Everything Is Getting Louder
theatlantic.com
Everything Is Getting Louder
1–10 of 316 posts
Re: Everything Is Getting Louder
#2In last few months I've travelled to the US a few times. In all 3 hotels I've stayed in, I've had to switch rooms (in one hotel even 3 times in the course of a week) due to low frequency noise of ACs of neighbouring rooms and/or general ventilation system. Ear plugs simply don't cut it anymore these days.
Re: Everything Is Getting Louder
#3In last few months I've travelled to the US a few times. In all 3 hotels I've stayed in, I've had to switch rooms (in one hotel even 3 times in the course of a week) due to low frequency noise of ACs of neighbouring rooms and/or general ventilation system. Ear plugs simply don't cut it anymore these days.
The US is generally pretty noisy. House walls are thin and there is a lot of AC and heating noise. Whenever I come back to Germany I notice how quiet the houses are due to brick walls.
Re: Everything Is Getting Louder
#4In last few months I've travelled to the US a few times. In all 3 hotels I've stayed in, I've had to switch rooms (in one hotel even 3 times in the course of a week) due to low frequency noise of ACs of neighbouring rooms and/or general ventilation system. Ear plugs simply don't cut it anymore these days.
I have that in the UK, so it's not just a US problem. IME, unless you pay for an expensive/specific room, hotels seem to push you towards the horrible rooms first, mostly the noisey ones - front facing near traffic, rear rooms next to ducts/aircon systems, etc. I suffer with insomnia, so the first hint of noise and I'm off to complain/change room!
Re: Everything Is Getting Louder
#5In last few months I've travelled to the US a few times. In all 3 hotels I've stayed in, I've had to switch rooms (in one hotel even 3 times in the course of a week) due to low frequency noise of ACs of neighbouring rooms and/or general ventilation system. Ear plugs simply don't cut it anymore these days.
I have that in the UK, so it's not just a US problem. IME, unless you pay for an expensive/specific room, hotels seem to push you towards the horrible rooms first, mostly the noisey ones - front facing near traffic, rear rooms next to ducts/aircon systems, etc. I suffer with insomnia, so the first hint of noise and I'm off to complain/change room!
> IME, unless you pay for an expensive/specific room, hotels seem to push you towards the horrible rooms first, mostly the noisey ones
So a weird tip a lot of people don't know is you get different rooms depending on how you book (this is also true for seats on airplanes). If you use Expedia or something similar you are buying from a different pool of rooms (even if the price is the same). So if you book directly with the hotel/airline you will likely get a better room/seat.
Re: Everything Is Getting Louder
#6For me the trigger is TVs. I've been renting a flat in a poorer area for over a year now. The walls are a lot thinner than in other places. There are a lot of people today (mostly 50+ year-olds) who cannot fall to sleep without the TV on. My neighbor is one of them. And the thing with TVs is that the most irritating sound frequency they emit is the one that is barely audible when you're in the same room, but when you are in the next room and trying to sleep it is the main frequency that you hear.
Another problem is that with a cheaper flat came generally noisier neighbors, i.e. frequently throwing out late-night parties, denying anyone around the luxury of sleep.
Then there are dogs whose owners don't seem to realize that dogs need to be walked and otherwise they will bark without end. This happens most often in the mornings and can go on for 2 hours easily and sets the tone for the day just right... It seems dog owners develop a special indifference to noise and their dogs.
All of that made me miserable. There were actually moments when this situation triggered suicidal thoughts.
I don't have a problem with cars passing by on the nearby high-speed road. If anything, the sound they make (very different from the sound of cars in traffic) is calming during the night.
I've recently got a new job which pays a lot better than the previous one, so in a couple of months I plan to move to a quieter neighborhood.
Re: Everything Is Getting Louder
#7In last few months I've travelled to the US a few times. In all 3 hotels I've stayed in, I've had to switch rooms (in one hotel even 3 times in the course of a week) due to low frequency noise of ACs of neighbouring rooms and/or general ventilation system. Ear plugs simply don't cut it anymore these days.
Hah. Last time I stayed in Chicago at The Palmer House, they just left "complimentary" earplugs on the nightstand.
Re: Everything Is Getting Louder
#8Another reason why drones should be banned from residential and public areas.
Re: Everything Is Getting Louder
#9Earlier quoted context omitted.
I have that in the UK, so it's not just a US problem. IME, unless you pay for an expensive/specific room, hotels seem to push you towards the horrible rooms first, mostly the noisey ones - front facing near traffic, rear rooms next to ducts/aircon systems, etc. I suffer with insomnia, so the first hint of noise and I'm off to complain/change room!
> IME, unless you pay for an expensive/specific room, hotels seem to push you towards the horrible rooms first, mostly the noisey ones So a weird tip a lot of people don't know is you get different rooms depending on how you book (this is also true for seats on airplanes). If you use Expedia or something similar you are buying from a different pool of rooms (even if the price is the same). So if you book directly wit…
There isn’t a different pool of rooms (at least not in a standard chain hotel with 80 to 150 rooms), you’re just a higher value guest since people coming from travel agents offer less net income due to having to pay commissions. Also, rewards members with status get priority, because they’re spending more year round.
Re: Everything Is Getting Louder
#10Earlier quoted context omitted.
> IME, unless you pay for an expensive/specific room, hotels seem to push you towards the horrible rooms first, mostly the noisey ones So a weird tip a lot of people don't know is you get different rooms depending on how you book (this is also true for seats on airplanes). If you use Expedia or something similar you are buying from a different pool of rooms (even if the price is the same). So if you book directly wit…
There isn’t a different pool of rooms (at least not in a standard chain hotel with 80 to 150 rooms), you’re just a higher value guest since people coming from travel agents offer less net income due to having to pay commissions. Also, rewards members with status get priority, because they’re spending more year round.
Thank you for the correction. My limited understanding is it's actually a mixture of both (and will vary on a case by case basis), but I admit I'm not an expert.