
This Paris property won an award for the blissful silence in its guest rooms. (Image: Les Hotels Baverez)
How many times have you been unable to sleep in your hotel room because of sirens on the streets outside, or planes taking off from the nearby airport, or even a loud TV in the room next door?
Frequent travelers know better than most people that noise is the enemy of sleep, and a sleepless night can leave you poorly equipped to conduct business in the morning. But now there’s a new European based organization designed to promote quiet hotel rooms, and it just gave out its first annual awards.
It’s called the Quietroom Foundation, and it encourages hotel developers and renovators to stifle noise for the hotel guest by offering them a Quiet Room designation (QR) for accommodations that meet their standards. And it has started compiling an online list of quiet hotels that travelers can consult before they book their trip.
It also just gave out its first annual awards, and it designated the Hotel Regina in Paris — a five-star property near the Louvre — as the overall winner of its 2015 Quiet Hotel Award. “The hotel is situated in a busy area, all its rooms have qualified for the QR-label and the hotel scores high on all the other criteria,” the group said.
Other winners include the Swissotel Amsterdam for the Quiet City Hotel award, the Hilton Paris Orly Airport for the Quiet Airport Hotel award, and the Hotel Dux in Roermund, Netherlands, for the Quiet Design and Build Award.
Noisy hotel rooms are one of the most common complaints at hotels. In the US, chains like Crowne Plaza provide earplugs, sound machines or are rolling out new padded headboards to help reduce noise while also continuing to offer separate “quiet zones” in their hotels for travelers who want similarly muted neighbors.
Readers: How do you deal with a noisy hotel room? I have a pack of Mack’s silicone earplugs in my bag, and always ask for a “quiet room” at check in. What about you? Post comments below.
NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: United packages Economy Plus with amenities + Ride-sharing firm goes out of business + Bucket list for air travelers + Useless travel gadgets + ‘Uber of the Skies’ dies
Do you follow us on Twitter? It’s a great way to keep up with the latest news!
Please join the 100,000+ people who read TravelSkills every month! Sign up here for one email-per-day updates!