So much talk nowadays surrounds the concept of improving the guest experience. While this umbrella term applies to everything from the moment a customer discovers a property online to all post-departure marketing efforts, one area that doesn’t seem to get the attention it deserves is how guests move about in each room’s washroom.

As a highly personal space and one where people are quite vulnerable (a polite way of saying that they may or may not be naked), any faults or perceived flaws here will be greatly exacerbated in a guest’s mind. Hence, before you consider hiring a premier interior designer to transform your lobby into a contemporary third place or renovating your fine dining outlet, think about addressing any inherent flaws in your bathrooms, lest they count against you.

While every property is different insofar as what budget, the space will allow and the brand SOPs will allow, here is a top ten list of some potentially deal-breaking room features to assess:

1. Weird showerheads – confusing faucets, lack of water pressure, inability to adjust for different person heights, oversensitivity with water that’s either too hot or too cold
2. Lack of towels – as a simple test, ensure that you have enough for a husband and wife pairing to both shower and use additional hand towels twice per day
3. Lack of amenities – similar to the towel situation, a couple shouldn’t have to call down to request extras when showering bidaily
4. Lack of bathmats – tile floors get slippery very easily and we’d all perhaps not to crack our skulls open on the sink porcelain
5. Cramped countertops – guests want to spread out and they especially do not like when items like a toothbrush fall into the less-than-hygienic sink because of this
6. Privacy – don’t fall for the design trap of partially frosted glass doors and definitely be sure that the doors are able to fully close
7. Poor lighting – people who can’t see what they’re doing will become irritated when grooming themselves, and you increase the risk of someone falling
8. Small mirrors or lack of vanity mirrors – people who have to bend and twist while grooming will likewise become irritated, not to mention any strain on the lower back
9. Ample toilet paper – it’s always better to err on the side of too much for this one, and be sure to keep your reserves stored out of splash distance from the toilet or shower
10. No table surface near toilet – this one is a wholly modern one whereby many travelers read off of their phones while doing their business but then need a flat, hygienic surface to temporarily store their mobiles while finishing up

Undoubtedly there are numerous others, many of which may involve actual new features that can act as value-adds to the guest experience. Alas, you have to walk before you can run, so fix the basics and make sure you’re flawless before trying anything new.