While I feel like the definition should be pretty straightforward, the reality is that there’s a lot of inconsistency between hotels as to what constitutes a suite, and what constitutes a junior suite. I’d like to address that topic in this post, and am curious how y’all feel about this.
In this post:
Hotels take a lot of liberties with room descriptions
Honestly, hotels don’t do a very good job with naming their room categories. Or at a minimum, there’s not much consistency as to what you can expect from a particular category of room. For guest rooms, what’s the difference between a classic, superior, deluxe, and executive room? For suites, what’s the difference between an executive suite and junior suite?
The reality is that different hotels take different approaches in naming rooms, so you really can’t rely on how a room is named to figure out what you’re going to get. An executive room at one hotel may be more spacious than a junior suite at another hotel. Meanwhile a junior suite at one hotel might be more spacious than an executive suite at another hotel.
That’s why I always rely on other details when deciding what kind of a room to book. I look at pictures online, and I also look at the square footage (though keep in mind that some hotels include outdoor space in square footage, while others don’t).
What constitutes a hotel suite?
If you ask me, the key feature of a “proper” hotel suite (perhaps referred to as an executive suite, or deluxe suite, or superior suite, or whatever) should be that it has a separate living area and sleeping area.
In other words, the room has a bedroom with a door or some other substantial partition that separates it from the living room. For example, below is a suite I’ve been assigned at the Hyatt Regency Zurich Airport.
The Merriam-Webster definition of “suite” supports that, as it’s described as “a group of rooms occupied as a unit.” Now, just because the dictionary defines a suite that way doesn’t mean that hotels have the same interpretation. I mean, so many airlines refer to their business class seats as suites, even though they don’t consist of groups of rooms.
Anyway, if hotels want to be honest and manage expectations, I think that’s what they should offer when they promise a suite. That’s not to say that all hotels do that, though, and I’ve stayed at plenty of hotels that don’t have a separate bedroom and living room, yet still call an accommodation a suite.
How does a junior suite differ from a full suite?
As far as I’m concerned, the key feature of a junior suite compared to a less premium room should be that it has a proper sitting area, but perhaps it doesn’t offer a totally separate living room and bedroom.
In terms of seating, I think a junior suite should have seating for a few people, typically at least with a couch or multiple chairs. For example, below is a junior suite I’ve been assigned at the Park Hyatt Milan…
…and a junior suite I’ve been assigned at Marriott’s The Ben in West Palm Beach.
Now, while that’s how I think it should be, that’s not to say that this is how it always is. For example, at Hyatt’s Hotel Martinez Cannes, junior suites just have a chair with an ottoman and half a daybed. Admittedly standard rooms are even smaller here, but calling this any version of a suite seems like a stretch.
Meanwhile at the Park Hyatt Auckland, I was assigned a king bed rooftop room, which isn’t even in any way defined as a suite, yet it was in line with what I’d expect from a junior suite, with a proper couch area and dining table.
Bottom line
There’s not much consistency across the hotel industry when it comes to how hotels define what constitutes a suite. Per the actual definition of the word, a suite should consist of multiple rooms. If you ask me, a full suite should have a separate bedroom and living room, which can be fully separated from one another.
A junior suite is a bit trickier. In my experience there’s not much consistency there, though I expect a junior suite to still have some sort of a substantial sitting area, but maybe not in a separate room.
What’s your take on this — what do you expect from a suite, and what do you expect from a junior suite?
Correct about a suite being 2 rooms. Upgrades can be dicey at some hotels who play a different game.
On the way out of London, we stayed at the Marriott Airport hotel. R
Received two upgrades. One, to the front of the hotel. Second, to a higher floor. Jr suite? must be kidding.
We are Titanium Lifetime.
What matters most for me in any suite is a separate living room and a guest toilet, or as some call it, a powder room, which makes a huge difference while traveling with a family.
At least suites tend to show photos of what you are getting. I am so sick of the horrible photos on hotel websites. They often show the same photo for several different room types and prices, with no indication what you might get when paying for a more expensive room. I constantly have to call the hotel, and they often say different than what the website appears to show. For example a more expensive room...
At least suites tend to show photos of what you are getting. I am so sick of the horrible photos on hotel websites. They often show the same photo for several different room types and prices, with no indication what you might get when paying for a more expensive room. I constantly have to call the hotel, and they often say different than what the website appears to show. For example a more expensive room online will show a desk, but not a less expensive room. But when you call the hotel they say all rooms have a desk. Infuriating.
