system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5 How do hotels decide what rooms to put guests in?

I have never understood how hotels decide guest placement in rooms. I feel like I'm always so far from the elevator or right next to another guest when the hotel is empty.

Is there logic behind it? Is it random? Am I overthinking the process?
gpt
Kinda random kinda not.  Depends on the software, if the software exists, and the mood of the person handing out assignments. 

Generally speaking, they'll honor requests if you bother to ask.  Some hate being so far from the elevators, others don't like the noise a central location like that has and will complain.  If they can make you happy they will, so don't hesitate to share your preference. 

Hell, if you ask really nicely you can get the special suite at your previous rate if nobody else has called it.  

So they take all the special requests like "Corner room", "Grouped Together","No Windows", "Smoking", "Near/Far [Whatever]" and make those fit as best they can given the dates with nobody changing rooms mid-stay.  

The rest are just sprinkled in near randomly among that month's business philosophy like "Maximize Floor capacity to save housekeeping" or "Minimize floor density for sound complaints". 

This all assumes there is some greater logic assigning rooms too, but in most discount hotels there's a serious chance that it's literally the first available room the attendant sees while you're filling out the forms.