I did the bathroom-down-the-hall back in college dorm days.
Been there. Done that.

In Europe, upon occasion it made for some interesting chatting with people in line for said bath (much like shared laundry facilities); can't say it's my ideal, but it can be workable, particularly for longer trips where every dime counts (that is not to say my frist stop when I get back isn't a nice hot shower/bath in MY bathroom, though).

I still do the bathroom down the hall if it cuts costs. Hostels, Ys, college dorms, some European hotels. En suite = expensive = fewer trips. Even with my feeble math skills, it's an easy decision.

I've done the shared bathroom thing in Paris and Prague to save money - never had any issues.

They were clean (cleaned daily) and in one instance there were several bathrooms for several rooms and the other it was one bathroom for 2 rooms ... neither time were there schedule problems.

It all depends on the purpose of the trip though - my trips are all of the "sleep when you get home" variety, so the hotel is kind of besides the point. I'm with Alice: expensive hotels = fewer trips. I'd even stay in a hostel but usually my travel buddies veto that option.

As long as you know what you are getting into. I think if I'm doing a real vacation, it's worth the extra luxury. But I've done dorms and hostels and B&Bs and all that had shared bathrooms- if you know what to expect, it's not a huge deal IMO.

No way! I agree with the first poster- my days of sharing are over! Anyway, I now travel with my husband, who was so traumatized by his dorm's communal showers and no doors on bathroom stalls that he absolutely refuses to ever share again. (unless we travel with my sister).

whatever it costs to have your own bathroom is worth it

What is the big deal about sharing a bathroom? How much time do you people spend in them anyway? I'd rather stay at a great old hotel (like the Hotel Europa in Prague) and share a bath then get a room at the same price at a place that's just like a motel 8.

On a trip to Paris we paid just a little extra to have a half-bath in our room with the shower down the hall, and the convenience and privacy of having facilities in our room was worth the extra money. And the shower was very private -- like a little closet that locked.

I stayed at the Hotel 31 in New York about two weeks ago and had to share a bathroom. I suggest arranging your stay as not to coincide on a weekend. I was there during the middle of the week and the entire floor was pretty much empty.

I'm considering it for a trip next summer where location, and not luxury, is the purpose of the trip. I figure I've camped for both enjoyment and to save money and never had an issue with sharing baths, so why not? (I'll just bring my shower shoes with.)

I've stayed in hotel rooms with shared bathrooms before, but after my experience in Florence in 2003, I won't do it again.

There is a time and a place to take an hour-long shower. A shared hotel bathroom is NOT that time or place. One of the people who was sharing our bathroom seemed not to get that concept.

I recently stayed at the Ace Hotel in Seattle, which has shared baths. The fact that it's a hip hotel in a great neighborhood and cheap, greatly outwayed having to share the bath. Besides, I was there to experience the city -- not the facilities.

I've done it before and I'd do it again, as long as there's a sink in the room. (And even the cheapest hotels I've been in have had sinks in the rooms.)

How much time do you spend on the john, anyway?

Now that I am over 50, I won't share anymore. I have to get up and go at least once a night, and I don't want to be stumbling down some hallway trying to find the bathroom! When I was younger it was fine. Might consider the shared shower/tub, if I had a toilet in my room, as one person mentioned.

Heh - I booked a room for next week with the bathroom down the hall, and I didn't even think about it until I saw this post. So, now I've thought about it, and I say, eh, whatever. It's cheaper this way, and like another commenter said, I'm excited about being in a little old pensjon.

I'm another been there, done that, won't do it again. Not because of any real problems that I had when I did it but because I know that I value my privacy and time more than I used to.

I've done the shared bath thing a couple of times and was lucky - no shower hogs, no messes left by others. But, I am old enough now that I prefer the convenience of en suite facilities, particularly to avoid wandering down the hotel corridor in the middle of the night.

Absolutely not. I would not stay in a hotel that did not provide a private bath.