A big cheer for the San Francisco-based Kimpton Group, which has launched special rooms for tall guests. There are 8ft-long beds, raised shower heads and bathroom cabinets in six of its 36 US hotels. It is even planning longer bathrobes.

We hear constantly about the attempts of airlines to provide more leg room between seats, but shouldn't more hotels look at this subject? Many provide the most fantastic fresh flower displays, designer furniture, lighting and electrical gadgetry, but the needs of tall guests are often neglected.

A journalist who recently checked into an enormous refurbished suite at the Lancaster Hotel in Paris was disappointed by the lack of leg room in the lavatory. It was impossible to sit on the loo and shut the door at the same time. Another who stayed at the Meridien in Brussels said he felt like a gorilla in a sink, the bath was so short. Another complained that she often has to crouch in hotel lifts, because the ceilings are so low.

As a nation, we are getting taller - one inch per generation is the figure. Mary Noakes, a director of the Tall Persons' Club UK and Ireland, said: 'Everything is getting smaller while we all get taller. London buses have less room now than in the 1950s. Hotel showers are halfway up your navel and mirrors are not high enough. I have an old Victorian bath that I can lie right down in. They don't make them like that today.'

Mick Jager, 6ft 7in, who runs the transport committee of the Tall Persons' Club, says the problem doesn't stop at hotels. Booking into a B&B or even hiring a cottage can be a nightmare as the sight of a footboard can ruin the trip. 'You cannot just book a holiday cottage for two in Devon. You ring the company and they have to ring the owners to check that there is no footboard on the bed. If we forget to ask and find a footboard when we arrive, we have to put the mattress on the floor and sleep there.'

Jager says the worst part about being tall is that there is nothing you can do about it. 'It's not like you can go on a diet or anything.'

The Tall Persons' Club plans to lobby all sectors of the transport industry, from coaches, trains and planes to hotels, for extra space. 'Many manufacturers are basing their dimensions on pre-1950s average heights. Nowadays anyone over 6ft suffers discomfort. The average standard-size bed is 6ft 3in, but you need at least three inches more than your height to get a good night's sleep,' says Jager.

Let's hope the American concern over this subject catches on here soon.