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Hotels take considerable liberties with their room descriptions
Truthfully, hotels often fail to effectively label their room categories. At the very least, there’s little consistency regarding what can be anticipated from a specific room category. For guest accommodations, what distinguishes a classic room from a superior room, a deluxe room, and an executive room? Regarding suites, what differentiates an executive suite from a junior suite?
The fact is that various hotels adopt different methods for naming their rooms, so you can’t depend on the room’s name to understand what you will receive. An executive room in one hotel may be more spacious than a junior suite in another. Conversely, a junior suite at one hotel could offer more space than an executive suite at a different establishment.
This is why I consistently base my decisions on additional details when selecting a room to reserve. I examine images online and also consider the square footage (though be aware that some hotels calculate outdoor areas in their square footage, while others do not).
What defines a hotel suite?
In my opinion, the essential characteristic of a “true” hotel suite (often labeled as an executive suite, deluxe suite, superior suite, or something similar) should be a distinct living area as well as a sleeping area.
In simpler terms, the suite contains a bedroom with a door or some substantial separation from the living room. For example, below is a suite I was assigned at the Hyatt Regency Zurich Airport.
A suite should feature a separate living room and bedroom
The Merriam-Webster definition of “suite” corroborates this meaning, as it defines a suite as “a group of rooms occupied as a unit.” However, just because the dictionary specifies a suite in that manner doesn’t imply that hotels interpret it the same way. Many airlines label their business class seating as suites, despite not consisting of multiple rooms.
Regardless, if hotels strive to be transparent and manage expectations, I think that’s what they should provide when they claim to offer a suite. However, I’ve stayed in numerous hotels that do not feature a separate bedroom and living area yet still refer to their offerings as suites.
In what ways does a junior suite vary from a full suite?
From my perspective, the primary attribute of a junior suite in comparison to a less premium room should be the presence of a proper seating area, although it might not include a fully distinct living room and bedroom.
When it comes to seating, I believe a junior suite should accommodate several people, usually at least with a couch or multiple chairs. For example, here is a junior suite I was assigned at the Park Hyatt Milan…
A junior suite ought to include a proper seating area
…and a junior suite I was given at Marriott’s The Ben in West Palm Beach.
This is a suitably sized junior suite
Now, while that’s how I think it should be, it’s important to note that this is not always the case. For instance, at Hyatt’s Hotel Martinez Cannes, junior suites feature merely a chair with an ottoman and half a daybed. Admittedly, standard rooms here are even smaller, but labeling this as any variation of a suite seems quite far-fetched.
It’s unlikely to call this space a junior suite
In contrast, at the Park Hyatt Auckland, I was given a king bed rooftop room, which isn’t classified as a suite at all, yet it met my expectations for a junior suite, with a proper couch area and dining table.
This wasn’t a junior suite, but it could have been
Final thoughts
The hotel industry shows little consistency in its definitions of what constitutes a suite. According to the true definition, a suite should include multiple rooms. In my view, a full suite ought to have distinct separation between the bedroom and living room.
A junior suite is somewhat more complex. Based on my experiences, there’s a lack of consistency in this regard, although I anticipate a junior suite to still possess a notable seating area, perhaps not in a separate room.
What are your thoughts on this — what do you expect from a suite, and what do you expect from a junior suite?