# Why don't hotel bathrooms have ventilation fans? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 15, 2016, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-hotel-bathrooms-have-ventilation-fans/746180 "2016-02-15T04:03:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2016, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-hotel-bathrooms-have-ventilation-fans/746180/1 "2016-02-15T04:03:28Z")
I’m not sure if there is a factual answer to this question, but why don’t they? It’s pretty annoying when you’re in the hotel room bathroom and the mirrors are all fogged up after a shower. This is generally not a problem in houses as there is normally a ventilation fan. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2016, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-hotel-bathrooms-have-ventilation-fans/746180/2 "2016-02-15T04:05:36Z")
Unless the fans run all the time, someone else’s shower is blowing into your room. ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2016, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-hotel-bathrooms-have-ventilation-fans/746180/3 "2016-02-15T04:36:05Z")
Is there a vent at all? Could be that there’s a fan on the roof venting all the bathrooms in that stavk ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2016, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-hotel-bathrooms-have-ventilation-fans/746180/4 "2016-02-15T05:22:22Z")
Hotels I frequent have fans. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2016, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-hotel-bathrooms-have-ventilation-fans/746180/5 "2016-02-15T06:06:45Z")
> [@Richard\_Pearse](#): > > Hotels I frequent have fans. All the ones I stay in do. Any hotel built recently would have to, as it’s part of the building code. ---
**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:** [February 15, 2016, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-hotel-bathrooms-have-ventilation-fans/746180/6 "2016-02-15T07:14:15Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Unless the fans run all the time, someone else’s shower is blowing into your room. That’s easily prevented with check valves. Our bathroom and toilet both have fans (with flaps as check valves) venting into a vent pipe shared with the three stories below, and we have never noticed moisture or smells coming from the fans when they are not running. ---
**Author:** ![Snnipe\_70E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5a626/32.png) [@Snnipe\_70E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snnipe_70E)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2016, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-hotel-bathrooms-have-ventilation-fans/746180/7 "2016-02-15T07:21:07Z")
They have fans. A common fan for several rooms and the fan mormally would be on the roof or a machine room. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2016, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-hotel-bathrooms-have-ventilation-fans/746180/8 "2016-02-15T07:34:47Z")
Every hotel I’ve been in and which was built after 1800 had fans, but if you’re trying to turn the shower stall into a sauna, well, yeah, it eventually does. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2016, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-hotel-bathrooms-have-ventilation-fans/746180/9 "2016-02-15T12:12:43Z")
Hmm, I stay in a lot of hotels. I’m in a Marriott now and was in a Westin last month and a Hilton Garden Inn before that. No fans in any of them. There is always a vent though. eTA: i missed post 7. There is a common fan? If so, there are all very weak for some reason and must stay on at all times since there is never an on/off switch. ---
**Author:** ![excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e8c25b/32.png) [@excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/excavating_for_a_mind)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2016, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-hotel-bathrooms-have-ventilation-fans/746180/10 "2016-02-15T13:16:23Z")
Yeah, that vent is pulling air and it’s on all the time. It does a decent job of keeping toilet odors from contaminating the room, but not that much for keeping the mirror clear. Often, the sink/mirror are outside the bathroom (the room with the shower and toilet). When they are not, well, that is what the blow-dryer is for. ---
**Author:** ![DummyGladHands](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/49beb7/32.png) [@DummyGladHands](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DummyGladHands)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2016, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-hotel-bathrooms-have-ventilation-fans/746180/11 "2016-02-15T13:46:53Z")
> [@excavating\_for\_a\_mind](#): > > Yeah, that vent is pulling air and it’s on all the time. It does a decent job of keeping toilet odors from contaminating the room, but not that much for keeping the mirror clear. Often, the sink/mirror are outside the bathroom (the room with the shower and toilet). When they are not, well, that is what the blow-dryer is for. This. My boyfriend is a contractor for hotels and he’s confirmed this. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2016, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-hotel-bathrooms-have-ventilation-fans/746180/12 "2016-02-15T14:24:09Z")
