Quirky hotels
For most people, hotel stays are pretty standard. Occasionally, you may even stay in a four or five star hotel where a valet dresses up in a top hat and coat. Well, it’s time to completely retrain the way you think about your vacation accommodations. There are places out there with amenities you’ve never seen in an amusement park, let alone a hotel.
Do you remember the movie Smart House? Well, at the Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi, you can experience what it’s like to control an entire room remotely through a highly sophisticated digital system that links appliances, lights, television and butler service. A five-figure stay at this place may be set in classic Arabian architecture and furnishings, but it’s packed with all the modern luxuries you’d expect from the 21st century. You can rest on handmade rugs while watching worldwide satellite television from 61-inch LCD screens. Guests have a private butler who attends to their every need. This is also the same hotel that boasted the world’s most expensive Christmas tree, valued at more than $11 million. The hotel has the word “palace”.
Hotels almost always have pools, but have you ever had a rooftop pool all to yourself? A stay in the Presidential Suite at the InterContinental in Hong Kong may cost five figures a night, but you get that experience and more. This suite is located at the top of the building and offers a panoramic view of the Hong Kong skyline. The terrace itself is over 2,500 square feet, the size of an average home. Another perk of the venue is guests’ choice of traveling in a Phantom VI Rolls Royce or a Bentley. If that decision is too difficult, simply take a dip in their rooftop infinity pool and hot tub.
Most people consider trips to the movies a special escape, but when you stay in the Villa LA Cupola Suite at the Westin Excelsior in Rome, you can have your own private cinema, as well as a private spa and whirlpool bath. steam. You also get a wraparound terrace with a great view of one of the oldest surviving ancient cities. Plus, forget about ordering room service, you get a personal chef who can whip up all sorts of concoctions, whether you’re craving the local twist or something more nostalgic.
When you stay in a hotel and think your complimentary shampoo is amazing, you may want to demand a little more. It’s always the little details that make staying in a hotel amazing, and traveling in a complimentary Rolls Royce helps too.