# American hotels have bibles. What quirks do other nations' hotels have? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 18, 2011, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-hotels-have-bibles-what-quirks-do-other-nations-hotels-have/578852 "2011-04-18T16:25:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2011, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-hotels-have-bibles-what-quirks-do-other-nations-hotels-have/578852/1 "2011-04-18T16:25:27Z")
The Gideons have successfully placed bibles (Bibles?) in what seems like almost every hotel and motel in the nation. It got me wondering what ubiquitous yet perhaps unexpected item might be found in other locales around the world. I’d love to start with an example, but I haven’t traveled nearly enough. Japanese hotels have robes for the hot-spring bath, but that’s certainly not very surprising. ---
**Author:** ![stpauler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@stpauler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpauler)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2011, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-hotels-have-bibles-what-quirks-do-other-nations-hotels-have/578852/2 "2011-04-18T16:29:39Z")
The hotels I stayed in India had buckets next to the toilet, Egypt had the spray nozzles. Hotels in the higher parts of Peru had coca leaves available (not in the room, but in the hotels themselves). ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2011, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-hotels-have-bibles-what-quirks-do-other-nations-hotels-have/578852/3 "2011-04-18T16:33:37Z")
Back in the day, even your run-of-the-mill U.S. motel wouldn’t be complete without the following: Stationary and envelopes, as well as picture post cards, so you could write your friends about the great time you were having. A printed guide of places to go while you were in town, complete with nearby churches and hospitals. A room service menu. If they didn’t have room service, the menu from the coffee shop next door. If they didn’t even have that, at least a pizza place or chicken joint that delivered. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2011, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-hotels-have-bibles-what-quirks-do-other-nations-hotels-have/578852/4 "2011-04-18T16:35:03Z")
Many european hotels have two flush buttons for the toilets – one for a little flush, one for a big flush. Water conservation. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2011, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-hotels-have-bibles-what-quirks-do-other-nations-hotels-have/578852/5 "2011-04-18T17:03:35Z")
The hotel we stayed at in Barcelona required you to put your room card in a little holder to turn on the lights and a/c in the room - thus it all turned off when you left. That’s a great idea that I hope some US hotels will copy. ---
**Author:** ![Heracles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heracles/32/487_2.png) [@Heracles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heracles)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2011, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-hotels-have-bibles-what-quirks-do-other-nations-hotels-have/578852/6 "2011-04-18T17:11:27Z")
> [@Sigmagirl](#): > > Many european hotels have two flush buttons for the toilets – one for a little flush, one for a big flush. Water conservation. In the same vein, the (European-operated) hotels we stayed at in Cuba had an arrangement where you couldn’t leave the lights on when leaving/locking the room. I think it’s fairly common in hotels in Europe for some light switches to be on a 2-minute timer, including the lights in the hallways. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2011, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-hotels-have-bibles-what-quirks-do-other-nations-hotels-have/578852/7 "2011-04-18T17:14:26Z")
> [@stpauler](#): > > Hotels in the **higher** parts of Peru had coca leaves available (not in the room, but in the hotels themselves). I see what you did there. > [@kunilou](#): > > Back in the day, even your run-of-the-mill U.S. motel wouldn’t be complete without the following: > > Stationary and envelopes, as well as picture post cards, so you could write your friends about the great time you were having. > > A printed guide of places to go while you were in town, complete with nearby churches and hospitals. > > A room service menu. If they didn’t have room service, the menu from the coffee shop next door. If they didn’t even have that, at least a pizza place or chicken joint that delivered. I still see this pretty often, even in run-of-the-mill chains like Courtyard. **ETA:** the “quirky” thing I encountered in a foreign hotel (Japan) was the beer vending machines in the hall. Not that I was going to complain 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Mops](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mops/32/16494_2.png) [@Mops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mops)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2011, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-hotels-have-bibles-what-quirks-do-other-nations-hotels-have/578852/8 "2011-04-18T17:20:13Z")
Bibles in hotels aren’t endemic to the US - I don’t recall staying in a hotel room in Germany without a Bible either (except once where there was a Book of Mormon). A quirk of German hotels not common in most other countries: room prices are invariably quoted including breakfast. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2011, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-hotels-have-bibles-what-quirks-do-other-nations-hotels-have/578852/9 "2011-04-18T17:21:12Z")
