The Hotel Bathroom

By Paul Richman

2 min read

When I first was diagnosed with Crohn’s, I was afraid to leave the house. You couldn’t pay me enough money to travel, and stay in a hotel bathroom. Over the years, I have gotten much more comfortable leaving the house, as my Crohn’s is under control. Recently, I have noticed a slight trend when I go to a hotel bathroom. The toilet is not powerful enough, and it doesn’t flush.

It's a problem when the toilet is clogged

As some of us could see this as being very comical, I don’t necessary get upset, I just get annoyed and slightly embarrassed. Even though I am sharing a hotel room most of the time with my finance, who could care less, it becomes a problem when the toilet is clogged. There have been times where I had to call the front desks twice during the night to have the toilet unclogged.

Hotel bathrooms don't always have a strong fan or an air freshener

Hotel bathrooms don’t always have a strong fan. As I wrote in my other articles, we bought our townhouse based on the bathrooms. The fans are used to block out any noise that others might hear. In most hotel rooms, the fan is very low. This results in others hearing what is going on in the bathroom. You better believe that I actually turn on the shower at times just to mask the noise.

They also don’t come with an air freshener. This could become a problem when sharing a hotel room with somebody else. Because there is not a lot of room for air to travel, it could cause for some smelling issues.

There isn't always an easy solution

So how do you avoid all this drama? I thought about this for some time, and there isn’t an easy solution. The one idea I had was to use the hotel lobby bathrooms. There is usually more than one stall in there, and they usually are always clean. Not many guests at a hotel use the lobby bathroom, because they'd rather have privacy in their own room. I decided to give it a test run. What is the worst that can happen?

Last month, I traveled to Oklahoma City, to visit family. I stay at the same hotel, and pretty much the same room each and every time. I was having a slight flare-up because of the travel difference, and new foods being introduced. I went down to the lobby to relieve myself, because I did not want to be that person calling the front desk at two in the morning. Believe it or not, it was a great idea! The toilets had a stronger flush, the fan was running, and there was nobody in there. This is a great “IBD” travel tip, that you should use, if you see yourself having a hotel room problem. Sometimes you get real lucky and there is an individual hotel lobby bathroom, which is like a double plus. You’re not using your own room’s bathroom and you have more privacy. I've often thought that asking the hotel when booking if they have powerful toilets would be sort of foolish, but now that I think about it, it would not be such a bad idea!

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j.poyser Community Admin
This is a great tip. I have called hotels when booking as well to make sure there was a lobby bathroom accessible. It definitely helps when sharing a room with someone else. The lobby restrooms do tend to be empty and have better water pressure. Thanks for sharing!
jpoyser Member
This is a great tip. I have called hotels when booking as well to make sure there was a lobby bathroom accessible. It definitely helps when sharing a room with someone else. The lobby restrooms do tend to be empty and have better water pressure. Thanks for sharing!
1. Kelly J. Moderator
 Thank you for your comment, Jaduwe! The lobby bathrooms can be sooo hard to find. And when you need to go NOW, it's important you don't have to walk a mile to get where you need to be! Kelly, Team Member
kerman Member
This is a good idea for those who actually have enough warning. However I would never have made it to the lobby from my room. I know the smell issue is a concern when you're sharing a room. And I've looked for a travel size air freshener and can't find one. However, I recently found a product called Unicorn Gold which is made by the Squatty Potty people. Unicorn Gold comes in a small (2 oz.) spray bottle - great size for travel, although you may end up using it at home too. It's not actually an air freshener -- but it's the stuff you spray into the toilet before going. (Like "Poopourri&quot😉 It comes in 7 or 8 very strong fragrances. The first time I used it (my choice was "Mystic Forest&quot😉 I sprayed about 5 or 6 spritzes into the bowl, and the smell lasted for at least 3 days. But I would absolutely recommend you try it. It does work - you won't smell anything but that fragrance. Just be sure you only spray once the first time you use it - then you can decide after if more is needed. FYI: I bought Unicorn Gold at my local supermarket for $7.99. I won't be without from now on.
1. thedancingcrohnie Moderator & Contributor
 I use poo-pourri too! Love it. I haven't tried Unicorn Gold but I'm sure it's a good one too. It's nice to know there are products out there that can help alleviate what can become embarrassing moments of IBD. Always dancing, Elizabeth (team member)
thedancingcrohnie Moderator & Contributor
Great tip about using lobby bathrooms. As for the smell situation, I always have a travel sized poo-pourri on me. They are the best. Always dancing, Elizabeth (team member)

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