Glass bathroom walls in hotels leave travelers puzzled — including in Latvia
A social media post has drawn attention to hotel rooms where bathrooms are separated from bedrooms by glass instead of a wall. A traveler described encountering this both in Latvia and Germany, sparking discussion about lack of privacy.
A user on the platform "Threads" shared an unusual experience from a stay at a hotel in Latvia, where the bathroom was separated from the bedroom not by a solid wall but by glass, making it possible to see everything happening in the bathroom from the bed. In her post, the author jokingly asked whether this was some new design trend, noting that at least the toilet had been hidden behind a small partition. Later, while traveling to the German city of Lübeck, she encountered an even more open setup — the toilet there was also visible through a glass door. Traveling with her mother at the time, she admitted the situation felt somewhat awkward.
The post attracted comments from other users, several of whom said they also dislike this kind of interior design. One commenter mentioned experiencing a similar bathroom layout at a Radisson hotel in Liepāja.
Not a new trend
Although the design may seem unusual, open or semi-open bathrooms have been used in hotel design worldwide for more than a decade. One of the main reasons is the perception of space — a glass wall does not visually divide a room into two separate sections, making it feel larger and more open, which matters especially where every square meter counts.
Glass also allows more light to reach the bathroom, particularly useful when the bathroom has no window of its own, as light from the bedroom can brighten the space while creating a unified, modern look. Aesthetics play a role too, as glass walls are often used to give hotel rooms a sleek, luxurious feel.
However, this design comes with a notable downside — reduced privacy. Some hotels address this with special glass that maintains privacy, as seen in the design of a hotel in Hamburg, Germany. In other cases, the solution is less thought out, with some rooms lacking a proper door for the bathroom altogether. Lack of privacy remains one of the most common traveler complaints about this design, especially when a room is shared with a family member, friend, or colleague.
