Don't like your hotel room? Demand another

Though usually an improvement, the second room, too, occasionally has deficiencies. So again she approaches the desk, this time more forcefully -- perhaps with the suggestion that she is prepared to take her business elsewhere -- and, presto, the attendant finds a bigger, brighter or better room.

"So now, to save everyone involved time and frustration, when I first arrive I just ask them to give me the third room they're going to offer," she said.

This may seem a radical approach to a majority of American travelers, but I've known Europeans who never accept the first room offered, at least not before making an inspection.

Why are most of us less choosy? One reason is that we're often in a rush. Overnight accommodations are usually a means to an end -- a place to hang our hats between treasured activities.

Then, too, most Americans are conditioned by motels and hotels whose cookie-cutter rooms are similar or identical in design. Usually the only reason to request different accommodations is if we're too close to the elevator or laundry room or too far removed from the car orice machine.

Still, not every lodging establishment fits a specific mold. Individual rooms in historic hotels, bed-and-breakfasts, boutique hotels, resorts and country inns can take on distinct personalities. And we can enhance our comfort level by trying to match our preferences to a room's characteristics.

I suppose I'll never adopt a "third hotel room" policy, but my colleague's persistence is prompting me to give new emphasis to qualities I deem important.

Here are some of my expectations:

Adequate safety precautions. Doors should have multiple locks. A peephole is essential. Windows should be tightly secured. Fire evacuation material should be clearly displayed. A sprinkler system is always welcomed.
Good lighting, especially beside the bed, in the bathroom, in the closet and at a desk.
A desk or table. I never cease to be amazed -- and irritated -- when a room-service waiter delivers dinner on a tray and asks, "Where do you want me to put it?" when the bed and floor clearly represent the only options.
Abundant and conveniently located electrical outlets. Do hoteliers take delight in placing outlets behind a bed frame bolted to the wall?
Adequate storage space, preferably in the closet.
A bathroom in which I can turn around. Extra towels. A toilet that doesn't drip all night.
Heating and air conditioning that I can control.
A no-smoking floor.
Soundproofed windows.
A clock that illuminates in the night.
Cable television.