Michael Fazio’s newly published book about his job as concierge of a luxury hotel has opened up a hornet’s nest of similar bizarre stories. Apparently, we hotel guests make some very strange requests at times.
According to his book Concierge Confidential, Fazio tells of the practical problems of preparing a bathtub of chocolate as one of his most creative moments. The lady in question was delighted with the romantic gesture, but apparently only dipped her fingers in. However, it took a hotel engineer to drain the tub!
Concierge Karron Cook at the W Los Angeles-Westwood lists the most common request is for Lakers match tickets, and for those prepared to spend four figure sums that’s no problem, she says. She has also arranged romantic wedding proposals such as seating a couple at the outdoor restaurant as a skywriter wrote, “Will you marry me, Lisa?” in the sky. (BTW, she said yes to her boyfriend, not the pilot!)
In Vegas, head concierge of the MGM Grand, Jeanne Mills, was asked to create a “Pretty Woman” experience for a girlfriend who was whisked on a shopping spree to the Forum shops before being ferried out to Red Rock Canyon for a champagne picnic and proposal.
With an attitude of “the difficult is done at once, the impossible takes a little longer”, the Director of Romance was asked to make the private plunge pool colder for a guest at a luxury hotel in Mexico’s Cabo San Lucas. She trucked in ice and put huge chunks in the pool until it cooled to the desired temperature.
Frank Laino, head concierge at The Stafford in London has gone beyond the call of duty for guests requesting prime show seats or a table at a fully booked restaurant. He even organized a tailor to make tweed suites for visiting greyhounds and arranged for a guest to see the Vermeer paintings in Buckingham Palace. For his trouble, he has been voted Top Concierge by Luxury Travel Advisor magazine.
If you find yourself staying in one of the luxury hotels in Paris this spring, consider spending an evening in a piano bar during your city break. You can always rely on a hotel piano bar to offer a sophisticated atmosphere and is the perfect end to a day of sightseeing with a cocktail and some relaxing live music tinkling in the background.
The Saint-Germain-des-Prés arrondissement is a good place to find nightlife and the Hotel Bel-Ami has an excellent piano bar with live music from 6pm. Still in the 6th arrondissement, the Bar de Lutetia at the hotel of the same name offers piano music and “lute-jazz” on other evenings. This Art Deco luxury hotel on Blvd Raspail is well known as a landmark building on the Left Bank.
The Hotel de Crillon on Place de la Concorde, one of Luxique’s top luxury hotels in Paris, has a lively bar where pianists Joel and Bernard play until 1am. It is the ideal place to hang out before or after dining in the Michelin star restaurant, Les Ambassadeurs.
For a more British influence, try the Dukes Bar at Hotel Westminster on rue de la Paix. Throughout the week there is a pianist for the cocktail hour from 6.30 to 9.30pm and at weekends there’s a jazz singer until late.
Those looking for a luxury hotel bar with cultural connections will find just what they’re looking for at the piano bar at Hotel de Banville. Named after the poet Theodore de Banville the lobby bar has superb entertainment with pianist Franck Monbaylet, guitarist Frederic Kakon and vocalist Marianne Moreau.
by Gillian at Luxique Luxury Hotels
Rising to the challenge as the number of business and leisure travellers fall, the luxury hotel market reports an impressive growth since 2008, according to John Vanderslice, representative for Hilton Global luxury hotels. He puts it down to the concept of the “luxury manifesto”. As he sees it, paying for a luxury hotel room should include a five star hotel room along with a whole package of services with a philosophy based on the L-word.
His perception is backed up by figures just out showing revenue per room in luxury hotels up to April 9, 2011 was 15.3% higher than the same period last year. This far outpaced the rest of the travel industry, according to Smith Travel Research.
Vanderslice believes that true luxury hotels are learning to focus on employee needs and morale, and that spirit permeates throughout the hotel. Happy staff, after all, engender happy guests who check out feeling that whatever the bill, they got value for money.
Luxury hotels are also embracing the idea of genuine experiences, not just a comfortable room, hence the growth of learning vacations and themed hotel stays. Top-notch restaurants in luxury hotels should not only offer excellent cuisine but also the chance to take a cooking class in a foreign country.
Waldorf Hotels is introducing Smartphones to allow guests to check in easily with their personal concierge and better all-round service from staff is becoming the expected norm, not an optional extra. It seems these small but important issues are certainly paying off.
by Gillian at Luxique Luxury Hotels
In the final countdown to the wedding of the year, many luxury hotels in London report they still have plenty of space for last-minute visitors. Prince William, second in line to the throne, will be marrying his student sweetheart Kate Middleton on Friday April 29th , but unless you’re a hermit I guess I’m not telling you anything new. What is a surprise is that luxury hotels in London are not fully booked for the event.
