Traveling internationally promises all sorts of new-to-you delights: flavorful cuisine and delicious sips, bustling cities ripe with palpable energy of centuries past, and cultural norms you get to experience for the very first time. And sometimes? You don’t even have to leave the hotel itself to get a taste.
Booking and staying in beautiful hotels is one of my favorite aspects of traveling, and I feel like the USA could learn a thing or two from international hospitality. Here are some of the amenities and features from hotels abroad I’d bring stateside in a heartbeat.
In this article
1. Washers and Dryers
Is there anything worse after a vacation than cramming a bunch of stinky clothes in your suitcase and having the smelly pile greet you upon your return home? Or getting to the midway point of your getaway and contending with the dilemma of a half worn, half fresh wardrobe?
Access to a washer and dryer at any point during a trip is such a luxury, and I praised the laundry gods when I checked into South Korea’s L7 Gangnam Hotel (following a week camping in Mongolia.) I learned that shared, coin-operated laundry rooms are a standard in South Korean hotels, and across a lot of Asia.
2. Fancy, High-Tech Toilets
You walk into any hotel in the USA and the action is packed into the primary sleeping space, but in Japan and other parts of Asia, the bathroom is a necessary stop on your hotel room tour.
Here, fancy toilets are the norm and they feature everything from perfectly toasty seats to motion-activated lids and water and air-dry cleaning post-go. Some, like at the Swissotel Nankai in Osaka, Japan that I stayed at, even put on a cute little digital performance with your flush. It’s the little things.
3. Saunas and Steam Rooms
This is an amenity you’d expect to accompany a bougie gym membership here in the USA, but it’s a built-in feature at many hotels across Scandinavia and much of Northern Europe. This is because sauna culture is inextricably woven into daily life there, so the experience is less “add on” and more “necessarily part of the day.”
For example, a couple years ago I visited Finland and the Baltic States, and even some of our AirBnB rentals came with a steam room built-in, including this incredible historic gem in Tallinn and this off-the-grid cabin in rural Lithuania. With the rise of wellness culture and compelling research on the benefits of sauna time, I can only hope more U.S. hotels incorporate a sauna sitch into their blueprint.
4. Serve Yourself Tea, Coffee, & Cocktail Stations
Many US hotels at least have a coffee machine and communal water station. Other parts of the world, though, (especially in Europe) have us beat. A recent stay at boutique Parisian property Hotel Monge, located between the city’s Latin Quarter and Left Bank, offered a full serve-yourself cocktail bar, and the largest selection of teas I’ve ever seen available all day long.
5. Slow, Healthy Breakfast
The USA has figured out a decent continental breakfast setup, but I’ve consistently found though many leave me wanting. The food often isn’t high quality or nourishing, and it feels like you’re meant to eat and run. Generally speaking, Europe does a bang-up job with included breakfasts. When it’s buffet style, the spreads are luxe with myriad jams, fresh produce and still-warm pastries.
Hotel a la Ferme, located in Osthouse, France between Colmar and Strasbourg, took this to the next level. And some hotels even include a sit-down breakfast service with quality meats, crisp white linens, and tableside service. I experienced this at The Windermere Hotel in London, which did not skimp on any detail; it felt like eating at a nice restaurant. This is part of the culture, and you don’t need to book a five-star hotel to find it.
The Shortcut
Many international hotels bake convenience into their blueprint from top-tier morning breakfast to laundry options.
A key lesson is that fancy features don’t have to be limited to the sleeping space.
Wellness features aren’t just a special luxury, but are considered a necessary part of the day.
Up next: Boutique hotel chains in the U.S. with surprising amenities.
