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A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a fridge and other kitchen facilities, upholstered chairs, a flatscreen television and en-suite bathrooms. Small, lower-priced hotels may offer only the most basic guest services and facilities. Larger, higher-priced hotels may provide additional guest facilities such as a swimming pool, business centre (with computers, printers and other office equipment), childcare, conference and event facilities, tennis or basketball courts, gymnasium, restaurants, day spa and social function services. Hotel rooms are usually numbered (or named in some smaller hotels and B&Bs) to allow guests to identify their room. Some boutique, high-end hotels have custom decorated rooms. Some hotels offer meals as part of a room and board arrangement. In the United Kingdom, a hotel is required by law to serve food and drinks to all guests within certain stated hours. In Japan, capsule hotels provide a tiny room suitable only for sleeping and shared bathroom facilities. The precursor to the modern hotel was the inn of medieval Europe. For a period of about 200 years from the mid-17th century, coaching inns served as a place for lodging for coach travelers. Inns began to cater to richer clients in the mid-18th century. One of the first hotels in a modern sense was opened in Exeter in 1768. Hotels proliferated throughout Western Europe and North America in the early 19th century, and luxury hotels began to spring up in the later part of the 19th century. Hotel operations vary in size, function, and cost. Most hotels and major hospitality companies have set industry standards to classify hotel types. An upscale full-service hotel facility offers luxury amenities, full service accommodations, an on-site restaurant, and the highest level of personalized service, such as a concierge, room service and clothes pressing staff. Full service hotels often contain upscale full-service facilities with a large number of full service accommodations, an on-site full service restaurant, and a variety of on-site amenities. Boutique hotels are smaller independent, non-branded hotels that often contain upscale facilities. Small to medium-sized hotel establishments offer a limited amount of on-site amenities. Economy hotels are small to medium-sized hotel establishments that offer basic accommodations with little to no services. Extended stay hotels are small to medium-sized hotels that offer longer-term full service accommodations compared to a traditional hotel. Timeshare and destination clubs are a form of property ownership involving ownership of an individual unit of accommodation for seasonal usage. A motel is a small-sized low-rise lodging with direct access to individual rooms from the car park. Boutique hotels are typically hotels with a unique environment or intimate setting. A number of hotels have entered the public consciousness through popular culture, such as the Ritz Hotel in London. Some hotels are built specifically as a destination in itself, for example at casinos and holiday resorts. Most hotel establishments are run by a General Manager who serves as the head executive (often referred to as the "Hotel Manager"), department heads who oversee various departments within a hotel (e.g., food service), middle managers, administrative staff, and line-level supervisors. The organizational chart and volume of job positions and hierarchy varies by hotel size, function and class, and is often determined by hotel ownership and managing companies.Etymology The word hotel is derived from the French hôtel (coming from the same origin as hospital), which referred to a French version of a building seeing frequent visitors, and providing care, rather than a place offering accommodation. In contemporary French usage, hôtel now has the same meaning as the English term, and hôtel particulier is used for the old meaning, as well as "hôtel" in some place names such as Hôtel-Dieu (in Paris), which has been a hospital since the Middle Ages. The French spelling, with the circumflex, was also used in English, but is now rare. The circumflex replaces the 's' found in the earlier hostel spelling, which over time took on a new, but closely related meaning. Grammatically, hotels usually take the definite article – hence "The Astoria Hotel" or simply "The Astoria." History The Tabard Inn, Southwark, London Facilities offering hospitality to travellers have been a feature of the earliest civilizations. In Greco-Roman culture hospitals for recuperation and rest were built at thermal baths. During the Middle Ages various religious orders at monasteries and abbeys would offer accommodation for travellers on the road. The precursor to the modern hotel was the inn of medieval Europe, possibly dating back to the rule of Ancient Rome. These would provide for the needs of travelers, including food and lodging, stabling and fodder for the traveler's horse(s) and fresh horses for the mail coach. Famous London examples of inns include the George and the Tabard. A typical layout of an inn had an inner court with bedrooms on the two sides, with the kitchen and parlour at the front and the stables at the back.[1] For a period of about 200 years from the mid-17th century, coaching inns served as a place for lodging for coach travelers (in other words, a roadhouse). Coaching inns stabled teams of horses for stagecoaches and mail coaches and replaced tired teams with fresh teams. Traditionally they were seven miles apart but this depended very much on the terrain. Tremont House in Boston, United States, a luxury hotel, the first to provide indoor plumbing Some English towns had as many as ten such inns and rivalry between them was intense, not only for the income from the stagecoach operators but for the revenue for food and drink supplied to the wealthy passengers. By the end of the century, coaching inns were being run more professionally, with a regular timetable being followed and fixed menus for food.[2] Inns began to cater for richer clients in the mid-18th century, and consequently grew in grandeur and the level of service provided. One of the first hotels in a modern sense was opened in Exeter in 1768, although the idea only really caught on in the early 19th century. In 1812 Mivart's Hotel opened its doors in London, later changing its name to Claridge's.[3] Hotels proliferated throughout Western Europe and North America in the 19th century, and luxury hotels, including the Savoy Hotel in the United Kingdom and the Ritz chain of hotels in London and Paris and Tremont House and Astor House in the United States,[4] began to spring up in the later part of the century, catering to an extremely wealthy clientele.Hotel operations vary in size, function, and cost. Most hotels and major hospitality companies that operate hotels have set widely accepted industry standards to classify hotel types. General categories include the following: Upscale luxury An upscale full service hotel facility that offers luxury amenities, full service accommodations, on-site full service restaurants, and the highest level of personalized and professional service. Luxury hotels are normally classified with at least a Four Diamond or Five Diamond status or a Four or Five Star rating depending on the country and local classification standards. Examples may include: InterContinental, Waldorf Astoria, Four Seasons, Conrad, Fairmont, and The Ritz-Carlton. Full service Full service hotels often contain upscale full-service facilities with a large volume of full service accommodations, on-site full service restaurants, and a variety of on-site amenities such as swimming pools, a health club, children's activities, ballrooms, on-site conference facilities, and other amenities.[7] Examples include: Holiday Inn, Sheraton, Westin, Hilton, Marriott, and Hyatt hotels. Historic inns and boutique hotels Boutique hotels are smaller independent non-branded hotels that often contain upscale facilities of varying size in unique or intimate settings with full service accommodations. Boutique hotels are generally 100 rooms or less.