Iron Madness Or What Russian Tourists Want

I was booking some travel today and read reviews of hotels at my destination. At some point I decided to filter Russian reviews and was stunned. Guess what is one thing that any Russian traveler demands in his/her room?

Iron Board It Is!

100% of Russian travelers mentioned the absence of an iron board in the hotel rooms. Hoteliers, pay attention! Russians need an iron anywhere they travel! I actually looked through other travelers reviews out of curiosity – nobody mentioned the need to iron! So, that must be a particular Russian thing.

I thought – I am not that dependent on having an iron in a hotel room. But yes, it is nice when it is provided. And then I also remembered that I bought an iron board last week, since mine broke down (literally). Delivery of an iron board to the office made people laugh a bit, but everybody understood that it is an important purchase and even shared their “ironing stories” and tips for choosing both iron and iron board. So, why do we like to iron so much?

Absence of Dryers

No laundromats in Russia!

That discussion brings us to the other topic – washers/driers. My American readers, you would not believe what I will say now. Russian people do not know, what a laundromat is. We do not have any. Every urban Russian household has a washing machine at home. And now, guess what? No one has dryers! So, folding clothes is an unheard problem for us. We dry clothes old style and then we iron them. ALL OF THEM! Including the bed linen! And clothes for babies are ironed from both sides. Isn’t that crazy?

Non-wrinkle Fabrics? Have Not Heard Of Them

In general, Russian people prefer natural fabrics – cotton, linen etc. All those need to be ironed to look good. Men shirts that do not need to be ironed are not popular here (even though it is a great invention).

Giving bed linen and shirts to a dry cleaner is not popular at all too – it is expensive and quality is so so.

Why Do We Care?

Have no idea! My Russian friends – need your opinion on that bizarre habit!

And what do you care about when reading hotel room reviews? My guess is that Americans note whether AC is functioning well. What about my readers from other countries? What is important for you – free wi-fi, quality bed, USB outlets, good water pressure, coffee machine in the unit? Anything else?