The travel industry, especially at the high end, is obsessed with individuality, personalization, and all things experiential. More than trendy buzzwords (though they are that, too), these concepts have become organizational principles and operational strategies for luxury hotels around the world.
And that’s good! We’ll take personalization over cookie-cutter anytime. And so would you.
Yet for all this focus on individuality, we can’t help but notice that a certain sameness has become commonplace when it comes to the touchpoints luxury hotels use to show their flair.
Indeed, the elements that once felt so special are now so ubiquitous that we’ve come to think of them as the hallmarks of what we’re calling Basic Bitch Luxury.
What are we talking about? Here’s a checklist:
Decorating with Assouline Books
We love discovering books in a hotel — by the bedside, on a lobby table, in a towering library. Nothing is more charming than rifling through interesting, beautiful books that have been assembled by someone who actually reads. But here’s what isn’t interesting to find in a hotel: the books in the Assouline travel series. These coffee table tomes have same-same covers (bold colors, oversized typeface), are dedicated to single jet-setty destinations (Aspen Style, Gstaad Glam, Mykonos Muse, Tulum Gypset), and seem purpose-built to be sold by the yard. Look: The books come with matching candles and notebooks. Enough said.
Hot, Leggy DJs in the Lobby
We love music. We especially love music that sets a scene. We love DJs. (One of us even married one.) What we don’t love is when a hotelier installs a (usually tall, leggy) DJ a little too conspicuously in a lobby. Because it makes us think they’re not there for the tunes so much as for the eye candy. (We also can’t help but notice that the hoteliers who love this strategy tend to be older European men.)
Lounge Versions of Decidedly Non-Loungey Songs
Speaking of music setting a vibe, please spare us Musak versions of Boys Don’t Cry, Riders on the Storm, and Smells Like Teen Spirit. Or breathy French chanteuses whispering A.S.M.R. covers of Jumpin’ Jack Flash.
Merchandising the Toilet Paper
The overworked and underpaid housekeepers can tuck the loo roll into a hand-embroidered drawstring case, add a logo sticker, and origami the top sheet into a pretty little petal — nothing is changing the fact that we know what the TP is wiping, and where it is going.
Single-Use Toiletries
We’ve heard hoteliers argue that small, disposable toiletries are more sanitary and luxurious than full-sized amenities. To which we say: nonsense. In 2025, there is no excuse for not having stylish full-size, refillable toiletries in the bathrooms, preferably from a local company. Enough with the ecocidal excess.
Overly Complicated Lighting Systems
Those of us who forgot to get a degree in electrical engineering are spending way too much time trying to figure out how to turn off the spotlights above the bed while keeping a light on in the loo. To say nothing of decoding the difference between the “active,” “relax,” and “twilight” settings on the iPad. Three cheers for rooms that still have on/off switches and rolling dimmers. See also: digitally controlled curtains.
Scent Sticks
Everyone can appreciate a pleasant, understated fragrance in a public space. But we’re hoping a beauty company invents an alternative to room diffusers with pokey scent sticks. They’re starting to look a little silly.
Forcing Us to Download Custom Apps
We appreciate when hotel teams use SMS or Whatsapp to communicate with us. It’s caring and truly personalized service. What we appreciate less is when we’re forced to download a hotel’s proprietary app (and hand over our data) to communicate with the team or simply unlock our door.
TV and Music Playing in the Room
Entering a hotel room to find music playing and the TV on (most likely set to the hotel’s proprietary channel) is meant to feel welcoming but ends up feeling totally intrusive. Also, seeing our name up on the screen feels more mail-merged than tailor-made.
“Signature” Everything
Can’t it just be a cocktail or a massage? We’re happy for it to be yours — we want it to be yours! (We’ll say it again: show us your style!) But signatures are for checkbooks, and when’s the last time you saw one of those?