6 Things That Used to Be Standard at Hotels That Are Disappearing

Hotel stays used to come with a predictable set of extras. Now, some familiar features are becoming less common as properties rethink costs, sustainability and what guests actually use.

1. Daily Housekeeping

Daily room cleaning is no longer automatic at many properties. The American Hotel & Lodging Association found about 59% of hotels in 2025 offered daily housekeeping, down substantially from pre-pandemic norms.

2. Mini Shampoo Bottles

Tiny bottles are being replaced by wall-mounted dispensers. A 2024 American Hotel & Lodging Association survey found about 80% of hotels had transitioned to bulk bathroom amenities, eliminating millions of individual plastic containers.

3. Paper Directories

The thick hotel information binder is increasingly going digital. Hotel technology research shows mobile guest-messaging and digital concierge systems are now used by a majority of larger hotel operators, allowing guests to access restaurant, room-service and property information from their phones.

4. Room Service Menus

Traditional room service is under pressure from changing guest habits. CBRE reported that hotel room-service revenue remained below 2019 levels, as properties increasingly experiment with grab-and-go food, delivery partnerships and smaller in-room menus.

5. Front-Desk Check-In Lines

Standing at the counter isn’t always necessary anymore. Oracle Hospitality found 53% of travelers wanted hotels to offer contactless check-in and checkout, pushing more properties toward mobile keys and digital arrival options.

6. Business Centers

Rows of communal computers are becoming harder to find. Hotel technology research shows business-center demand has fallen as smartphones and personal laptops have replaced many traditional hotel computer-room functions, leaving properties to repurpose the space.

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