[8] Some historic inns and boutique hotels may be classified as luxury hotels. Examples include Hotel Indigo and Kimpton Hotels. Focused or select service Small to medium-sized hotel establishments that offer a limited number of on-site amenities that only cater and market to a specific demographic of travelers, such as the single business traveler. Most focused or select service hotels may still offer full service accommodations but may lack leisure amenities such as an on-site restaurant or a swimming pool. Examples include Crowne Plaza, Courtyard by Marriott and Hilton Garden Inn. Economy and limited service Small to medium-sized hotel establishments that offer a very limited amount of on-site amenities and often only offer basic accommodations with little to no services, these facilities normally only cater and market to a specific demographic of travelers, such as the budget-minded traveler seeking a "no frills" accommodation. Limited service hotels often lack an on-site restaurant but in return may offer a limited complimentary food and beverage amenity such as on-site continental breakfast service. Examples include Ibis Budget, Hampton Inn, Aloft, Holiday Inn Express, Fairfield Inn, Four Points by Sheraton, and Days Inn. Extended stay Extended stay hotels are small to medium-sized hotels that offer longer term full service accommodations compared to a traditional hotel. Extended stay hotels may offer non-traditional pricing methods such as a weekly rate that caters towards travelers in need of short-term accommodations for an extended period of time. Similar to limited and select service hotels, on-site amenities are normally limited and most extended stay hotels lack an on-site restaurant. Examples include Staybridge Suites, Candlewood Suites, Homewood Suites by Hilton, Home2 Suites by Hilton, Residence Inn by Marriott, Element, and Extended Stay Hotels. Timeshare and destination clubs Timeshare and Destination clubs are a form of property ownership also referred to as a vacation ownership involving the purchase and ownership of an individual unit of accommodation for seasonal usage during a specified period of time. Timeshare resorts often offer amenities similar that of a Full service hotel with on-site restaurant(s), swimming pools, recreation grounds, and other leisure-oriented amenities. Destination clubs on the other hand may offer more exclusive private accommodations such as private houses in a neighborhood-style setting. Examples of timeshare brands include Hilton Grand Vacations, Marriott Vacation Club International, Westgate Resorts, Disney Vacation Club, and Holiday Inn Club Vacations. Motel A motel, an abbreviation for "motor hotel", is a small-sized low-rise lodging establishment similar to a limited service, lower-cost hotel, but typically with direct access to individual rooms from the car park. Motels were built to serve road travellers, including travellers on road trip vacations and workers who drive for their job (travelling salespeople, truck drivers, etc.). Common during the 1950s and 1960s, motels were often located adjacent to a major highway, where they were built on inexpensive land at the edge of towns or along stretches of freeway. New motel construction is rare in the 2000s as hotel chains have been building economy-priced, limited service franchised properties at freeway exits which compete for largely the same clientele, largely saturating the market by the 1990s. Motels are still useful in less populated areas for driving travelers, but the more populated an area becomes, the more hotels move in to meet the demand for accommodation. Many of the motels which remain in operation have joined national franchise chains, often rebranding themselves as hotels, inns or lodges. Management Main article: Hotel management Hotel management is a globally accepted professional career field and academic field of study. Degree programs such as hospitality management studies, a business degree, and/or certification programs formally prepare hotel managers for industry practice. Most hotel establishments consist of a General Manager who serves as the head executive (often referred to as the "Hotel Manager"), department heads who oversee various departments within a hotel, middle managers, administrative staff, and line-level supervisors. The organizational chart and volume of job positions and hierarchy varies by hotel size, function, and is often determined by hotel ownership and managing companies. Unique and specialty hotels Historic inns and boutique hotels Hotel Astoria and statue of Tsar Nicholas I in Saint Petersburg, Russia Boutique hotels are typically hotels with a unique environment or intimate setting. Some hotels have gained their renown through tradition, by hosting significant events or persons, such as Schloss Cecilienhof in Potsdam, Germany, which derives its fame from the Potsdam Conference of the World War II allies Winston Churchill, Harry Truman and Joseph Stalin in 1945.[9] The Taj Mahal Palace & Tower in Mumbai is one of India's most famous and historic hotels because of its association with the Indian independence movement. Some establishments have given name to a particular meal or beverage, as is the case with the Waldorf Astoria in New York City, United States where the Waldorf Salad was first created or the Hotel Sacher in Vienna, Austria, home of the Sachertorte. Others have achieved fame by association with dishes or cocktails created on their premises, such as the Hotel de Paris where the crêpe Suzette was invented or the Raffles Hotel in Singapore, where the Singapore Sling cocktail was devised.[10] Hôtel Ritz Paris in France A number of hotels have entered the public consciousness through popular culture, such as the Ritz Hotel in London, through its association with Irving Berlin's song, 'Puttin' on the Ritz'. The Algonquin Hotel in New York City is famed as the meeting place of the literary group, the Algonquin Round Table, and Hotel Chelsea, also in New York City, has been the subject of a number of songs and the scene of the stabbing of Nancy Spungen (allegedly by her boyfriend Sid Vicious). Resort hotels Wynn Las Vegas, United States Some hotels are built specifically as a destination in itself to create a captive trade, example at casinos, amusement parks and holiday resorts. Though of course hotels have always been built in popular destinations, the defining characteristic of a resort hotel is that it exists purely to serve another attraction, the two having the same owners. On the Las Vegas Strip there is a tradition of one-upmanship with luxurious and extravagant hotels in a concentrated area. This trend now has extended to other resorts worldwide, but the concentration in Las Vegas is still the world's highest: nineteen of the world's twenty-five largest hotels by room count are on the Strip, with a total of over 67,000 rooms.