Hotel Corner Rooms: The Pros and Cons

Have you ever stayed in a hotel corner room?

Perhaps you are planning on booking one on your next hotel stay.

Before you confirm the reservation, you might want to think through some of the pros and cons of corner rooms to see if they will be a good fit for you.

Below, I will hit on both the good and the bad when it comes to corner rooms, so that you will have a good idea of what to expect.

Upgrades make them easy to get

Corner rooms are a common hotel upgrade from a standard or basic room.

Whether you are using a suite night award or just getting a bump from the hotel for your elite status, you often will find yourself in a corner room.

The value of getting a corner room is a very property specific calculation, though.

I’ve seen corner rooms that are just a tad more expensive than a basic room and other properties where the corner room jumps up by over $100+ per night.

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Views can be exceptional

As you would probably expect the views from a hotel corner room can be some of the best the hotel has to offer.

For people who like to take in sunsets and sunrises from the room, these rooms — often equipped with floor to ceiling windows — can be ideal.

However, make sure that you check out some photos because sometimes the corner room does not offer typical “corner views” like you would expect. It’s basically just a room in the corner….

If you can capture those good views, though, a corner room becomes an easy way to upgrade your experience without having to shell out for an expensive suite — you can get a lot of bang for your buck.

Extra space

In addition to the great views, many hotel corner rooms come with lots of extra space. In fact, sometimes they are just considered junior suites because of the extra real estate.

But you can’t always rate a corner room based on the square feet.

That’s because sometimes they have awkward layouts where the entryway to the room eats up a significant portion of the room.

This was the case when we had a corner room at the Hotel Laura which had more square feet than the basic room we also had but actually felt smaller.

Sometimes it almost feels like the architect had to make last-minute adjustments to make the corner room work for the hotel’s layout. The result is a room with an odd layout that feels like an afterthought.

These rooms can get hot

One of the biggest drawbacks of a corner room could be the temperature.

Even when you have the curtains closed, the sun can absolutely bake a corner room due to all of the floor to ceiling windows.

Unlike a larger suite where you may be able to hang out in a cooler room or adjust the temperature, with a corner room you are confined to that area.

This is why I am reluctant to book a corner room with big windows in hot areas or during the summer. It’s like sleeping in an oven. If the AC is weak at that hotel, you may be battling some serious discomfort.

The “fishbowl feel”

With the large floor to ceiling windows that often accompany these rooms, a corner room sometimes gives you a real “fiishbowl feel.” Many people may not like it.

If you want to enjoy the views and keep your curtains or drapes open, you may feel very exposed to the world. So some people might prefer a standard room layout where the views are more limited but the privacy is higher.

Of course, you can typically tailor your privacy levels by utilizing the shades but that can defeat the purpose of getting the corner room in the first place.

A long walk to your room

By nature of their location, corner rooms often are located at the end of the hallway. This means that you may have one of the longest walks to and from the elevator.

This can be really annoying for people who constantly need to go back to their room.

At the same time, this means that you will probably have less traffic near your hotel room. In locations where there are a lot of partiers, this can mean a quieter hotel experience.

In fact, sometimes a corner room has its own little mini hallway that connects to the main hallway (perhaps connected to other rooms) which means you are further away from the noise and riff-raff near the elevator.

Final word

Personally, I love corner rooms.

They offer a relatively affordable way for great views and we constantly get put in them due to upgrades.

However, I have had experiences with ultra warm corner rooms that offer limited privacy with the shades open so I could see how some people would rather avoid these rooms.