hang my waders. The lodge also had tables to clean, gut and pack the fish for the trip home. A lunch with drinks and snacks was available on request.

Out of my Element

Ski Closet outside the room at a hotel in New Hampshire in mid summer. Not useful to me but I can understand how it might be useful in winter

A music themed hotel had a guitar in my room, I imagine in every room as I didn't request and don't play

A hotel in Seatle had a cart with movies and microwave popcorn (among other choices)

I've been in hotels where you could walk the hotel dog for relaxation if you wanted to not go out unaccompanied. Lovely Golden Retriever at one I took out for a stroll