I asked some hotel-mystery questions myself a while back, so I’m with you in puzzling over such things.

I have always assumed that the ice machines and the ice buckets go together and that they are meant for the use of people who want to chill their beverages of various sorts. I sometimes use them for other things, but that seems logical to me.

As for the sink outside the bathroom, my reasoning is that it allows two guests sharing the room to avail themselves of different facilities at the same time.

I can’t comment on the dogs or the ashtrays. I never think about dogs, and I have never seen ashtrays in nonsmoking rooms.

Here were my questions: #1 #2

YOU’RE NOT MY GRANPA

IMPOSTER

Its because most hotel rooms dont have a fridge and some people like ice to keep their stuff / drinks cool.

Many people who stay in motels are business people, and they have clients in their rooms, which includes service beverages. Many non-business people are resting up from a hard days drive, and want an alcoholic beverage to help them calm down, and they need ice.

There are two possible reasons for the wash basin arrangement, as Jeruba saya, so two people can use the facilities at the same time (the shower being inside the “room” and the basin outside), and also because all motel rooms are designed to take up the least space possible. and perhaps that design works best.

I don’t recall seeing ashtrays in non-smoking rooms, so I can’t answer that.

About dogs, it doesn’t make sense, does it?

I’d like to know why they still have bibles in the night stands.

Maybe the ice machine is there when mini fridges are in the rooms? Though I’d expect them to be there in the nicer hotels too. Maybe the staff uses them for some purposes too, and they just made them available to guests also.

I agree with @Jeruba regarding the ice. More and more, mini-refrigerators are being furnished in rooms so the need for ice is less but free ice has been a mainstay for so long, it will probably be tough to eliminate.
I also agree with the outside sink. Dressing areas such as that are now quite common in apartments.
As for the ashtray, perhaps they expect you to step outside to smoke and hope you place your butt in a proper receptacle.
Dogs? Cleaning after shedding dogs is probably the biggest chore so the larger dogs make it tougher on the cleaning staff.
Just guesses, mind you. See ya…Gary aka wtf

Ice- so you can have a cold drink and fill your ice chest for your further travels
Ashtrays- for your gum wrappers, or if you will be going outside to smoke so you don’t throw the butts all over the parking lot.
Small dogs-When you refuse to take a plastic bag and pick up it’s poop when you go outside, at least it’s not a 5 lb turd.
Sink outside of Bathroom- So one person can wash their face and put their make-up on while the other person is in the bathroom
@dee1313; The Bibles are provided free by the Gideons

I love the ice machine and hope it never goes away. I want a cold drink almost every night. If I buy one from the store or a vending machine, it might not stay cold the entire time I am drinking it unless I guzzle it down. I like my drinks on ice.

Families traveling and trying to save money might buy 2 liter drinks or make koolaid. They need ice for those.

Also need ice in case you need an impromptu ice pack.

There are so many more reasons.

T think the ice machines are there so they can make noise all night outside your door and keep you awake if nothing else does.

I have one of those ashtrays at home. I must have swiped it from a motel as that’s the only place I’ve ever seen them. I probably did it because no smoking rooms aren’t supposed to have ashtrays. Duh!

Motels always seem to have ice machines. Why? What is so special about ice? Although I usually take advantage of the ice machines (if they are free), I have never needed ice while staying at a motel.

You haven’t needed ice but other people do. We use it to cool drinks or to keep my husband’s insulin cold if there is no mini-fridge. I have used it in the past to keep breakfast foods cold so I could save money by not eating out. I also see a lot of hotel guests who are just passing through need ice to restock their coolers before getting on the road.

Why is it that often times when I stay in a non-smoking room, the room contains an ashtray—with a no smoking sign on it!? Is it there just so you can smoke (thereby breaking the rules) if you want to?

The only thing I can think of is that some people use the ashtray as a handy place to deposit used gum or something like that. I always stay in non-smoking rooms and I’ve never seen an ashtray of any description in them.

Why do some motels that accept dogs only accept dogs under ten pounds? Can’t a small dog do just as much damage as a large dog (in my experience small dogs seem to be much more destructive.) ?

A small dog may be noisy or destructive, but it won’t leave huge piles of poop or large puddles of pee. However, more importantly in our litigious society, little dogs do not have the reputation of being truly dangerous to staff or other guests. Think about it: which would most likely result in death or serious injury, an attack by a 60-pound pit bull or an attack by a 6-pound miniature poodle? In addition, some people are afraid of dogs so the hotel doesn’t want to infringe too much on their right to stay in a dog-free establishment.

Why do many motels have small bathrooms, with the sink outside the bathroom door? Why not just make the bathroom with the sink inside of it?

As others have said, it makes it easier for two people who are interested in a bit of privacy to use the facilities at the same time. However, in some cases it has to do with local electrical codes, where you have to have a certain amount of space between sink and switch, so that would result in having to have a large (and expensive) bathroom.

When fights break out it’s always a good idea to cool the affected body parts.

Ice machines are a simple courtesy for hotels. They also encourage guests to buy soft drinks from the hotel desk or vending machines.