Hair dryers

It's pretty safe to assume that there will be a hair dryer. If there isn't one in the room, you might ask at the front desk. Any hotel that deals with RS tours will undoubtedly be accustomed to the question.

We now routinely find that hair dryers are common and available if not in the room, look around could be in a drawer, or at the front desk.

For the German hotel star rating criteria, a hair dryer counts for 2 points out of 90 for 1 star, 170 for 2 stars. It is required for 3 or more stars. While many German hotels don't bother with stars, many provide the amenities anyway. Overall, I would guess that less than 25% of the places I've stayed at in the last three trips have provided hair dryers.

But Lee you don't stay where regular people stay. And, besides, what do you need a hair dryer for?

"But Lee you don't stay where regular people stay." Somebody stays there. Just because someplace isn't listed on TripAdvisor, doesn't mean no one over there knows about it. Europe is not like the US. It's more like the US was when we were young. There are lots and lots and lots of small, perfectly acceptable accommodations that are not associated with major chains and their expenses, or listed on major booking websites.

Follow up question to Lee. By your 25% count do you mean. A) In only 25% there was a hair dryer sitting in the bathroom. OR B) In only 25% there was hair dryer even after asking. Reason I ask is I and my gf thought hair dryers were less available then they really were cause many inexpensive motels or B&Bs didn't have them in the bathrooms so she always brought her own. Then one trip she forgot to pack one. In all the place we stayed on that trip (mostly B&B's it was a US trip) they were available to borrow from the front desk.

I'm assuming it's a RS tour that you're going on again, so possibly you could contact the RS people and ask. If it's something that would make you feel lousy and be a downer on your day (like, admittedly, it would be for me), get a dual-voltage travel hairdryer at Walmart or Target.

While I'm constantly looking for ways to make my bag lighter, I've added my as-tiny-and-lightweight-as-possible hair dryer back into my backpack. Many of the dryers provided were either WAY too wimpy, or they got super-duper hot within a minute, and had to be turned off for a while...With my own, I know how it's going to operate, and I can dry my hair as usual. I hated to add it back into my bag, but I'm much happier! The ones available at the front desk are for the entire hotel to use; if they had enough for everyone, they'd simply put them in each room...I don't want to be the one left without.

Lee, your numbers really do surprise me. Did you actually ask your hosts if there was a hair dryer available and they told you no? I tend to stay in anything from 2 to 5 star accommodations in major metropoles as much as in lesser known places and I have yet to come across one where there was no hair dryer available. Granted, occasionally I had to ask at the front desk or the host if it was a pension/B&B/appartment type of accommodation. And the quality of the hair dryers does vary a lot as well, never seen anything as bad as the one they had at the Novotel Suitehotel Potsdamer Platz Berlin ... but aside from hostels I have never had an issue with lack of hair dryers.

Eileen, I think I have that same dryer! I don't think it is any stronger than the wimpy ones, but you're right, I do know how it works. ; ) Pam

I too am really surprised by Lee's experiences. Even staying in little hole in the wall places in village China where the plumbing was pretty funky, the owners nearly always could scare up a hairdryer on request. Must be a German thing...

I always forget to ask about the hair dryers until I'm ready to dry my hair - and I'd have to traipse through the FULL breakfast room in order to get to the front desk :-}

I'm not shocked by Lee's experiences. When you stay at little mom 'n pop B&B's, you get what's advertised, a bed and breakfast. You don't get all of the amenities; shoot, some of the time you don't even get your own bathroom. This is pretty much true in the smaller places, although I've had a similar experience at a Rick recommended place in Berlin. I remember reading a quote that these little places (usually run by older women) are like staying with a foreign aunt that you never knew you had. The place might be a bit frumpy, but it's cheap, clean, and I'm not going to Europe to spend a lot of time in my hotel. I'd rather have the money for beer.

I'm not shocked by Lee's experiences. When you stay at little mom 'n pop B&B's, you get what's advertised, a bed and breakfast. I had a different experience at the mom 'n pop B&Bs. There was often no hair dryer in the bathroom. But when we asked at the desk one responded, "Sure, but not for about 15 mins my daughter just got out of the shower and is drying her hair right now, but I will have her bring it to you when she is done." And about 15 mins later their daughter brought the hair dryer to our room.

I admit, I don't know a lot about German B and B's. But the sobes in Croatia (rooms to let, usually in someone's apartment) always had a hairdryer you could borrow from the owner. And that has been my experience in China too. I stayed in the little village of Chundixia where the courtyard was full of goats and my 'bedroom' was tucked behind the kitchen. Still, my pantomimed request for a hairdryer was successful, after a few giggles over my bad attempts to communicate. Perhaps most German B and B's are run by men? That would explain the lack of hairdryers, perhaps. My experience elsewhere is, if you are staying in a place lived in by or run by women, there'll be a hairdryer somewhere to borrow.