It’s one of the great travel cliches. Tourists at beach resorts who get up early and “reserve” a spot on the beach, a deck chair or by the pool by placing a towel there. Then they go back to bed or breakfast, hoping to take up their privileged spot later on.
It’s led to (often racist) jokes, arguments and even fist fights in the past. And now it’s illegal. Continue reading No reservations
You may have heard about The Man Who Lived at the Ritz. It was a novel, then a TV movie, about a man who spent several years at the famous Ritz Hotel in Paris during the Nazi occupation.
In real life, Coco Chanel did live at the Ritz (although, apparently, not in the actual suite that now bears her name).
The issue of appropriate attire for travellers has been in the news lately. There was outrage in the Middle East, and an official apology in America, when a man from the United Arab Emirates was judged suspicious by an Ohio hotel clerk, and later arrested, partly because he was wearing national costume.
That incident led to an advisory from UAE authorities to its own citizens suggesting that they not wear traditional clothing while travelling.
Meanwhile, in a survey of 2,500 Americans, 59 per cent agreed that passengers should be kicked off aircraft for “dressing inappropriately”.
A trip to Raffles features on many a bucket list — especially for those interested in Singapore’s colonial past who want to see (or stay in, if they can afford it) arguably the most celebrated hotel in the world. For me, this was my third visit, and a somewhat sentimental one as I remembered a departed friend with whom I first visited Raffles many years ago.
Those of us who like to travel sometimes forget about the delights of where we live. While researching the next exotic destination, we are sometimes oblivious to changes in our own neighbourhood.
It pays to have a look around; to go somewhere new but nearby. I did this today with my first proper visit to Al Maryah Island, which has been designed to be the new central business district of Abu Dhabi (which, in case you don’t know is where I live).
Mercure Siam Hotel, Bangkok
To my mind, this was the best of the three hotels I stayed at during my recent trip to Bangkok. It certainly had the best location for somebody who wants to see it all.
Holiday Inn Express, Sukhumvit Soi 11
Bangkok, Thailand
This was the cheapest per night of the three hotels I stayed in during my recent trip to Bangkok. But that doesn’t necessarily mean it was a bad choice. In fact, the hotel has a lot to recommend itself, not the least being its location at the end of buzzing Soi 11, home to some well-known restaurants and bars, including the famous Cheap Charlie’s.
Novotel Fenix Silom hotel, Bangkok
Stay: May, 2016
A nice welcome and attentive, efficient staff made check-in a joy. My flight arrived very early, and I was at the hotel before 7am. Although they didn’t have a room for me then, I was safely ensconced by 9am – which is an excellent five hours before normal hotel check-in time.
The hotel is located at the far end of Silom, closer to Surasak BTS (sky train) station than to Sala Daeng, which is at the heart of the Silom / Patpong tourist area. Continue reading Review: Novotel Fenix Silom
I’m curious to know who uses hotel safes. Because it seems to me that they’re anything but safe.
I certainly couldn’t believe my eyes when I received Qantas Hotels’ “Leap year Craziness” email.
Check out these accommodation prices:
Sadly, I was too slow to catch the bargain of a lifetime. It was quickly followed by this correction.
Update: Qantas responded to my tweet about this as follows:
@debritz Hi Brett, this was due to a technical glitch. A new email with correct prices has been sent out, sorry for any confusion.
This arrived in an email today: a preview of the new “Travelodgicals” campaign for the British hotel chain, Travelodge.
I’m never quite sure what makes a marketing campaign a success. A memorable advert doesn’t always create brand awareness or translate into more business. They can win awards but not customers.
The ads from last year were certainly well executed. This one has a catchy tune, but the thought of sharing a bed or a bathroom with a lookalike puppet seems a little creepy to me. Especially if you wonder whose operating them and where they’re hiding.
