I can sleep anywhere, even at rock concerts. I like white noise at night, I prefer a fan or other device to make noise while I sleep. I even have an iPad app that sounds like a fan for 10 hours. Works great. Quite simply the white noise masks other sounds that otherwise might get my attention.
However, I don't need the noise to sleep. I sleep just fine at quiet hotels. I travel regularly and have experienced nearly every situation.
Only once was I not able to sleep at a hotel. They were using a hammer drill to perform an elevator shaft repair. It resonated loudly in my room and it was infuriating. I think the repair crew was adjacent to my room.