As always for travelers, this is good news as the hotels are now throwing in all manner of extras to fill their rooms. Many London hotels have resisted the urge to hike the prices, although London is never a cheap place to stay. What guests will find is that staying two nights or more will net them all sorts of goodies.
Champagne is a popular freebie, but a Champagne Flight on the London Eye looking out over the rooftops of the city is even better. Those staying in the Cadogan Hotel junior suite get afternoon tea and a Royal Wedding dinner thrown in. One Aldwych, a cool boutique hotel in London, still has rooms available along with the classy Bermondsey Square Hotel and the Lancaster London. The May Fair is reportedly dishing out souvenir crystal champagne flutes to its guests. Even the well-located Athenaeum which is just a stroll across St James Park from Buckingham Palace still has availability, as do various Hilton hotels.
The spokesperson for the British Hospitality Association put out an upbeat message saying that London hotels still expect many visitors to arrive at the last minute to celebrate. He explained away the disappointing bookings as being because people are taking long Easter breaks which means they may find themselves at other destinations rather than London for the celebrations.
by Gillian at Luxique Luxury Hotels
Imagine filling in your business expenses and submitting a sizeable claim for sleeping in a tree-house, an airliner or even a helicopter. These are just some of the contraptions that wacky hotel entrepreneurs have converted into guest rooms with luxury hotel price tags.
Sweden, known for its eco-friendly policies, has had to overcome many problems when it began building its Mirrorcube Tree Hotel hideaway. Reached by a series of inclines and ramps (there is no elevator) the 173-square foot tree house is built around a single tree trunk. The design called for mirrored glass sides so that it reflected the surrounding forests, making it almost invisible. Unfortunately birds and wildlife couldn’t see it either and the glass panels had to be lined with an infrared film visible only to birds. It certainly offers a room with a view.
Those flying into Stockholm’s Arlanda Airport will be hard pushed to spot their novelty hotel known as JumboStay. Parked on the tarmac like any other, the Boeing 747 offers less-than-luxury accommodation in coach class which has been converted into a four-person dormitory, but the upstairs cockpit has been turned into a luxury honeymoon suite. Hopefully the sound-proofing is up to it as aircraft frequently land nearby at this busy international destination.
Costa Rica also found a new use for a retired 727 aircraft whose final resting place is in the treetops. It has been fitted out as a VIP suite. Rather more cramped is the decommissioned Coast Guard helicopter placed in a barn at the Winvian resort in Connecticut. This boutique hotel boasts that every guest room is different, and this idea is probably the most off-the-wall of them all. Other cottages include a log cabin, beaver lodge complete with pond, a greenhouse and even a “Gordon Brown” house.
by Gillian at Luxique Luxury Hotels
Help often comes from the most unexpected quarters in times of adversity. Amidst the bad news coming out of Japan, which continues to be rocked by aftershocks, stories of courage, self-sacrifice and charity are the silver lining to that very dark cloud. One luxury hotel in Tokyo is doing what it can to help.
The Grand Prince Hotel Akasaka was listed for demolition and was due to checkout its last guests at the end of March. However it is now staying open a little longer for a very good cause. It is currently offering shelter to some of the many homeless and displaced persons in Tokyo following the disastrous earthquake and tsunami.
The elegant hotel, one of the five star Prince Hotel chain, opened in 1955. In its heyday it accommodated visiting heads of state and well-heeled celebrities who paid an average $1,750 per night. The luxury hotel is now offering free rooms and meals for around $10 a day to help the 360 guests, most of whom checked in with just the clothes on their back. It offers a short term solution of housing to shocked evacuees, including some workers from the Fukushima nuclear power plant. The hotel rooms will be available as a temporary shelter until July.
by Gillian at Luxique Luxury Hotels
The chance to stay in an old English Fortress on the small island of Jersey will no doubt appeal to many looking for a historic or romantic way to experience the island’s past. This pretty English territory lies just 12 nautical miles off the Normandy coast of France and is known for its mild weather and unspoilt natural beauty.
The novel vacation accommodation in various old fortifications is however more historical than luxurious, with cast iron doors and bare stone walls. One example is the former military bunker, built by prisoners of the Nazis who occupied the island during World War II. It is part of an old concrete radio tower but the top floor makes a great observation room with 360 degree views across the island.
This and nine other historic fortified buildings are being renovated by Jersey Heritage to preserve the island’s history and culture. The strategically located island was constantly fought over by the English and French naval forces in the 18th and 19th centuries.
