Ah! The Puma Imperial in Ulan Bator! Not a hotel many people have stayed! I have been there about 8 or 9 times, and at least three times I had to move to another room because of major defects, including one night when I woke up from the dripping through the ceiling......

What's arrogant about the simple conclusion, based on hard data, that Americans, on average, use a lot more energy/resources than Europeans, on average, for a very similar quality of life?

Here's a thought - keep the thread on topic ;)

It's been a while since I've stayed in a hotel that didn't have curtains or had the front-third thing.

Cheers.

"On Average" I really have a very hard time when people use that expression. For example, on average, the temperature of the water in these two buckets is 40 degrees C ............ eventhough the water in one bucket can be boiling hot and freezing cold in the other.

Nothing arrogant about stating the fact. What's arrogant is claiming that one way is better than the other.

You guys obviously don't travel in Asia very much. Outside of the fancier western orientated hotels it is pretty common to find a shower nozzle hung on the wall and the entire bathroom is tile, has a floor drain and serves as a shower. Very convenient for the maid I imagine since she can just basically hose the whole room down to clean up. Convenient for the guest since in the morning when you are still half asleep you can sit on the toilet and shower at the same time. Multitasking? ;) Watch out for the toe stubber® in the doorway though since the bathroom floor is usually a couple cm lower than the rest of the hotel room. I'm also sure many lives have been lost slipping on the tile out in the rest of the room.

True, but there is a price to be paid for that. ;) :p

Personally, we need to encourage people to take more showers, not fewer.

When I worked in an unnamed European country, I had two secretaries who shared the outer office. Sometimes the er, "aromas" wafting in from the outer office bordered on the unbearable. One day the more senior and more corpulent of the two said to me (how the conversation got around to bathing habits I don't remember), "DLFan2, I know Americans bathe more often than most Europeans, but I want you to know that I ALWAYS take a bath EVERY week, EVEN WHEN I DON'T NEED IT." I nearly choked but managed to maintain my composure.

If Americans waste water, let's encourage more waste!!

If you ever set foot in a middle school your stance would change in less then a minute.

The poster you accused of having a "typical arrogant European attitude" never said one way was better than the other. He simply pointed out some differences he noticed while living abroad--differences any American would probably notice under similar circumstances. Nothing wrong with that and certainly doesn't warrant being called arrogant.

A typical arrogant American attitude. @:-)

thanks mate, no I did not.
I will say this, though... Dutch persons DO take showers and dont stink like pig like lots of other European countrymen and women... :D:D:D
I was just bringing up a few things I noticed in a country known for its efficiency when sometimes forced to work and live in small spaces. I know my inlaws there have a nicer, bigger bathroom than we do here in the US, but the standup shower is more popular, and while it's used regularly, the general attitude is to try and waste less time, energy and water in there... As well, highly accurate temp control fixtures exist in nearly every Dutch home or hotel I have visited and many are far more modern and efficient as well.

Some people who follow shows like This Old House may recall a visit by the TV hosts to a convention in Western Europe on kitchens and bathrooms and how everything was more modern, high tech and more able to address some of today's needs and concerns while still being luxurious and convenient to utilize in every day high-standard living.

While you can get some of it in the states, a lot is never promoted so few buy it. I do really wish shower curtains existed... and for that matter, some older hotels will still have that hand held metal hose which I always wondered HOW you wash yourself and control it all at the same time while squating??? But hey, they must wonder some things about us too.

Whatevah.
;)MM

(The inlaws have a stand up shower with glass doors and a tub near it with that hose fiture. It looks unused, but their shower is something I liked there.

lol

Now that is gross even if not true (and I hope it is not -- please tell me it is a joke). :(

I'm curious about where you're staying in AU and NZ that you've seen this. Other than one example (Rydges in Melbourne) I can't think of any hotel I've stayed in that has less than a full curtain or shower cubicle in NZ/AU.

Rydges had the weird 1/3 glass thing - as did my last apartment in Melbourne.