[11] In Europe Center Parcs might be considered a chain of resort hotels, since the sites are largely man-made (though set in natural surroundings such as country parks) with captive trade, whereas holiday camps such as Butlins and Pontin's are probably not considered as resort hotels, since they are set at traditional holiday destinations which existed before the camps. Other speciality hotels RMS Queen Mary, Long Beach, California, United States The Burj al-Arab hotel in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, built on an artificial island, is structured in the shape of a boat's sail. The Library Hotel in New York City, is unique in that each of its ten floors is assigned one category from the Dewey Decimal System. The Jailhotel Löwengraben in Lucerne, Switzerland is a converted prison now used as a hotel. The Luxor, a hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, United States is unusual due to its pyramidal structure. The Liberty Hotel in Boston, used to be the Charles Street Jail. Hotel Kakslauttanen in Finland, a collection of glass igloos in Lapland that allow you to watch the Northern Lights[12] Built in Scotland and completed in 1936, The former ocean liner RMS Queen Mary in Long Beach, California, United States uses its first-class staterooms as a hotel, after retiring in 1967 from Transatlantic service. The Wigwam Motels used patented novelty architecture in which each motel room was a free-standing concrete wigwam or teepee. Various Caboose Motel or Red Caboose Inn properties are built from decommissioned rail cars. Throughout the world there are several hotels built from converted airliners. Bunker hotels The Null Stern Hotel in Teufen, Appenzellerland, Switzerland and the Concrete Mushrooms in Albania[13] are former nuclear bunkers transformed into hotels. Cave hotels The Cuevas Pedro Antonio de Alarcón (named after the author) in Guadix, Spain, as well as several hotels in Cappadocia, Turkey, are notable for being built into natural cave formations, some with rooms underground. The Desert Cave Hotel in Coober Pedy, South Australia is built into the remains of an opal mine. Cliff hotels On top of the cliff, the Riosol Hotel in Mogán Located on the coast but high above sea level, these hotels offer unobstructed panoramic views and a great sense of privacy without the feeling of total isolation. Some examples from around the globe are the Riosol Hotel in Gran Canaria, Caruso Belvedere Hotel in Amalfi Coast (Italy), Aman Resorts Amankila in Bali, Birkenhead House in Hermanus (South Africa), The Caves in Jamaica and Caesar Augustus in Capri.[14] Capsule hotels Interior of a capsule hotel in Osaka, Japan Capsule hotels are a type of economical hotel first introduced in Japan, where people sleep in stacks of rectangular containers. Day room hotels Some hotels fill daytime occupancy with day rooms, for example, Rodeway Inn and Suites near Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.[15] Day rooms are booked in a block of hours typically between 8 am and 5 pm,[16] before the typical night shift. These are similar to transit hotels in that they appeal to travelers, however, unlike transit hotels, they do not eliminate the need to go through Customs. Garden hotels Garden hotels, famous for their gardens before they became hotels, include Gravetye Manor, the home of garden designer William Robinson, and Cliveden, designed by Charles Barry with a rose garden by Geoffrey Jellicoe. Ice, snow and igloo hotels Main article: Ice hotel Ice Hotel in Jukkasjärvi, Sweden The Ice Hotel in Jukkasjärvi, Sweden, was the first ice hotel in the world; first built in 1990, it is built each winter and melts every spring. Other ice hotels include the Igloo Village in Kakslauttanen, Finland, and the Hotel de Glace in Duschenay, Canada. They can also be included within larger ice complexes; for example, the Mammut Snow Hotel in Finland is located within the walls of the Kemi snow castle; and the Lainio Snow Hotel is part of a snow village near Ylläs, Finland. Referral hotel Main article: Referral chain A referral hotel is a hotel chain that offers branding to independently-operated hotels; the chain itself is founded by or owned by the member hotels as a group. Many former referral chains have been converted to franchises; the largest surviving member-owned chain is Best Western. Railway hotels Further information: Category:Railway hotels Wikimedia Commons has media related to Railway hotels. The first recorded purpose-built railway hotel was the Great Western Hotel, which opened adjacent to Reading railway station in 1844, shortly after the Great Western Railway opened its line from London. The building still exists, and although it has been used for other purposes over the years, it is now again a hotel and a member of the Malmaison hotel chain.[17][18][19] Frequently, expanding railway companies built grand hotels at their termini, such as the Midland Hotel, Manchester next to the former Manchester Central Station, and in London the ones above St Pancras railway station and Charing Cross railway station. London also has the Chiltern Court Hotel above Baker Street tube station, there are also Canada's grand railway hotels. They are or were mostly, but not exclusively, used by those traveling by rail. Straw bale hotels The Maya Guesthouse in Nax Mont-Noble in the Swiss Alps, is the first hotel in Europe built entirely with straw bales. Due to the insulation values of the walls it needs no conventional heating or air conditioning system, although the Maya Guesthouse is built at an altitude of 1,300 metres (4,300 ft) in the Alps.[20] Transit hotels Main article: Transit Hotel Transit hotels are short stay hotels typically used at international airports where passengers can stay while waiting to change airplanes. The hotels are typically on the airside and do not require a visa for a stay or re-admission through security checkpoints. Treehouse hotels Some hotels are built with living trees as structural elements, for example the Treehotel near Piteå, Sweden, the Costa Rica Tree House in the Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge, Costa Rica; the Treetops Hotel in Aberdare National Park, Kenya; the Ariau Towers near Manaus, Brazil, on the Rio Negro in the Amazon; and Bayram's Tree Houses in Olympos, Turkey. Underwater hotels Ithaa, the first undersea restaurant at the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island resort Some hotels have accommodation underwater, such as Utter Inn in Lake Mälaren, Sweden. Hydropolis, project in Dubai, would have had suites on the bottom of the Persian Gulf, and Jules' Undersea Lodge in Key Largo, Florida requires scuba diving to access its rooms. Overwater hotels An overwater bungalow on the island resort in the Maldives A resort island is an island or an archipelago that contains resorts, hotels, overwater bungalows, restaurants, tourist attractions and its amenities. Maldives has the most overwater bungalows resorts. Records Largest See also: List of largest hotels in the world In 2006, Guinness World Records listed the First World Hotel in Genting Highlands, Malaysia, as the world's largest hotel with a total of 6,118 rooms.[21] The Izmailovo Hotel in Moscow has the most beds, with 7,500, followed by The Venetian and The Palazzo complex in Las Vegas (7,117 rooms) and MGM Grand Las Vegas complex (6,852 rooms).[22] Oldest According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the oldest hotel in operation is the Nisiyama Onsen Keiunkan in Yamanashi, Japan. The hotel, first opened in 707 A.D. has been operated by the same family for forty-six generations. The title was held until 2011 by the Hoshi Ryokan, in the Awazu Onsen area of Komatsu, Japan, which opened in the year 718, as the history of the Nisiyama Onsen Keiunkan was virtually unknown.[23] Highest The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong claims to be the world's highest hotel.[24] It is located on the top floors of the International Commerce Centre in Hong Kong, at 484 metres (1,588 ft) above ground level. Most expensive purchase In October 2014, the Anbang Insurance Group, based in China, purchased the Waldorf Astoria New York in Manhattan for US$1.95 billion, making it the world's most expensive hotel ever sold.[25] The Waldorf Astoria New York, the most expensive hotel ever sold, cost US$1.95 billion in 2014[25] Long term residence A number of public figures have notably chosen to take up semi-permanent or permanent residence in hotels. Fashion designer Coco Chanel lived in the Hôtel Ritz, Paris, on and off for more than 30 years. Inventor Nikola Tesla lived the last ten years of his life at the New Yorker Hotel until he died in his room in 1943. Larry Fine (of The Three Stooges) and his family lived in hotels, due to his extravagant spending habits and his wife's dislike for housekeeping. They first lived in the President Hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey, where his daughter Phyllis was raised, then the Knickerbocker Hotel in Hollywood. Not until the late 1940s did Larry buy a home in the Los Feliz area of Los Angeles. The Waldorf-Astoria Hotel and its affiliated Waldorf Towers has been the home of many famous persons over the years including former President Herbert Hoover who lived there from the end of his presidency in 1933 until his death in 1964. General Douglas MacArthur lived his last 14 years in the penthouse of the Waldorf Towers. And the composer Cole Porter also spent the last 25 years of his life in an apartment at the Waldorf Towers. Billionaire Howard Hughes lived in hotels during the last ten years of his life (1966–76), primarily in Las Vegas, as well as Acapulco, Beverly Hills, Boston, Freeport, London, Managua, Nassau, Vancouver, and others. Vladimir Nabokov and his wife Vera lived in the Montreux Palace Hotel in Montreux, Switzerland (1961-his death in 1977). Actor Richard Harris lived at the Savoy Hotel while in London. Hotel archivist Susan Scott recounts an anecdote that, when he was being taken out of the building on a stretcher shortly before his death in 2002, he raised his hand and told the diners "it was the food."