So we put the Flight Deck into a very, very expensive but dreadful hotel, and the Cabin into a slightly less expensive but infinitely better one. There's a revolutionary in all of us.
Well it sounds fun, but in fact all pilot crew hotels were subject to BALPA inspection. Their remit was to check hotels for safety features and adequacy within the budget available. For the nearly 40 years of my tenure, we were happy to rely on BALPA's decision. More than alleged 'quality' was considered- location, local facilities, dining and convenience were all balanced. There was a dedicated BA BALPA department for this. Often it was preferable to stay at different hotels than the crew- removal of hotel facilities was not usually a pilot thing and it was not conducive to a good relationship with the hotel. Some of the stories are fun, but frankly I don't believe them! A 5' mirror, coffee table? Sounds more like 'an inside job' to me! I do know that dressing gowns, towels and ash trays could be removed- it's a simple matter to tell the airline and wait for the crew on arrival! Not something you will tend to find career minded pilots doing. Nice stories, but.......