That’s ‘by-design’… they show you the room with the best view when booking (Look! Eiffel Tower! Wow!), then, when you arrive, it’s a dark alleyway. Psh. False advertising, yet, no one calls them out on it, so they keep doing it. The few times I’ve called them out, once I was threatened with removal. A bit extreme, but that’s how you know that they know that you caught them. Yeah, they play games.
The only consistency is in the lack of consistency across the board...
Unfortunately, there is not a chance for a standardized glossary.
Hotels seem to be very creative in giving grandiose labels to various room categories. Also, due to different local customs and expectations, the same hotel chain may have the same room category being equipped in a totally different manner in America and in Asia, for example.
Unfortunately, we have no...
The only consistency is in the lack of consistency across the board...
Unfortunately, there is not a chance for a standardized glossary.
Hotels seem to be very creative in giving grandiose labels to various room categories. Also, due to different local customs and expectations, the same hotel chain may have the same room category being equipped in a totally different manner in America and in Asia, for example.
Unfortunately, we have no choice but to search and compare pics and descriptions, while taking in consideration that what we may see and expect in one country, won't be there in the other destinations, or it would, but at much higher price point
Fake information.
I ignore everything and solely go by the size of the room I'm booking and analyse the size of the room for the upgrade I get or might get. I ignore the title as many hotel give 15% more space whereas other almost double
When I use the same definitions as you, I am usually disappointed. Yes sq footage and pics make all the difference. Same issue with 'accessible' useless for my mom absent grab bars in the bathroom. The only way to tell is pictures. So my rule no reliable pictures (the web can be quite helpful sometimes) no booking.
Interesting fact: The name „Suite“ comes from french „Deux chambres en suite“ meaning two rooms following each other. In that sense I agree with Ben that a suite should have two completely separate rooms.
I wish there's clearer distinction between studio and suite as well.
" a door or some other substantial partition that separates it from the living room "
Having a doorway without a door presumably saves money, but it's a real nuisance when both members of a couple are on calls, which is not so rare nowadays.
Is this another example of hotel designers not actually staying in the rooms they design "for real", E.g. as a couple.
Or perhaps the proportion of couples v single occupants is quite small?
I agree with your definitions, although if travelling purely for pleasure I have decided I generally prefer a junior suite - to be in the large space all the time, rather than in two small places at different times.
As a fledgling travel agent I was clearly told that a suite has a door, just as you say.
Just like with ‘suites’ on airplanes, referring to the ‘door’ as the differentiator.
Technically, a "suite" with just a room and a bathroom IS a suite - it's more than one room if you include the bathroom.
But of course that doesn't do much to differentiate a "suite" from a "room" for the purposes of understanding why one should pay more for a suite. And that's what my pet peeve is: if I'm travelling with more than one person, and one or two people are going to be...
Technically, a "suite" with just a room and a bathroom IS a suite - it's more than one room if you include the bathroom.
But of course that doesn't do much to differentiate a "suite" from a "room" for the purposes of understanding why one should pay more for a suite. And that's what my pet peeve is: if I'm travelling with more than one person, and one or two people are going to be sleeping on the sofa or an extra bed in the living room, I want to make sure there is a door between the bedroom and the living room. Both the inconsistency of the definition of "suite" across hotels (sometimes within the same chain!) and the looseness with which hotels feel free to define "suite" (sofa with no door is NOT a suite, I don't care what they call it) are maddening when trying to book.
Which is one reason why, when I'm travelling in a group, we almost always just book AirBnBs. At least the description of where you'll be sleeping are usually clear.
Technically, you're wrong about a bathroom helping to make a suite. It does not. In fact, dictionary authors figure they don't have to make this distinction because they just assume that you, the reader, will understand this critical point without their belaboring it. The word "suite" is intended by them to convey the meaning of two livable rooms, with "bedroom" and "sitting (or living) room" qualifying. Bathrooms, sorry, no (and hotel marketers don't really care...
Technically, you're wrong about a bathroom helping to make a suite. It does not. In fact, dictionary authors figure they don't have to make this distinction because they just assume that you, the reader, will understand this critical point without their belaboring it. The word "suite" is intended by them to convey the meaning of two livable rooms, with "bedroom" and "sitting (or living) room" qualifying. Bathrooms, sorry, no (and hotel marketers don't really care what you think).
The inconsistency? Oh, that’s ‘by-design.’
It’s 2025. Scammers, grifters, the most bonkers corrupt among us ‘won.’ Now, the real question is what’r we gonna do with that… sure would be nice to ‘do something’ at some point. Like, demand better, vote with our feet and our wallets. Or, not. We can also just allow the enshitification to continue and worsen… rant.