[26] Egyptian actor Ahmed Zaki lived his last 15 years in Ramses Hilton Hotel – Cairo. British entrepreneur Jack Lyons lived in the Hotel Mirador Kempinski in Switzerland for several years until his death in 2008. American actress Elaine Stritch lived in the Savoy Hotel in London for over a decade.[27] Uruguayan and argentinian tango composer Horacio Ferrer lived almost 40 years, from 1976 until his death in 2014 in an apartment inside the Alvear Palace Hotel, in Buenos Aires, one of the most exclusive hotels in the city.[28] LL’s Hotels & Hospitality Group has completed more transactions than any other hotels and hospitality real estate advisor over the last five years, totalling more than $77.5 billion worldwide. Between negotiating the world’s most extraordinary, enticing, and profitable property deals, the group’s 350-strong global team in over 20 countries also closed more than 5,300 advisory, valuation and asset management assignments. Investors worldwide turn to JLL to shape their strategies, tailor their portfolios and maximize the value of their assets. We are recognized as the global leader in real estate services across hospitality properties of all shapes and sizes. Our expert advice is backed by industry-leading research. We apply our broad spectrum of hotel valuation, brokerage, asset management and consultancy services through every phase of the hotel lifecycle. We have helped more hotel investors, owners and operators achieve high returns on their assets than any other real estate advisor in the world. Whether you are looking for a hotel or you're ready to sell, we'll use our capital markets expertise, hospitality industry knowledge and global relationships to put the right parties together and execute a bespoke deal that exceeds your objectives. ​ For more news and research from JLL's Hotels & Hospitality Group, follow us on LinkedIn. ​ Hotel stays: 10 things you should really know about hotels DEFAULT Michael Gebicki Share on Facebook SHARE Share on Twitter TWEET Pin to Pinterest PIN It costs around $30 to dry clean a doona. It costs around $30 to dry clean a doona. Photo: iStock Share Post on facebook wall Share on twitter Share via Email Pin to Pinterest Share on Google Plus This is a topic made for nervous nellies. Stay away from the coffee maker in your room because who knows what's gone in apart from H2O. Truly? Bedspreads, blankets and doonas are rarely cleaned. Big reveal? It costs around $30 to dry clean a doona, want that added to your hotel bill? Hotel light switches and TV remotes are flagged as germ factories, worse than a toilet seat in a third-world slum the advice mongers will tell you, almost as bad as airline tray tables but really, are you advising that I swab every touchable surface with an antibacterial wipe? Germophobes – you can stay home in your bio-hazard suit, the rest of us have a life. Here are 10 things about hotels you do need to know. Commission rates When you book a hotel room through an online travel agent their slice of the fee is between 15 and 25 per cent. It can even creep higher if the hotel wants more favourable exposure on the OTA's website. The person behind the check-in desk gets to see the OTA's cut but you do not, lest the words "rip off" should pass your lips. The big players are Expedia, which owns Hotels.com, Wotif, Hotwire.com, trivago, Orbitz, HomeAway and Venere among others, and Priceline, which owns Booking.com, KAYAK and agoda.com as well as several more. Between them Expedia and Priceline now control about 85 per cent of the online hotel booking market in Australia. In September the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission ruled that hotels can offer a lower price to guests but only if they make their booking by calling the hotel direct. The hotel is not allowed to advertise a price on its website which is lower than that offered by the OTA. The OTAs also benefit from the valuable guest data that comes their way with each booking, including email address and credit card information. See also: Has your hotel room been cleaned? Here's how one guest found out Overbooking Just like airlines, hotels know that some guests who booked a room are not going to show up so they overbook to ensure a full house. If it should happen that all the booked guests arrive you might be out of luck. If the hotel behaves honourably, you should get "walked" to another property. While you're supposed to get a room in a hotel at least equal to the one that's been snatched you might feel you've missed out, in which case a letter to the general manager and a salvo on TripAdvisor is salve to the wounds. In a worst-case scenario you will simply be shunted out the front door, end of story. You'll get a refund, and in most countries you can take legal action against the hotel under consumer protection legislation but if you're from out of country, the hotel knows that's probably not going to happen. Also just like airlines, the guests least likely to be relocated are those who have displayed their loyalty to the hotel or brand via previous bookings. The freebies Toiletries and toweling slippers, and by the way they're the perfect footwear for long flights, nab 'em. The hotel doesn't care, those slippers are not intended for more than one pair of feet and toiletries that have been partially used are replaced, never refilled. Resort fees You've scored a bargain deal at a great hotel in Hawaii, but when you show up at the front desk the hotel charges you another $25 per night to cover the use of the pool, the Wi-Fi, the gym and whatever else the hotel can think of. There's no dodge, you can't decline on the basis of no-use, no-pay. Resort fees work like a charm for hotels since they allow them to advertise a lower base rate that makes them look cheap alongside their competitors and since they're charged at the front desk, all the revenue goes straight into the hotel's pocket without an online travel agent trousering their cut. Resort fees have spread like wildfire in vacation spots in the USA such as Las Vegas and Hawaii and even into the Caribbean and Mexican resort centres. Despite consumer disquiet in the USA, the Federal Trade Commission has declined to take action to require that resort fees be fully disclosed on the hotels own websites, as well as on third-party booking sites. See also: The most bizarre requests from hotel guests The concierge "Tell 'em I sent you," says the concierge as he sends you on your way to a restaurant he's just recommended. "Red carpet treatment coming up," you might think. More likely that the concierge is getting a slice of the pie. That's not a reason to diss your concierge's restaurant, bar, tour or shopping recommendation. Any decent concierge will put quality ahead of kickback every time, their reputation rides on you having a good time, and an unhappy customer broadcasting their discontent in the lobby is death to them. The word of the concierge is not gospel, but they're on your side. Crockery Even in a swank joint your time-pressed housekeeper does not replace cups and glasses with fresh, sterilised items supplied by the hotel kitchen. What he or she will do is rinse them to remove any visible signs of