> [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](#): > > Hmm, I stay in a lot of hotels. I’m in a Marriott now and was in a Westin last month and a Hilton Garden Inn before that. No fans in any of them. There is always a vent though. Maybe you’re staying at better hotels with larger bathrooms and better passive ventilation than I am. I stay mostly at Super 8s (because we get points towards free rooms) and the occasional Holiday Inn or privately owned gamble. Always a fan inside the ceiling, mostly a fan without a separate on/off switch. They turn on when the light is on. I notice them because I HATE bathroom fans. (Is it a terminology thing? I’m not talking about a visible ceiling fan, but a fan inside a vent. Is that a “vent” or a “fan”?) ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2016, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-hotel-bathrooms-have-ventilation-fans/746180/13 "2016-02-15T14:29:21Z")
I stayed in 2 newly-built Holiday Inn Express hotels this past year. No fans in either. I did notice a vent in the second one (didn’t look in the first) and came to the conclusion that it’s there, but quiet and doesn’t have a switch. (Like **excavating (for a mind)** said) ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2016, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-hotel-bathrooms-have-ventilation-fans/746180/14 "2016-02-15T15:49:59Z")
They have vent grates, and it’s easy to check for air moving into them. Put a thread, a hair, or better yet a piece of toilet paper up against the vent. Then let go of it. If it falls off, there’s no air moving through the vent. If there’s airflow, and thereby a slight pressure difference, the air pressure in the bathroom will press the paper or whatever to the vent until you remove it. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2016, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-hotel-bathrooms-have-ventilation-fans/746180/15 "2016-02-15T17:03:42Z")
When I’m in a hotel and want to shave after showering, I’ll use the hair dryer (all hotel rooms have them) to warm up a spot in the mirror. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2016, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-hotel-bathrooms-have-ventilation-fans/746180/16 "2016-02-15T17:04:21Z")
The solution to a foggy mirror is right there in your hands: a towel. Most of us tend not to do it at home since it leaves streaks on the mirror that we later have to clean. Hotel room mirrors are miraculously self-cleaning. Not that I abuse the staff by making a larger mess than necessary, but I make the degree of mess I need to conveniently accomplish my mission. If they went cheap-Charlie on bathroom ventilation, they get to pay for it in increased maid service woman-hours. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2016, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-hotel-bathrooms-have-ventilation-fans/746180/17 "2016-02-15T18:34:52Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > The solution to a foggy mirror is right there in your hands: a towel. > > Most of us tend not to do it at home since it leaves streaks on the mirror that we later have to clean. Hotel room mirrors are miraculously self-cleaning. Most of us have tried it and quickly realized that not only does it streak, it immediately fogs up again. You have to remove the cause first. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2016, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-hotel-bathrooms-have-ventilation-fans/746180/18 "2016-02-15T18:36:00Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > When I’m in a hotel and want to shave after showering, I’ll use the hair dryer (all hotel rooms have them) to warm up a spot in the mirror. Yes. This works. Also, you can leave the bathroom door open and have the AC running. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2016, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-hotel-bathrooms-have-ventilation-fans/746180/19 "2016-02-15T20:49:10Z")
Looks like the question may be answered. I think the _reason_ that hotel bathrooms have vents but no fan that can be turned on the bathroom is that the duct to evacuate the air must be very long to reach the outside of a hotel building. I imagine these connect to a common bus (I don’t know if “bus” is the right word for air ducts but it works for electricity) rather than each room having its own exterior vent. A small fan in the bathroom wouldn’t have enough power to push the air all the way outside, so there is probably a powerful common fan at the end of the line to continuously suck the air out. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2016, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-hotel-bathrooms-have-ventilation-fans/746180/20 "2016-02-15T21:01:03Z")
Every hotel I’ve ever stayed in had them… and I’ve stayed in a lot of them. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-hotel-bathrooms-have-ventilation-fans/746180.md?page=2)