I’ve heard hotels in Islamic countries usually have some kind of arrow or design in the floor pointing toward Mecca. They do _not_ just keep copies of the Koran in the nightstand where a non-Muslim could potentialy defile it. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2011, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-hotels-have-bibles-what-quirks-do-other-nations-hotels-have/578852/10 "2011-04-18T17:25:08Z")
When I was in Japan in the '80s, several of the hotel rooms I stayed in had a free pack of cigarettes along with stationery, postcards, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2011, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-hotels-have-bibles-what-quirks-do-other-nations-hotels-have/578852/11 "2011-04-18T17:42:57Z")
> [@Mops](#): > > A quirk of German hotels not common in most other countries: room prices are invariably quoted including breakfast. Actually, I think that is very common. In most countries I’ve been in, a free “continental” breakfast (and sometimes a full breakfast) is included in the price of the room in mid-to-upper range hotels, and often in cheaper ones. A few low-end hotels I’ve been in in Panama have had signs saying “Please don’t throw condoms in the toilet.”🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2011, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-hotels-have-bibles-what-quirks-do-other-nations-hotels-have/578852/12 "2011-04-18T17:44:26Z")
> [@Mops](#): > > A quirk of German hotels not common in most other countries: room prices are invariably quoted including breakfast. Almost all the American hotels I’ve experienced include a “continental breakfast.” ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2011, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-hotels-have-bibles-what-quirks-do-other-nations-hotels-have/578852/13 "2011-04-18T17:47:34Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > The hotel we stayed at in Barcelona required you to put your room card in a little holder to turn on the lights and a/c in the room - thus it all turned off when you left. That’s a great idea that I hope some US hotels will copy. The M Resort in Vegas has this feature. Takes some getting used to, but it saves a ton in power every year. ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2011, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-hotels-have-bibles-what-quirks-do-other-nations-hotels-have/578852/14 "2011-04-18T17:57:46Z")
In Japan at each of the hotels we stayed at there was an eletric tea maker in the room. Either an eletric kettle or a coffeemaker type machine. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2011, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-hotels-have-bibles-what-quirks-do-other-nations-hotels-have/578852/15 "2011-04-18T17:58:18Z")
Along with the usual soap, shampoo, etc., hotel rooms in Taiwan come with a mini-tube of toothpaste, and a new toothbrush every day. Probably the same on mainland PRC but I’ve never been there. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Raven\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@The\_Raven\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Raven_1)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2011, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-hotels-have-bibles-what-quirks-do-other-nations-hotels-have/578852/16 "2011-04-18T18:11:18Z")
In Sydney, we had the room-key deal with the lights, in Seoul, we had “The Teachings of Buddha” alongside the Gideon Bible and labor/police clashes in the parking lot, in Osan, S.Korea, we had the most bizarre multiple nozzle hydrotherapy shower I’ve ever seen, and in most places overseas we had an electric kettle. Of course, Tokyo had the super-duper toilet seat. ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2011, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-hotels-have-bibles-what-quirks-do-other-nations-hotels-have/578852/17 "2011-04-18T18:22:12Z")
In Atlantic Canada, they didn’t have a full Bible in my room, but they had a combination English New Testament/French New Testament. That is, one book with the New Testament in English as well as French. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2011, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-hotels-have-bibles-what-quirks-do-other-nations-hotels-have/578852/18 "2011-04-18T18:24:34Z")
In the UK every single hotel and B&B has an electric kettle in your room plus tea and coffee for you to make yourself, and included in the room price. I believe establishments get an extra star for it. ---
**Author:** ![Testy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c37758/32.png) [@Testy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Testy)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2011, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-hotels-have-bibles-what-quirks-do-other-nations-hotels-have/578852/19 "2011-04-18T18:41:06Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > I’ve heard hotels in Islamic countries usually have some kind of arrow or design in the floor pointing toward Mecca. They do _not_ just keep copies of the Koran in the nightstand where a non-Muslim could potentialy defile it. Hi **alphaboi867** That hasn’t been my experience in Bahrain, Saudi, Kuwait, and a few other ME countries. Most all of the hotels had a copy of the Koran in the nightstand, sometimes even in English. Everyone had those Qiblah arrows stuck somewhere. Mostly they were just decals stuck on the coffee table or nightstand. Regards Testy ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2011, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-hotels-have-bibles-what-quirks-do-other-nations-hotels-have/578852/20 "2011-04-18T18:47:32Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > The M Resort in Vegas has this feature. Takes some getting used to, but it saves a ton in power every year. I’ve been at a handful of hotels in the U.S. which have installed these, but I don’t think it’s common yet. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-hotels-have-bibles-what-quirks-do-other-nations-hotels-have/578852.md?page=2)