use, lipstick etc, buff them with a cloth or maybe even the used bathroom towel that's being replaced and voila, as good as new. I must have drunk from several hundred of these cups and glasses and guess what? The human body is a truly remarkable organism. Tipsters Staff talk. Those who tip are known. If you tip hotel staff, and there are some places such as New York City where you should, staff will often go that extra mile to add something special to your stay. The relevant time to tip is immediately after a service has been performed – the porter who totes your bags, the doorman who gets you a cab, the concierge – not when you're waving farewell. Smoke detectors work I was recently staying at a hotel in Hong Kong when the fire alarm went off at around 2 a.m. Sirens, fire engines outside, the whole shebang. I was staying on the 26th floor so I did what anyone would do and tried my best to ignore the racket since a long walk down the stairwell was a last resort. When I asked at the front desk next morning a smoker had triggered the fire alarm, busted big time, and contrary to hotel policy. The hotel would be adding HK$5000 to the guest's bill. I was still tired from the early wake-up call but schadenfreude is a great mood enhancer. See also: The nationality most likely to steal from hotels Threats Been short changed by your hotel in some way or other and threatening to vent on social media? The hotel manager might care, the front desk staff probably won't. Most hotel staff will do their best to fix a problem but it pays to make nice. Threaten, rage, intimidate and you've blown it. Hotel staff can't get mad but they can get even, and they have lots of ways to do that. Do not disturb Hotel staff respect that sign. Activate that red light or hang the sign on your doorknob and they would need a powerful reason to even knock at your door. If you have any reason to suspect that your hotel security might not be up to scratch, that little sign could help keep your belongings safe. Read more: http://www.traveller.com.au/hotel-stays-10-things-you-should-really-know-about-hotels-gt0h4s#ixzz4eWhx3JSa Follow us: @TravellerAU on Twitter | TravellerAU on Facebook The 15 most annoying things about hotels Sunday, 1 June 2014 AddThis Sharing Buttons Share to Google BookmarkGoogle BookmarkShare to FacebookFacebookShare to TwitterTwitterShare to PrintPrintShare to Email AppEmail AppShare to MoreMore Noisy neighbours, broken lifts and painfully slow WiFi: here are 15 of the most annoying things that happen at hotels. Noisy neighbours, broken lifts and painfully slow Wi-Fi: here are 15 of the most annoying things that happen at hotels. Ah, those crisp white sheets, the tempting minibar and the 24-hour room service: you've checked in and it's officially time to live the high life. Unfortunately, it's not always glitz and glam. Here's a list of the frustrating hotel hassles you may encounter. How many of these have you had to deal with before? 1. The porter won't leave until you have given him a tip You haven't got any change in the local currency yet and the porter is STILL in your room. So far he's pointed out the toiletries in the bathroom, the complimentary slippers, demonstrated how to use the safe and now he's tackling the TV remote. He's certainly working for it, and there's no way he's leaving until you've given him his well-earned dosh. Get ready for a long demonstration of how to use the air-con unit... business people giving bellboy tip 2. Noisy neighbours Hotel walls can be very thin, so there's a chance you'll be hearing both the good times and the bad times of your newly-nicknamed 'neighbours from hell'. Whether their TV is on full blast, or you overhear them having a domestic, one thing's for sure – you'll soon be wishing you packed those ear plugs. 3. The lift stops at every floor on the way down You've overslept and the breakfast buffet closes in ten minutes – nightmare. It's all-inclusive so there's no way you're missing out on your ‘free grub’. Unfortunately, the lift doesn't understand this predicament and frustratingly stops at every floor on the way down. 4. You pay for an expensive room and the view is awful You've paid for a 'sea view' but unfortunately the only thing you 'see' is the concrete building across the road. The staff assure you that you can get a glimpse of the ocean if you look carefully. You soon realise they're right – if someone holds on to your ankles whilst you lean over the balcony and contort your neck around the corner of the building. 'Sometimes it feels like you need a degree in plumbing to figure out how to turn on a hotel shower' 5. Room service finishes early You arrive at 11pm and know the hotel restaurant has closed already, but there's one saviour - room service. As you salivate while reading through the menu's juicy offerings, it's only when you get to the back page that you notice those dreaded words: 'room service hours: 6am – 10pm' - painful. 6. Your keycard expires and you have to go back down to reception Ah! Finally back to the room and ready for a good night's sleep. Hold on, what's that – a swipe and a red light? We've all had this frustrating episode where your keycard has lost its charge, so you need to go all the way back down to reception to get it fixed. 7. The maid walks in even though the 'Do not Disturb' sign is displayed You're enjoying a peaceful lie-in and the “do not disturb” sign is displayed, but suddenly you hear a rapid succession of knocks and the door creeping open at the same time. “Sorry, sorry!” Either the staff can't read or they are just looking to catch you in a compromising position! hotel chamberrmaid 8. The lift is broken (when your room is on the 23rd floor) You never pack lightly so are counting on the porter to save the day. To your horror, you soon discover there is no porter, the lift is out of order and you're staying on the 23rd floor. Get ready to climb the hotel version of Everest. 9. The dodgy air-con unit You're swelteringly hot, but at least there's air-con. Not so fast! The unit looks like it's been sitting there since the 1970s and all it seems to be doing is coughing out mountains of dust and making enough noise to guarantee everyone a sleepless night. 10. Realising that people can see into your room Always beware of city hotels that are surrounded by skyscrapers, especially in Manhattan (unfortunately this relates to personal experience). When you drop your towel after getting out of the shower, you may not realise that a business meeting is going on in the board room opposite. Oh the shame... 11. WiFi is slow and costs a fortune You really need WiFi, so you've got no choice but to pay the extortionate equivalent of £5 an hour for internet access. The problem is, it's so painfully slow that a carrier pigeon would deliver the message quicker. man on laptop in coffee shop 12. Plug sockets in weird places It would make sense to have a socket by the bed, right? No deal. You find yourself on all fours searching around the room to find the nearest socket only to find it hidden on the wall behind the armchair. Helpful. 13. The shower is impossible to figure out Sometimes it feels like you need a degree in plumbing to figure out how to turn on a hotel shower. Firstly, it's impossible to work out how to change the water from pouring out of the tap to the shower head. Then the temperature becomes obstacle number two. Either it's boiling hot or freezing cold, there's no middle ground. 14. Dim lighting Why is it that there are half a dozen light switches but the room still resembles a dimly-lit cave once you've switched them all on? The desk lamp, the bedside lamps, the standing light, the porch light – they’re all on, but you still feel like you need a head torch to find the bathroom. 