Hidden guests reveal 20 hotel mistakes of the year

A night in IKEA

To look back at the first six months of 2025, we prepared the 20 most common hotel practices of 2025 that, as our hidden guest assessors put it, “stuck out like a sore thumb“. The research findings represent a reliable framework for hotels to make future improvements.

The evaluation of meeting hotels according to the Hidden Congress Guest methodology has been taking place since 2007. We began evaluating destinations in 2010. In 2024/2025, we awarded 318 certificates of excellence. In total, we have evaluated 652 various hotels and 49 conference centres. Only 45% of evaluated venues received our certificate, which is telling of the complexity and credibility of the evaluation process.

The evaluation matrix comprises 654 criteria segmented according to key qualitative and quantitative parameters. We evaluate each category based on the completion of standards and the average mark, which allows us to identify areas for improvement.

A. HOTEL SERVICES

1. A NIGHT IN IKEA
Have you ever felt that you were sleeping in a furniture store, not a hotel? Seasonal fads, generic decor and no identity. Added value? For that, you need boldness, a vision and character.

2. SLEEP DISRUPTORS
The radiation emitted by LED lights (blue, red or green) on electronic devices often disrupts the sleep of guests. The solution proposed by our hidden guests? Always carry some duct tape. That has become the must-have paraphernalia of our hidden congress guests.

3. THAT DARN AIR-CONDITIONING
You have probably stayed in a room where you faced a nightmarish air conditioning that would not turn off, respond to commands, or was extra loud. If you cannot open the window, there is no solution, even if you have a PhD in electronic engineering.

4. ODOURLESS SHAMPOOS
Hotels sometimes offer poorly designed mini bottles containing odourless shampoos. Guests expect an experience, not generic plastic from the eighties.

5. PLASTIC CUPS, WRAPPED IN PLASTIC
We even found plastic cups, wrapped in more plastic, in four-star hotels. The General Manager explained the reason behind this: “The glass ones can break”. Well, by using plastic glasses, they also broke the trust between the guest and the hotel, not to mention the basic rules of sustainability.

6. NO FREE INTERNET?
There are still hotels that charge guests for using the internet, as if it were a luxury. In an era when WI-FI is a basic need, this is unacceptable. We should remind such hotels that WI-FI is no longer an additional service but a part of the essential infrastructure, such as electricity or water. The irony? The WI-FI is better in the abutting bakery than in the four-star hotel.

7. ENORMOUS DEPOSIT
One of our hidden guests booked a hotel with a credit card, which should serve as a guarantee that the hotel can verify at any moment. Yet, upon their arrival, the staff asked them for an astronomical deposit. That makes guests feel unwanted, and a feeling creeps up – you won’t be returning here.

8. SANDPAPER TOWELS
Have you ever had to dry yourself with a sandpaper towel after showering? Guests cherish sustainability, but as long as it does not impinge on their comfort. Soft, clean, odourless towels just like those from 1987: they should be the standard, not a luxury.

9. LATE CHECK-IN, EARLY CHECK-OUT
Some hotels start check-in as late as 15:00, and have check-out as early as 10:00. In between, guests feel like the hotel took more than it gave them. Guests yearn for flexibility, not being ripped off for a third of the day.

10. SHOWER RELUCTANT TO WORK
Sometimes, you find yourself with buttons that resemble a Rubik’s Cube. We once found ourselves showering with either boiling or ice-cold water that could not be adjusted. A sense of rejuvenation? Only if you live through the first minute of the technical ordeal.

11. EMPTY SUSTAINABILITY PROMISES
Sustainability promises that mean little are no longer enough. The best test our hidden guest assessors adopted is to tamper with the towels – in 80% of hotels, they will change them even if you leave them on the towel rack, as dictated by “green policy” rules. Sustainability is not a fashion trend, but a complex and multilayered challenge. That is why we will dedicate a special chapter to this challenge in another article in this series.

12. SERVICE TROLLEYS AT BREAKFAST
A chic, elegant and discreet service trolley is a rarity in most hotels. The problem arises when the staff, often unskillfully, uses the same service trolley to take out the dirty dishes or even to recycle food right in front of the guests. Such a fiasco can spoil even the best of breakfasts and leave a sour impression.

