Closet-Free

On this visit to New York I’m trying out a new hotel,. It’s in a good location, just off Fifth Avenue and close to where I’ve been having meetings. It also has what is undoubtedly the smallest hotel room I’ve ever stayed in. The room is so tiny, in fact, that it has no closet.

Rather than your standard closet where you can hang up your clothes and then close the door, this room offers two alternative storage options designed to maximize the use of space. First, there are hooks next to the mirror, as shown in the photo above, where you can hang your garments. Second, there is a small clothes rack constructed above the coffee maker, as shown in the photo below. That contraption is located right next to the bed, cheek by jowl with the desk where I’ve set up my laptop.

All in all, it’s a tight squeeze, but it’s not as if I need a lot of room to spread out, and you have to give credit to the room designer for an efficient use of space. The thought does occur to me, however, that since there is no separate chamber where I can hang my clothes, and instead the clothes rack and hooks are in the room itself, I can accurately say that on this trip I’ve stayed in a closet. I’ll have to remember that the next time I’m with a group and we start swapping travel anecdotes.