15. The day you check-out, there are extras on your bill Having put up with all of the above, your stay is finished off in style when you get a bill under your door with minibar items you haven't consumed and room service you didn't order. Get ready for the inevitable argument at the front desk before you leave. couple using tablets Remember, Skyscanner also do hotels (and hostels and apartments). Find your perfect stay at the best price - hopefully with no annoying things whatsover!About Hotels in Norway – Hotel rating & classification Hotels in Norway - Hotel rating. Balestrand fjord village, Sognefjord. Photo by CH, Innovation NorwayAbout Hotels in Norway – Hotel rating & classification There is no official hotel rating or classification in Norway, hence there are no common rules of what to expect of the room standard, common areas and services of the various hotels. We use the 3* and 4* descriptions just as an estimate of the standard and services of the hotels included in our tours, and the star estimate is meant to give our international customers a rough idea of the hotel standard. The hotel, room standard and service level in Norway & Scandinavia might be experienced as lower than expected based on the general price level. Price option B – 3* When we use the 3* description we normally refer to bed & breakfast hotels; hotels without hotel restaurants, bars, room service etc. The rooms have private shower & toilet facilities, TV, towels and normally a hair drier. Buffet breakfast in a common breakfast room. Price option A – 4* When we use the 4* description we normally refer to a hotel with a higher degree of service and common facilities than a 3* hotel; normally with a restaurant, bar and room service (not necessarily 24 hours a day). The rooms have private shower & toilet facilities, TV, towels, hair drier and normally trousers press or ironing facilities. Some hotels have a mini bar in the room and only a very few hotels have a private safe in the room. We also define Thon City hotels as price category A, as these hotels are centrally located with modern and comfortable rooms with minibar etc, although the hotels normally don’t have their own restaurant. The room standard and common facilities may vary depending on the geographic location; normally higher in the larger cities than in the rural areas of southern Norway and in the Arctic areas of northern Norway. Ranthambhore National Resort Laundry Internet Recreation Area Swimming Pool Restaurant Price Start 4,200/ Night (Incl. All Meals for 02 Person) View Rates Sher Vilas Luxury Air Conditioned Maharaja Tents and Deluxe Rooms. Swimming Pool. Wi-FI Resort. Price Start 5,000/ Night (Incl. All Meals for 02 Person) View Rates Ankur Resort Cottage Accommodation (AC and Air-cooled). Swimming Pool. Restaurant. Large Outdoor Areas. Price Start 3,500/ Night (Incl. All Meals for 02 Person) View Rates Ananta Palace Ranthambore Multi-cuisine Restaurant Conference/Meeting Hall Bar - Under Planning Swimming Pool Price Start 3,700/ Night (Incl. All Meals for 02 Person) View Rates Hotel Raj palace Laundry service Swimming Pool. Convenient parking. Conference hall Price Start 4,200/ Night (Incl. All Meals for 02 Person) View Rates Vatika Resort Credit Cards Accepted Restaurant Air Conditioning Luggage Storage Price Start 3,800/ Night (Incl. All Meals for 02 Person) View Rates Sanctuary Resort Internet/E-mail. Money Changing. Car Parking. Doctor on Call. Price Start 4,000/ Night (Incl. All Meals for 02 Person) View Rates Ranthambhore Heritage Haveli Resort Laundry Internet Recreation Area Swimming Pool Restaurant Price Start 5,000/ Night (Incl. All Meals for 02 Person) View Rates Deluxe Resorts/Hotels in Ranthambore Tiger Moon Resorts Currency exchange Swimming pool Wildlife library Camel cart rides Safe locker Price Start 5,500/ Night (Incl. All Meals for 02 Person) View Rates Ranthambhore Forest Resort AC Accommodation with Large rooms Swimming Pool Restaurant Large Open Area Price Start 7,000/ Night (Incl. All Meals for 02 Person) View Rates Abrar Palace & Jungle Camp Conference and Banquet Hall Lounge Bar Souvenir Shop SPA & Massage Centre. Price Start 7,000/ Night (Incl. All Meals for 02 Person) View Rates Tiger Den Resort Separate sitting area Swimming Pool Restaurant Large Open Area Price Start 7,000/ Night (Incl. All Meals for 02 Person) View Rates Ranthambore Regency Conference Room Visa/MasterCard Currency Exchange Internet/email - Cyber Cafe Price Start 7,200/ Night (Incl. All Meals for 02 Person) View Rates Ranthambore Kothi Resort & Spa Swimming Pool Spa Private Parking Banquet Bar Children facility Indoor and outdoor garden area Conference Hall Price Start 9,000/ Night (Incl. All Meals for 02 Person) View Rates Annexe Haveli Money Exchanger Internet Recreation Area Swimming Pool Restaurant Price Start 12,250/ Night (Incl. All Meals for 02 Person) View Rates Regenta Resort Vanya Mahal Money Exchanger Internet Recreation Area Swimming Pool Restaurant Price Start 6,500/ Night (Incl. All Meals for 02 Person) View Rates Luxury Resorts/Hotels in Ranthambore Dev Vilas Conference room Sunset Terrace Internet connectivity Wheel chair Safe deposit lockers Parking Price Start 11,000/ Night (Incl. All Meals for 02 Person) View Rates Tree House Anuraga Gymnasium Swimming Pool Spa Baby sitting and Kids Services Outdoor and Indoor Play area for kids Conference Room Yoga on call Price Start 9,000/ Night (Incl. All Meals for 02 Person) View Rates Khem Vilas Mini bar Shopping arcade Wi-Fi Internet connectivity Price Start 13,850/ Night (Incl. All Meals for 02 Person) View Rates Nahargarh Bar/pub Multi-cuisine Restaurant Coffee shop Airport transfer Price Start 15,000/ Night (Incl. All Meals for 02 Person) View Rates Taj Sawai Madhopur Lodge High speed Internet access Concierge Fitness equipments Babysitting Meeting room Banquet facilities Price Start 28,000/ Night (Incl. All Meals for 02 Person) View Rates Sher Bagh Internet connection Campfire Bar Dining tent Jungle Spa Swimming Pool Price Start 48,000/ Night (Incl. All Meals for 02 Person) View Rates High End Resorts /Hotels in Ranthambore Oberoi Vanya Vilas Luxury Spa Fire place Internet connection Foreign exchange Price Start 51,000/ Night View Rates Aman-I-Khas Luxury Spa Fire place Internet connection Foreign exchange Price Start $1,200/ Night View Rates 123K 346 31 Google +56 33 21 Ranthambore National Park Ranthambore National Park Wildlife Package G. T. With Ranthambore Golden Triangle With Tigers Ranthambore & Corbett with Agra Taj & Ranthambore Park ...more Ranthambore Tigers Story Dollar T-25 Jhumru T-20 Star Male T-28 Ranthambore Tigers Book ...more Places To See Ranthambore Fort Rajbagh Talao Malik Talao ...more Hotels & Resorts Taj Sawai Madhopur Lodge Tiger Moon Resort Vanya Vilas Resort Dev Vilas ...more Wild Animals Birds Flora Safari Timing Place Near Ranthambore Agra Jaipur ...more Travel Information Safari Timing Safari Zones Time To Visit Ranthambore Map Hotel stays: 10 things you should really know about hotels 3 If you tip hotel staff they will often go that extra mile to add something special to your stay. 123rf If you tip hotel staff they will often go that extra mile to add something special to your stay. This is a topic made for nervous nellies. Stay away from the coffee maker in your room because who knows what's gone in apart from H2O. Truly? Bedspreads, blankets and duvets are rarely cleaned. Big reveal? It costs around $30 to dry clean a duvet, want that added to your hotel bill? Hotel light switches and TV remotes are flagged as germ factories, worse than a toilet seat in a third-world slum the advice mongers will tell you, almost as bad as airline tray tables but really, are you advising that I swab every touchable surface with an antibacterial wipe? Germophobes – you can stay home in your bio-hazard suit, the rest of us have a life. A concierege's reputation rides on you having a good time, so they'll only recommend good places. 