I travel. A lot.
When you travel a lot, you develop routines, habits, preferences and a lot of opinions. A few of my recent trips got me thinking about this where hotels are concerned.
For full disclosure, I am not a fan of budget hotels or Bed & Breakfasts. I have stayed in my share of them and as for the former I am fortunate enough not to have to patronize them and for the latter, enough have disappointed that any charm they may have isn't worth the risk that they lack it. Which more often than not, is the case.
For me, I like a full service hotel. I do not need extreme luxury, but I do want space, cleanliness and comfort. I prefer a hotel that has a real restaurant, preferably with a well appointed bar. I want check in to be pleasant and efficient. I have traveled a long way and just want to get through the process and get to my room. I do not care about a spa, but appreciate a quality fitness room. Even if I seldom use the gym clothes that I pack. What I do not like are gimmicks. I do not want a pillow menu. Don’t call me 20 seconds after I arrive in my room to ask if everything is OK. If it isn’t I will let you know. I do not need a leopard print bathrobe and slippers. Nobody wants to see that, least of all me.
A great example of what I like is the Yeatman in Porto, Portugal. The check in was a bit more involved than I would like, but the staff are friendly and helpful so it is not an issue. The rooms are classic but not stuffy. Most importantly they are comfortable. The furniture is functional and you feel like lingering. The bar area was really comfortable, had an incredible wine list. Our room had a nice garden area where, had it not been raining, I could easily picture ourselves opening a nice bottle of recently purchased port, ordering the cheese plate from room service and spending the evening looking at the view. Comfortable. Given the opportunity, we will be back.
By contrast is the W Hotel in Leicester Square. We had the opportunity to join a couple of friends in London to see the Book of Mormon,(Excellent) so She Who Must Be Obeyed booked us at the W which was very close to the theater. The W is everything I hate in a boutique hotel. It started poorly with the desk staff on our arrival. It seemed that our presence was a real burden to them. They were having a nice conversation and we had the audacity to step off the elevator. Once we got to our room. it was frankly, absurd. The middle of the room taken up by the sink, mirrors and shelves. The bed shoved to the side and the bathroom door identical to the closet. Cool colored lights were strategically placed throughout the room. Unfortunately these same cool colored lights turn into an IQ test as you try to locate the switches to turn them off in the evening. I am probably too old, too ugly and too unsophisticated to fully appreciate the W, but then again, at about $400 a night, should that matter?
Most recently, SWMBO and I checked into the Marmara Pera in Istanbul. Our first room violated the cleanliness requirement having not been serviced since it’s last guest. Apparently a fan of nut products. We were moved from the unclean room with the great view of the Bosphorus to the “better” room with the view of the urban decay. I give the hotel manager full marks for trying to sell on this. I think he may have developed his skills hawking carpets before moving to the hospitality industry. At least the room was clean. On the upside, the hotel has a great breakfast buffet.
What is interesting is the differences that you see between American hotels and their European cousins. American hotel rooms are generally larger, more plush and have bathrooms that do not cause you to spray water all over them. They also have sheets. Europeans, particularly of the Northern variety, prefer Duvets. This is not universal, but tends to hold true.
What I don’t get, is that in concept having a great hotel should not be that complex. Great bed, clean room, free internet, good food, better bar, efficient service. Is that really so hard?
