Why do hotel rooms almost never have lights on the ceiling?

It just doesn’t make any sense to me... When staying in a hotel, I turn on the main lights and all the lamps, but still manage to bump into things!

Its a labor cost thing. not only is ceiling lighting more expensive to install in the first place, but if damaged or broken, it is much simpler to switch out a floor or desk lamp than call in and electrician and re-install a new ceiling lamp.

and most ceiling fixtures light the whole room and most people just don't want that these days. indirect lighting for the room and maybe a desk or bedside lamp for reading is more than enough. And a maid or bell boy can switch out these easily replaced lights instead of calling in an electrician that has a huge hourly cost.

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Moderately priced modern construction seldom has overhead lights in bedrooms. It's a matter of cost as well as style, and many people seem to think that overhead lighting is harsh and makes too many shadows and dark areas. (If you look at older homes, when ceilings went from 9 feet to 8 feet, overhead lighting began to disappear. You will almost always see overhead lights in all rooms in houses with 9' ceilings.)

Bottom line, it is less expensive for them to buy 500 floor lamps and 1000 table lamps for their nightstands then it is for them to pay an electrician to wire into the ceiling an additional 6, 8, or 10 junction boxes per room.

Lamps are cheap, labor is not.

We have a hotel and it does have lights on the ceiling, not main but secondary, main are at entrance and beside bed.

Because it's cheaper for them to just place a lamp on the nightstand then install a fan/light.