 |
A project to make businesses more aware of their customer experience, and how to fix it. By Mark Hurst. |
| About Mark Hurst | Mark's Gel Conference | New York Times Story on This Is Broken | Newsletter: Subscribe | RSS Feed |
Search this site:
Categories:
- Advertising
- Current Affairs
- Customer Service
- Fixed
- Food and Drink
- Just for Fun
- Misc
- Not broken
- Place
- Product Design
- Signs
- Travel
- Web/Tech
Previous: Comcast branding | Main | Next: Papa John's unlimited toppings
July 1, 2006 12:03 AM
Broken: Hotel toilet
Roberto Ramirez submits a picture taken in a hotel in Los Angeles, California:
If you ever stay at the Best Western hotel at Canoga Park in Los Angeles, and happen to be placed in room #202, you will see that it has an interesting bathroom design.
The toilet is arranged at a 45-degree angle from the wall, which makes for an interesting experience, to say the least.
These guys have amazing foresight.
Even I forgot about the soon-to-evolve third gender, tentatively called "twisted".
The reason the toilet is at such an angle is so that the tank is easy to get at for repairs etc. If the toilet was at a 90 degree angle the back of it would be under the counter top and the tank lid would not be easy to access. Not a broken toilet. Broken plumbing design.
There's still a part of the lid under the counterl either way you have to pick it up then slide it out.
And how would that make it easier to not pee on the seat? :|
I am not sure how this is broken. It does look unusual, though. Is it somehow more difficult or uncomfortable to use? I would guess not since I have stayed at hotels with the toilet in a similar arrangement, however, the toilet was in the corner of the bathroom and there was no countertop extending over the tank.
I would also venture a guess that not only room 202 has the toilet in this arrangement.
Just a WAG but I think it may make it easier for
a person in a wheelchair to use. They might be able to get the chair in that opening on the left of the photo. I don't buy the tank top idea. You can see from the shadow that the shelf doesn't overhang the top very much. I think there was a definate reason it was set at that angle.
Possibly making it easier to get a swab (mop to the landlubbers) back there?
My Verdict: Strange but NOT broken.
The toilet is completely straight and normal. It's the rest of the room that's at a 45 degree angle.
its not broken just weird!!!!!!
very weird!!!!!!!! but i can see why. they might have had a acident and decided to keep it that way or thery were gona do some thing else with later. those examples are ideas for what hapened if they did not mean to put it there like that.
++
We can't see the rest of the room. It was probably a remodel and by rotating the toilet it leaves more space in the rest of the bathroom. The angle is just like the new Amtrak Superliner bathrooms on the Empire Builder.
I've seen toilets at this angle before... but they've always been made to fit in a corner (like these ones: http://rensup.com/Products/Cat-1824.htm?adsrc=9000008 ) this setup does look really weird to me, and kinda awkward to sit in.
How does it being rotated a little make it harder to sit comfortably on? You just turn your body! I could see if it was tilted on it's side a little or something (which obviously WOULD be broken), but this way shouldn't have any impact on such things.
"You just turn your body!"
Except notice that the rotation of the toilet now has you wrestling with that counter to the side. For someone tall (like me) trying to navigate that tiny alcove would be hard enough if the toilet were installed properly, at that angle, I might have to take a hammer to their nice faux marble there to make room for my knees.
That looks frustrating, I think they planned the trash can before the toilet. Still, it's...
COMPLETELY BROKEN TO THE POINT OF NOT HAVING A USE!
P.S. Tell them to plan the toilet/plumbing BEFORE the movable things, like trash cans.
This is an awesome sloution to the right leg being smashed against the wall for all the larger, 30 minute plus, read a whole work of shakespere dumpers. I welcome the angle! Probably the best idea ever.
Wigly Worm, I get what you're saying, but just how tall ARE you?! If you draw a straight line from the bottom of the counter to the toilet, it hits just below the tank lid. I would think that'd be enough room...
It IS broken because the positioning looks like it would be very difficult to urinate standing up. There appears to be no room as the front of the toilet seems to be right in front of the edge of the counter.
This is really broken!! You've just finished reading The Merchant of Venice, and discover the roll is empty. You have the option of using the pages from your book (providing it is not an e-book), or getting your leg jammed hopelessly in the stategically placed trashcan, and bashing your left knee through the wall into the adjacent bathroom, and wacking your forehead on the faux marble/granite counter top while retreiving the neatly wrapped roll of toilet paper.
It looks like the toilet is rotated towards the sink, so you can wash your hands or brush your teeth while still seated. Saves you precious time!!
LOL ... Ha/ha.
That was good for a laugh.
They installed it that way on purpose, right? Because there's absolutely no reason for installing it at an angle. It could be that the little waste basket was there first, so they did the install around the waste basket. That would make perfect sense. Or maybe the idea was to get you closer to the counter so you could rest your head, or like Sam said...brush your teeth.
Anything that makes me laugh out loud deserves a comment.
Paul's note reminds me of the one about the motel in Kentucky.
You call the front desk and they say "I gotta leak in the sink" and they say "Go ahead!"
I think this is a very useful design, you can now easily put your laptop on the counter for those long sessions.....
It looks to me like they were trying to keep from installing a grab bar ala ADA requirements. Some sort of requirement, I think within 18 inches you have to have a wall or counter. By switching the cant of the stool, I think they can say that the counter can be used for grabbing and no grab bar would have to be installed. Just a SWAG!! spw
Comments on this entry are closed
Previous: Comcast branding | Main | Next: Papa John's unlimited toppings
oh look! complementary bottled urine in the upper right.
Posted by: gmangw at July 1, 2006 12:11 AM