Honestly, I can see why they would do it. In a shower like that there's no way to adjust the water temperature unless you are standing under it. Not being able to adjust the temperature during the shower would be a downside though. It would be better if the door was hung the other way so you could at least reach out and turn the knob without completely getting out of the shower but there's probably no easy way to have the hinges on the other side.
Not saying it was a good idea, but I can see what they were thinking.