The buildings include La Tour Cârée, formerly a Battery Tower, and several Martello Towers which were built to defend the shores of this 46 square mile island. Fort Leicester at Bouley Bay offers stunning sea views and the opportunity to hike across the causeway to the nearby Seymour Tower at low tide. The most attractive building in the project is the red and white striped Archirondel Tower, built as a garrison in 1792 and now used as a navigational landmark.
However, those who prefer to stay in a real luxury hotel on Jersey may prefer the Chateau la Chaire, bookable through Luxique.com, which offers plenty of 18th century history without having to rough it in a draughty fortress.
by Gillian at Luxique Luxury Hotels
The much vaunted Terminal 2 at San Francisco Airport opened recently with the touch-down of Virgin Galactic’s WhiteKnightTwo and SpaceShipTwo spacecraft at the airport, alongside a more familiar-looking Virgin America Airbus A320 with Sir Richard Branson and several other dignitaries on board.
This new airport will serve Virgin Atlantic and American Airlines and promises to pave the way for the airports of the future. With many travelers citing airport hassle as a major deterrent for international travel, perhaps airports do have to take note of how this new terminal aims to make flights a pleasant, calm experience without going soft of security.
For example, recognizing the stress passengers feel after being man-handled sometimes all too literally through security screening, the new terminal tries to compensate by leading passengers into a calmer “recompose” post-security area. With mood lighting, quality art works and on-site spas, hopefully blood pressure levels quickly return to more normal levels with the anticipation of a host of amenities for passengers to enjoy free during their waiting time.
Drinking fountains are offered specifically for filling water bottles free of charge - after your own have been confiscated earlier by diligent security staff. Free WiFi and plug-in stations offer work counters for those who have struggled and cursed getting their laptops in and out of awkward briefcases for security scanning. Kids, bored by long lines, can now try out the interactive play areas and the world should hopefully return to a more normal level of harmony.
San Francisco Terminal 2 has prepared us with high levels of expectation. Let’s see what real travelers have to say about this terminal of the future in the forthcoming weeks.
by Gillian at Luxique Luxury Hotels
The earth from the air is always a fascinating way to view places from a totally different perspective, but those flying over Huainan, in East China’s Anhui province, will soon be doing a double-take. Plans have been unveiled for the latest luxury hotel in China, which will be shaped to pay homage to the country’s most popular national sport, ping-pong.
The luxury hotel will be shaped like an upended table tennis bat, and each round window becomes a pimple on the face of the “bat”. The hotel building is topped with a tower – the handle of the paddle – which has an observation deck.
This idea is the latest novelty-shaped building within the newly developed $45.8 million sports complex. It is in excellent company with the main stadium being shaped like an American football, and other stadiums and facilities shaped to look like a volleyball, a soccer ball and a basketball.
The hotel will stand almost 500 feet tall (150 m) and will be a real talking point in the 165-acre sports complex. This clever idea is not a first, however, as France created a giant rugby-ball shaped hotel in 2007 to celebrate hosting the Rugby World Cup. The hotel was created in Paris and during the event guests paid up to $10,000 per night for the privilege of staying there. However it was not a permanent structure. The giant inflatable rugby ball cost just $4 million, and proved to be a real winner.
by Gillian at Luxique Luxury Hotels
If you are making a business trip to a foreign country, it is as important to do your homework on the culture as it is to pack your passport. Business leaders traveling the world and staying in luxury hotels are expected to know the basics of their host country’s etiquette. Ignorance is absolutely no excuse to give your opposite number an offensive gesture, says Lonely Planet.
For example, did you know that in Japan you are expected to top up the glass of the person next to you, but never your own glass? If you help yourself it would be seen as a clear sign that you are alcoholic!
In Russia, when vodka is poured, wait for the toast and then knock back the shot in one gulp. If you get through that ordeal, here’s another which may trip you up. When the vodka bottle is empty it should never be placed on the table, but put on the floor. In Armenia, if you tip the last drops into someone else’s glass it obliges them to buy the next bottle. If you want that contract, make sure you empty the bottle into your own glass and then order a replacement.
The open palm in some cultures is not the friendly wave that it was intended to be. In Greece, never hold up the palm to indicate halt, or signify five. You have just unwittingly given someone the middle finger gesture. Similarly the “Okay” sign with a thumb and index finger in Brazil is definitely not okay to do.
Finally, always find out whether a kiss, a bow or a handshake is the correct customary business greeting and always learn to say “thank you” in the local language, if nothing else.
by Gillian at Luxique Luxury Hotels
