Foam Earplugs are essential equipment for any hotel stay. Eye masks are often useful as well.

Stayed at Adina Apartments in Auckland city (200m from Vector) for the Iron Maiden concert, and was blown away how quiet it was :) Great soundproofing and blackout curtains - even slept in! :)

Anywhere I need ear plugs or an eye mask (how hard is it to have some effective curtains?) doesn't get return business from me.

One place that really impressed me was the airport Sheraton in Brussels.  Double glazed windows with a 30cm gap and then another pane of glass.  It was literally 200m from a terminal building and you couldn't hear aircraft at all inside the room.  

timmmay:

 

Foam Earplugs are essential equipment for any hotel stay. Eye masks are often useful as well.

 

When you post a review, make sure you mention this. Hotel owners take their review reputation very very seriously - more than any other industry.

But also mention a solution to them - they just need to put a timer on them so it switches on at 11am and switches off at 1pm when guests are not likely be in the room. That way it can have two or three releases during that time and not annoy everyone during evening or sleeping hours.  

Its a $10 per room fix that wont require paying a plumber or electrician, while still meeting council standards.

To be honest, the cleaners would probably run the sink enough to prevent any issues from evaporation and it would take weeks of being unoccupied which is highly unlikely.

raytaylor:

 

 

 

To be honest, the cleaners would probably run the sink enough to prevent any issues from evaporation and it would take weeks of being unoccupied which is highly unlikely.

 

I suspect that it might be that water is or was being syphoned out of the traps by negative pressure in the sewers, might be a design issue with venting and that was a solution.  Those "waterless traps" seem like a good idea, a simple google search seemed to show that they don't meet building codes in the USA - I've no idea if they do here, much of what's on line seems to be about using them in caravans, RV's etc. and the mysteries of plumbing regulations are way beyond me.

We need a plumber/drainlayer/gasfitter posting here on GZ.  One thing I am aware of is that from the parts of regulations I have read, you're allowed to DIY a tap-washer or connect up a dishwasher or washing machine, but very little else - including fitting/replacing a trap.  I guess these regulations must be regularly ignored, based on there being an aisle full of plumbing fittings at my local Mitre 10.

I don't know what goes on in a commercial plumbing system but at my house for example, only the toilet goes directly into the sewer. all others are via a gully.

This means a sink trap could not be siphoned dry or vent fumes.

Anybody know more about the actual problem?

I left specific negative feedback with reception.  Hotel manager phoned me and I suggested exactly your solution.

The only potential issue is that these are permanently wired outlets, not sockets.  But I agree they could still be time controlled.

raytaylor:

 

When you post a review, make sure you mention this. Hotel owners take their review reputation very very seriously - more than any other industry.

 

But also mention a solution to them - they just need to put a timer on them so it switches on at 11am and switches off at 1pm when guests are not likely be in the room. That way it can have two or three releases during that time and not annoy everyone during evening or sleeping hours.  

 

 

 

yes, I think the permanent wiring is required in potential water hazard situations (imagine sink flood/drip onto wires below) but even a simple switch the cleaner turns on when starting the room that is occupied/booked, and off when leaving it would surely suffice?

Then when cleaning the room after the guest has left they switch it on and leave it, till the next guest is shown in and the concierge turns it off when checking the drinks fridge?

simple solution by adding a step to cleaning process (which would be easier if they just had the cleaner run the tap for a minute but anyway!)

The simple solution when they were building the hotel would have been to have these things on the opposite to the rest of the room power.

When you weren't in the room (and removed your card form the light switch), it activates this little beggar, and vice-versa when you were in the room.

Would still annoy the neighbouring rooms though.