13. PLEASE WAIT A MOMENT
Fifteen minutes later, the hidden guest is still waiting, while the receptionist is making calls, answering emails, and talking to an in-house guest. The hidden guest stands forgotten in front of them. Have you ever experienced something similar?

B. EVENT ROOMS

14. UNREALISTIC EVALUATION OF EVENT CAPACITIES
The most common remark of hidden guests of all time: hotels exaggerate when advertising the capacities of their halls. While on paper, everything sounds marvellous, the reality is often disappointing for event organisers.

Here are the minimal standards the hidden guests look for (DIN 15906):

• The net surface per attendee when setting up the hall in a theatre setting is a minimum of 1.2 square metres per attendee.

• The net surface per attendee when setting up the hall in a classroom setting is a minimum of 1.6 square metres per attendee.

• The net surface per attendee when setting up the hall in a U setting is a minimum of 1.8 square metres per attendee.

Case in point: In a hall measuring 100 square metres, you can accommodate a maximum of 83 attendees without technical hurdles.

15. COUNTING SQUARE METRES AND CAPACITIES
A hotel features four conference halls, but in its promotional materials, it states it features eight halls, as the main hall can be further divided. They also included all the capacities and square metres, misleading event organisers about their event hosting capacities. That is one of the most common ways hotels deceive potential clients. Hence, our hidden guest always demands that the layout and spaces be checked on-site.

16. PROMISING WORLD-CLASS TECHNICAL EQUIPMENT
A hotel advertised its technology as state-of-the-art. In reality, their tech wonder was nothing more than a projector with an 800×600 resolution. The “world-class” illumination was limited to a dimmer than no one knew how to use. As this example shows, technical equipment is another segment where hotels make unrealistic promises.

17. INSUFFICIENT ELECTRIC POWER
The hotel states it has the needed electric infrastructure for an event, but only offers a 220V single-phase power access with 3.5 kW. That does not even cover the needs of a concert. The minimum needed electric power for an event is a three-phase outlet with 400V (3x16A and 3x63A), with an electric power of 10 to 40 kW. Without it, organising events is neither safe nor professional.

18. AC SOCKETS ADORNING THE WALLS
Even though a hotel unveiled a novel conference hall, and despite the elegant flooring, they forgot to install power sockets. In other words, the event organisers will need to improvise with electric cables, which may impact the user experience.
Our recommendation: ensure the sockets are available every four metres to provide functionality and an inconspicuous look.

19. LOW CEILING AND PILLARS
The hotel advertised conference rooms with a ceiling height of only 2.50 metres. Organising an event in such a room is nearly impossible as the low ceiling limits the technical possibilities, visibility and influences the well-being of attendees. Our hidden guests recommend that modern conference halls feature ceilings at least 3.50 metres tall. If possible, there should not be any disturbing pillars that reduce the versatility of the space.

20. CLOSET ADVERTISED AS A MEETING SPACE
As a conference space, the hotel advertises a tiny room measuring 4 x 3 metres. According to international standards, the event space should measure at least 20 square metres to be considered a meeting room. The recommended minimal surface area should be at least 80 square metres for a space to be branded a meeting hall. Such a size allows event organisers to organise functional business events. We advise that smaller meeting rooms should be labelled correctly, without using ambitious or misleading titles.

CRINGE MOMENT OF THE YEAR: Every time things go south in an evaluated hotel – either because of the service, poor communication or decaying details – and the staff has the nerve to ask: “Did you enjoy your stay?”, an awkward moment of silence follows. That could well be the cringe moment of the year: the personal discomfort and silent regret experienced by the hidden guest when they cannot tell the hosts the truth.

This is only the first article in our series of hotel analyses. In the upcoming weeks, we will also prepare the following articles:

• 20 most common mistakes in sustainability

• 20 most common mistakes in breakfast and cuisine

• 20 most common mistakes in staffing

• 20 most common mistakes in digital marketing