A quiet revolution is brewing in British hotel rooms, and it centres on one fundamental feature: the bathroom door. Travellers across the UK are increasingly finding themselves in accommodation where the loo is separated by nothing more than a sliver of glass, a flimsy curtain, or in some alarming cases, nothing at all.
The #BringBackDoors Campaign Takes a Stand
The issue was thrust into the spotlight on 25 November, when researcher John Scott-Railton posted on X about the disappearance of hotel toilet privacy. The response was immediate and fervent, revealing a widespread frustration. This online conversation led to a dedicated website: Bring Back Doors.
The site is the brainchild of a freelance digital marketer known only as Sadie. She acts as a privacy-focused vigilante, meticulously cataloguing hotels worldwide. Her platform features two clear lists: 'Hotels With Bathroom Doors' and 'Hotels With No Bathroom Doors', allowing travellers to book with confidence.
'I travel a lot with friends and family and I got tired of having to leave the room or sit in specific places in the hotel room when someone was in the bathroom,' Sadie explained. She was motivated further by viral social media videos showing the problem was a global nuisance.
Design Over Function: The Motives Behind the Trend
But why are hotels and even restaurants adopting these intrusive designs? Sadie believes it's purely a financial decision. 'It's always the money,' she states. 'Removing the bathroom walls gives them more space to trick consumers' minds into thinking they have a larger room.'
However, interiors expert Deirdre McGettrick, founder of ufurnish.com, offers an alternative view. While sharing her own nightmare experience of a doorless loo in Ibiza, she suggests the trend is also driven by a desire for awards and standout design. 'It's about design over function,' she says. 'They're trying to be funky, and trendy — they want to stand out.'
She also notes the irony that many doorless hotels are not budget options, and the extensive glass used often increases housekeeping costs.
A Nationwide Privacy Nightmare
The campaign has resonated because the problem is pervasive. Examples cited by the campaign and social media users include:
- The W Hotel in London, where the shower opens directly into the main room.
- The Holmes Hotel in London, flagged by Sadie as a prime offender.
- The Hilton Birmingham Metropole, criticised for a toilet facing a hallway.
- Boutique Hotel Vivenda Miranda in Lagos, Portugal, which Sadie crowns the worst for having no door and a window in the bathroom wall.
The trend has leaked into the restaurant scene too. London's Gloria restaurant has cubicles with one-way glass, and Dishoom has faced criticism for its wooden-slatted doors that offer little visual privacy.
Content creator Kendra Gaylord, who made a viral video on the topic, highlighted the real-world consequences. 'Comments include horror stories of work conferences where people had to share these doorless hotels with coworkers,' she said, recounting tales of illness and sleep disrupted by bathroom light flooding the room.
The public demand for change is clear. In the month since Sadie launched her website, over 60,000 people have visited it. She has now listed almost 300 hotels and adds more daily. For many Brits, the dream bathroom is simple: a door that reaches the floor, touches the ceiling, and guarantees the peace to pee.
