It’s a competitive industry with increasing demand.
But, while many hoteliers strive to make customers happy, not all of them deliver. In fact, many fall spectacularly short – as these hilarious pictures prove.
Taken by bemused travellers from across the globe, they illustrate everything from poorly-configured bathrooms to diabolical decor and foolish design faults.
Specifically, some include phallic towel arrangements and ‘shadow breasts’, while others depict bricked-up windows, gravel-filled swimming pools and vagina-looking escape routes.
Then there’s art made from knotted hair, staircases that lead nowhere and migraine-inducing carpets.
So, presented here for your entertainment, we ask: are these the worst hotel fails, EVER?
Now that’s a hotel fail! One man shows off his impressive view – which is essentially just a wall with curtains
Cheeky! One man’s towel arrangement was rather explicit, while another venue’s exit route looked decidedly vagina-esque
Perhaps it’s a booby-trap? The innocent choice of lighting in this room casts rather adult shadows on the ceiling
Duh! There are probably better ways to discourage smoking than to use this icon as part of an ashtray
Design faults: This hotel lavatory is walking distance from the toilet roll holder, while another offers free face distortions
What’s in a name? This eyebrow-raising hotel seems to have been given a rather unfortunate moniker…
How much? A small bottle of water appears to be free until guests read the small print, while knotted hair clumps become art
That won’t leave you feeling flush! Disgustingly, a toilet roll is kept in place with a used toothbrush
Interesting choices! A single toilet roll enjoys life in the spotlight, while one bedroom boasts a Samuel L. Jackson cushion
Perhaps they need more taps? This eerie image depicts a staggering number of faucets for a single wash basin
What were they thinking? A customer service box is actually a shredder, while one venue’s cinema is not for the short-sighted
No diving, please: One a place to cool off in the summer, this swimming pool is now filled with grit
That’s not five-star: A toilet role is punctured by the holder (L), while one view is seriously lacking for an unlucky guest
Random: This hotel room looks perfectly acceptable – until you notice the rather random presence of a Lethal Weapon poster
Lacking vision: The interior designer at this location seems to have run-out of creative ideas for decor
Now that’ll make a splash! A rather naughty-looking swimming pool looks suspiciously like the male anatomy
Perhaps they were expecting Spiderman? This hotel foyer ignored the limits of gravity and offers mid-air seating
Is that even legal? One hotel lift suffers an abbreviation mishap which appears to offer ‘after-hours ass’
You had one job! This hilarious fail sees a hotel stairway lead absolutely nowhere – except a wall
Off their trolley! This hotel decided to use a supermarket trolley to assist cleaners on their daily rounds
Room without a view: A disgruntled guest is greeted by a brick wall, while another is subjected to a crazy Wi-Fi code
Messing with your mind: This lift’s number display is the stuff of nightmares for anybody who appreciates order
Charming: Rather than describe its USB port a such, one Asian hotel gets lost in translation
Hmmm: One bathroom suffers a very awkward design fault, while a hotel foyer goes for sophisticated signage
How bizarre: Clearly in need of some engineer loving, this hotel lift defies logic with faulty wiring
Migraine-inducing: This chequered carpet may have looked fine in the showroom, but risks injury on the stairs