Like desks? Forget Marriott

I'm 62 and I don't need or want them either.

....any excuse to make rooms smaller.

I use the desks constantly! Good thing I never use Marriotts.

A real pity if that is in the works. I want my desk. I've stayed Marriott, Hilton, and other like chains for conferences and a desk was and should be a given. The Motel 6, Best Western, etc have a small table, which will do also. If a chain offers neither a desk nor table, then I'm not interested in giving them my money.

For me, it depends. If it's just an overnight stay when I'm on the road, I can pass on the desk as long as there's some surface like a dresser so that I can have a place for things when I empty my pockets at the end of the day. If I'm staying for a few days either for work or on vacation, I need a desk to do my work or to write the many postcards that I always send.

Never have stayed at a Marriott and I don't think I ever will stay at a Marriott. As long as I have some sort of table or dresser top for my smaller stuff, don't really care.

I can't remember the last time my GenX self used a hotel desk on business trips. I'm sure somebody does or there wouldn't be complaints. Just visit the business class lounge of any airport and look at how many people are utilizing the 'quiet' desk areas vs. how many are on tablets or laptops sitting in chairs in the common areas.

This sounds like nothing more than a way to reduce costs while trying to convince the customer that they're getting an "improvement". I like having a desk in the room as it's a comfortable place to use my Netbook (especially as there's usually a power outlet there), and also a convenient place to put gadgets while they're charging. After reading the linked article, I won't be staying at any Marriott properties.

We stayed a few years ago at an ALT hotel in the Halifax airport. I don't remember if there was a desk or not. However, we were so impressed with the thoughtful layout of the room. If you might need a small shelf in a spot, it was there. Need a bench in the bathroom? It's there. Hooks? There. Plenty of space to lay out a couple of suitcases. It was so well designed for travelers, and really, shouldn't all hotels be?

Like Ken, I always travel with my netbook and work with it every night. I can't ever remember not having some sort of a desk or work table in my room. And remember, I'm not staying in big chain hotels, but small family run quest houses and private homes.

I wonder if the Marriott is going to give up star ratings in Germany. The German Hotel and Restaurant Association (DEHOGA) requires a table, desk, or desk top for a hotel to have any stars (item 102) and for three or more stars, it must be at least ½ m² (10.7 ft²) and have "appropriate lighting" (item 103).

I actually stayed at one of the recently remodeled Marriott hotels that have no desks. It was the one in Houston in the IAH airport. I barely noticed there was no desk. There is a sofa sitting area in the room which has an adjustable table. It worked fine as a desk for what I needed. The room layout did seem a bit strange, but then this is a 1960's era hotel in the round with wedge shaped rooms.

Unless I'm on business, the desk is of little value other than a table surface to put things on.

What I would love to have more of are hooks in the bathroom. Never enough and sometimes none.

We love rooms with lots of horizontal surfaces for stuff. A desk is a plus as I like to write. All those millennials will have stooped shoulders from hunching over their electronic devices while sitting on the bed. On the other hand, haven't stayed in a Marriott in almost 4 years. :-)

I am a boomer and rarely use a desk, but would love more pillows, please!

I'm with Zoe on this one. I'm a boomer and have never used a hotel desk. Won't miss it. In fact, most of the international hotels I stay in are lucky if they have a chair. I would go to the bar or a restaurant if I wanted to write extensively. Wray

I have never used a hotel desk for anything other then an extra surface to put luggage on.

*"Instead of a desk, Wetzel — who was staying at Charlotte Mariott City Center — found a side table positioned next to the couch and his bed.

Gosh, I sit on a couch everyday at home. I want a vacation from couches.

I never have enough horizontal surfaces in a room for all my gadgetry. Nor outlets. Bring them on!

In the Hilton at CDG there was only one phone in my room and no writing pads. Where does the madness end?

As a business traveler, I must have a desk.
As a pleasure traveler, I have zero need for a desk.

If I am traveling for work and there is no desk, I will find somewhere else to stay.

In Europe I would not stay at Marriott anyway, regardless of the price. In the US staying at a Marriott is a real possibility. Doing away with desks means Marriott will just be crossed off. If a simple Pension in Germany can provide a desk, then a chain like Marriott can do likewise. I need the desk to write postcards.