123RF A concierege's reputation rides on you having a good time, so they'll only recommend good places. Here are 10 things about hotels you do need to know. Read more: * Your hotel sheets might be much dirtier than you think * Five surprisingly gross areas of a hotel room * Ten things you should never do in a hotel room Overbooking It's not cheap to wash a duvet, so don't expect it to be done. 123RF It's not cheap to wash a duvet, so don't expect it to be done. Just like airlines, hotels know that some guests who booked a room are not going to show up so they overbook to ensure a full house. If it should happen that all the booked guests arrive you might be out of luck. If the hotel behaves honourably, you should get "walked" to another property. While you're supposed to get a room in a hotel at least equal to the one that's been snatched you might feel you've missed out, in which case a letter to the general manager and a salvo on TripAdvisor is salve to the wounds. In a worst-case scenario you will simply be shunted out the front door, end of story. You'll get a refund, and in most countries you can take legal action against the hotel under consumer protection legislation but if you're from out of country, the hotel knows that's probably not going to happen. Also just like airlines, the guests least likely to be relocated are those who have displayed their loyalty to the hotel or brand via previous bookings. The freebies Ad Feedback Toiletries and toweling slippers, and by the way they're the perfect footwear for long flights, nab 'em. The hotel doesn't care, those slippers are not intended for more than one pair of feet and toiletries that have been partially used are replaced, never refilled. Resort fees You've scored a bargain deal at a great hotel in Hawaii, but when you show up at the front desk the hotel charges you another $25 per night to cover the use of the pool, the Wi-Fi, the gym and whatever else the hotel can think of. There's no dodge, you can't decline on the basis of no-use, no-pay. Resort fees work like a charm for hotels since they allow them to advertise a lower base rate that makes them look cheap alongside their competitors and since they're charged at the front desk, all the revenue goes straight into the hotel's pocket without an online travel agent trousering their cut. Resort fees have spread like wildfire in spots in the USA such as Las Vegas and Hawaii and even into the Caribbean and Mexican resort centres. Despite consumer disquiet in the USA, the Federal Trade Commission has declined to take action to require that resort fees be fully disclosed on the hotels own websites, as well as on third-party booking sites. The concierge "Tell 'em I sent you," says the concierge as he sends you on your way to a restaurant he's just recommended. "Red carpet treatment coming up," you might think. More likely that the concierge is getting a slice of the pie. That's not a reason to diss your concierge's restaurant, bar, tour or shopping recommendation. Any decent concierge will put quality ahead of kickback every time, their reputation rides on you having a good time, and an unhappy customer broadcasting their discontent in the lobby is death to them. The word of the concierge is not gospel, but they're on your side. Crockery Even in a swank joint your time-pressed housekeeper does not replace cups and glasses with fresh, sterilised items supplied by the hotel kitchen. What he or she will do is rinse them to remove any visible signs of use, lipstick etc, buff them with a cloth or maybe even the used bathroom towel that's being replaced and voila, as good as new. I must have drunk from several hundred of these cups and glasses and guess what? The human body is a truly remarkable organism. Tipsters Staff talk. Those who tip are known. If you tip hotel staff, and there are some places such as New York City where you should, staff will often go that extra mile to add something special to your stay. The relevant time to tip is immediately after a service has been performed – the porter who totes your bags, the doorman who gets you a cab, the concierge – not when you're waving farewell. Smoke detectors work I was recently staying at a hotel in Hong Kong when the fire alarm went off at around 2 a.m. Sirens, fire engines outside, the whole shebang. I was staying on the 26th floor so I did what anyone would do and tried my best to ignore the racket since a long walk down the stairwell was a last resort. When I asked at the front desk next morning a smoker had triggered the fire alarm, busted big time, and contrary to hotel policy. The hotel would be adding HK$5000 to the guest's bill. I was still tired from the early wake-up call but schadenfreude is a great mood enhancer. Threats Been short changed by your hotel in some way or other and threatening to vent on social media? The hotel manager might care, the front desk staff probably won't. Most hotel staff will do their best to fix a problem but it pays to make nice. Threaten, rage, intimidate and you've blown it. Hotel staff can't get mad but they can get even, and they have lots of ways to do that. Do not disturb Hotel staff respect that sign. Activate that red light or hang the sign on your doorknob and they would need a powerful reason to even knock at your door. If you have any reason to suspect that your hotel security might not be up to scratch, that little sign could help keep your belongings safe. Commission rates When you book a hotel room through an online travel agent their slice of the fee is between 15 and 25 per cent. It can even creep higher if the hotel wants more favourable exposure on the OTA's website. The person behind the check-in desk gets to see the OTA's cut but you do not, lest the words "rip off" should pass your lips. The big players are Expedia, which owns Hotels.com, Wotif, Hotwire.com, trivago, Orbitz, HomeAway and Venere among others, and Priceline, which owns Booking.com, KAYAK and agoda.com as well as several more. Between them Expedia and Priceline now control about 85 per cent of the online hotel booking market in Australia. Contractual arrangements prevent those hotels from offering a lower rate than those advertised on OTA websites. Although you won't get a cheaper price if you book direct with the hotel you might get a better room or other perks that are the hotel's way of saying "thanks". The OTAs also benefit from the valuable guest data that comes their way with each booking, including email address and credit card information. 1. Four Rooms (1995) 6.7/10 Four interlocking tales that take place in a fading hotel on New Year's Eve. (98 mins.) Director: Allison Anders, Alexandre Rockwell Stars: Tim Roth, Amanda De Cadenet, David Proval, Jennifer Beals Add to Watchlist Image of Hotel 2. Hotel (1967) 6.6/10 A historical New Orleans hotel struggles to financially survive while the dramas of its various guests unfold. (124 mins.) Director: Richard Quine Stars: Rod Taylor, Catherine Spaak, Karl Malden, Melvyn Douglas Add to Watchlist Image of The Grand Budapest Hotel 3. The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) 8.1/10 The adventures of Gustave H, a legendary concierge at a famous hotel from the fictional Republic of Zubrowka between the first and second World Wars, and Zero Moustafa, the lobby boy who becomes his most trusted friend. (99 mins.) Director: Wes Anderson Stars: Ralph Fiennes, F. Murray Abraham, Mathieu Amalric, Adrien Brody Add to Watchlist Image of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel 4. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011) 7.3/10 British retirees travel to India to take up residence in what they believe is a newly restored hotel. Less luxurious than advertised, the Marigold Hotel nevertheless slowly begins to charm in unexpected ways. (124 mins.) Director: John Madden Stars: Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Maggie Smith, Tom Wilkinson Add to Watchlist Image of Grand Hotel 5. Grand Hotel (1932) 7.6/10 A group of very different individuals staying at a luxurious hotel in Berlin deal with each of their respective dramas. (112 mins.) Director: Edmund Goulding Stars: Greta Garbo, John Barrymore, Joan Crawford, Wallace Beery Add to Watchlist Image of For Love or Money 6. For Love or Money (1993) 6.1/10 Doug is a young man who works all day as a concierge at a luxurious hotel, saving money to make his own business... (96 mins.) Director: Barry Sonnenfeld Stars: Michael J. Fox, Gabrielle Anwar, Anthony Higgins, Michael Tucker Add to Watchlist Image of Hotel Babylon 7. Hotel Babylon (2006 TV Series) 7.7/10 At a posh urban hotel, the love lives and whims of its wealthy guests are attended to by hard-working staff who have their own troubles with love. (60 mins.) Stars: Dexter Fletcher, Martin Marquez, Michael Obiora, Pascoe Willis Add to Watchlist Image of Hotel 8. Hotel (1983 TV Series) 6.6/10 The misadventures of the staff and guests of the St. Gregory Hotel. (60 mins.) Stars: James Brolin, Connie Sellecca, Nathan Cook, Shari Belafonte Add to Watchlist Image of Endgame 9. Endgame (2011 TV Series) 7.7/10 Endgame is an original drama series centering on brilliant chess master, Arkady Balagan. Traumatized by the murder of his fiancée... (60 mins.) Stars: Shawn Doyle, Patrick Gallagher, Katharine Isabelle, Carmen Aguirre Add to Watchlist Image of The Grand 10. The Grand (1997 TV Series) 7.6/10 At the end of World War I, the Bannerman family re-opens the Grand Hotel after a lengthy closure and a costly re-furbishing... (60 mins.) Stars: Paul Warriner, Rebecca Callard, Susan Hampshire, Tim Healy Add to Watchlist Image of Gran Hotel 11. Gran Hotel (2011 TV Series) 8.5/10 1905. Julio, a young man, arrives at the Grand Hotel, an idyllic place in the middle of the countryside... (60 mins.) Stars: Adriana Ozores, Amaia Salamanca, Yon González, Eloy Azorín Add to Watchlist Image of At the Hotel 12. At the Hotel (2006 TV Series) 6.0/10 Stars: Benz Antoine, Nigel Bennett, Matthew Edison, Martha Henry Add to Watchlist Image of Das Adlon. Eine Familiensaga 13. Das Adlon. Eine Familiensaga (2013 Mini-Series) 7.4/10 About the family who established the Adlon Hotel in Berlin. (270 mins.) Stars: Josefine Preuß, Heino Ferch, Marie Bäumer, Wotan Wilke Möhring Add to Watchlist Image of Fawlty Towers 14. Fawlty Towers (1975 TV Series) 8.8/10 Hotel owner Basil Fawlty's incompetence, short fuse, and arrogance form a combination that ensures accidents and trouble are never far away. (30 mins.) Stars: John Cleese, Prunella Scales, Andrew Sachs, Connie Booth Add to Watchlist Image of Las Vegas 15. Las Vegas (2003 TV Series) 7.5/10 Welcome to the Montecito Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, where you can do anything you want... but Ed Deline and his crack surveillance team will be watching. Just remember, what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas... (60 mins.) Stars: Josh Duhamel, James Caan, James Lesure, Vanessa Marcil Add to Watchlist Image of The Bellboy 16. The Bellboy (1960) 6.5/10 In Miami Beach, the mute bellboy Stanley works at the luxurious Fontainebleau Hotel. In spite of being a serviceable and friendly employee, the clumsy Stanley gets successively into trouble with his mistakes. (72 mins.) Director: Jerry Lewis Stars: Jerry Lewis, Alex Gerry, Bob Clayton, Sonnie Sands Add to Watchlist Image of Blame It on the Bellboy 17. Blame It on the Bellboy (1992) 5.4/10 Messrs Lawton (a hit-man), Horton (expecting some middle-aged dating agency nooky) and Orton (checking... (78 mins.) Director: Mark Herman Stars: Bronson Pinchot, Dudley Moore, Bryan Brown, Richard Griffiths Add to Watchlist Image of Blonde Crazy 18. Blonde Crazy (1931) 7.1/10 Adventures of a cocky con man and his glamorous accomplice. (79 mins.) Director: Roy Del Ruth Stars: James Cagney, Joan Blondell, Louis Calhern, Noel Francis Add to Watchlist Image of Plaza Suite 19. Plaza Suite (1971) 6.6/10 Three vignettes, each set in room 719 of New York's Plaza Hotel, make up this comedy. (114 mins.) Director: Arthur Hiller Stars: Walter Matthau, Maureen Stapleton, Barbara Harris, Lee Grant Add to Watchlist Image of California Suite 20. California Suite (1978) 6.2/10 Misadventures of four groups of guests at the Beverly Hills Hotel. (103 mins.) Director: Herbert Ross Stars: Jane Fonda, Alan Alda, Maggie Smith, Michael Caine Add to Watchlist Image of Chelsea on the Rocks 21. Chelsea on the Rocks (2008 Documentary) 6.0/10 Chelsea on the Rocks celebrates the personalities and artistic voices that have emerged from the legendary residence... (89 mins.) Director: Abel Ferrara Stars: Ira Cohen, Gerald Busby, Stanley Bard, Quentin Crisp Add to Watchlist Image of Hotel Berlin 22. Hotel Berlin (1945) 6.7/10 Near the end of WW II, a member of the German underground (Martin Richter) escapes from the Gestapo and takes shelter at Hotel Berlin... (98 mins.) Director: Peter Godfrey Stars: Faye Emerson, Helmut Dantine, Raymond Massey, Andrea King Add to Watchlist Image of Maid in Manhattan 23. Maid in Manhattan (2002) 5.1/10 A senatorial candidate falls for a hotel maid, thinking she is a socialite when he sees her trying on a wealthy woman's dress. (105 mins.) Director: Wayne Wang Stars: Jennifer Lopez, Ralph Fiennes, Natasha Richardson, Stanley Tucci Add to Watchlist Image of The Night Porter 24. The Night Porter (1974) 6.8/10 After a chance meeting at a hotel in 1957, a Holocaust survivor and the Nazi officer who tortured her resume their sadomasochistic relationship. (118 mins.) Director: Liliana Cavani Stars: Dirk Bogarde, Charlotte Rampling, Philippe Leroy, Gabriele Ferzetti Add to Watchlist Image of Hotel Rwanda 25. Hotel Rwanda (2004) 8.1/10 Paul Rusesabagina was a hotel manager who housed over a thousand Tutsi refugees during their struggle against the Hutu militia in Rwanda. (121 mins.) Director: Terry George Stars: Don Cheadle, Sophie Okonedo, Joaquin Phoenix, Xolani Mali Add to Watchlist Image of Pretty Woman 26. Pretty Woman (1990) 6.9/10 A man in a legal but hurtful business needs an escort for some social events, and hires a beautiful prostitute he meets... only to fall in love. (119 mins.) Director: Garry Marshall Stars: Richard Gere, Julia Roberts, Jason Alexander, Laura San Giacomo Add to Watchlist Image of Casino 27. Casino (1995) 8.2/10 Greed, deception, money, power, and murder occur between two best friends: a mafia enforcer and a former sports handicapper turned casino executive, for a trophy wife over a gambling empire. (178 mins.) Director: Martin Scorsese Stars: Robert De Niro, Sharon Stone, Joe Pesci, James Woods Add to Watchlist Image of Tower Heist 28. Tower Heist (2011) 6.2/10 When a group of hard-working guys find out they've fallen victim to their wealthy employer's Ponzi scheme, they conspire to rob his high-rise residence. (104 mins.) Director: Brett Ratner Stars: Eddie Murphy, Ben Stiller, Casey Affleck, Alan Alda Add to Watchlist Image of Guest House Paradiso 29. Guest House Paradiso (1999) 6.1/10 Richie and Eddie are in charge of the worst hotel in the UK, Guest House Paradiso, neighbouring a nuclear power plant... (89 mins.) Director: Adrian Edmondson Stars: Rik Mayall, Adrian Edmondson, Bill Nighy, Kate Ashfield Add to Watchlist Image of Grand Hotel Excelsior 30. Grand Hotel Excelsior (1982) 5.7/10 Taddeus is the manager of the Grand Hotel Excelsior. The Summer season begins in May and since then many odd persons frequent the hotel... (115 mins.) Director: Castellano, Pipolo Stars: Adriano Celentano, Enrico Montesano, Carlo Verdone, Diego Abatantuono Add to Watchlist Image of Miss Marple: At Bertram's Hotel 31. Miss Marple: At Bertram's Hotel (1987 TV Movie) 7.6/10 During a stay at one of London's most elegant and venerable hotels Miss Marple uncovers a sinister undercurrent of corruption and murder beneath Bertram's stuffy veneer. (110 mins.) Director: Mary McMurray Stars: Joan Hickson, Caroline Blakiston, Helena Michell, James Cossins Add to Watchlist Image of Agatha Christie's Marple: At Bertram's Hotel 32. Agatha Christie's Marple (2004 TV Series) Episode: At Bertram's Hotel (2007) 7.2/10 Miss Marple spends a holiday in a luxurious London hotel. The sinister atmosphere, the odd disappearance of a clergyman and the murder of the commissionaire moves her on the trail of a clever criminal gang. (93 mins.) Stars: Geraldine McEwan, Julia McKenzie, Stephen Churchett, Greg Bennett Add to Watchlist Image of Grandhotel 33. Grandhotel (2006) 6.1/10 In this whimsical, rather fey movie in a setting that's both shabby (the city) and grand (the landscape)... (97 mins.) Director: David Ondrícek Stars: Marek Taclík, Klára Issová, Jaroslav Plesl, Jaromír Dulava Add to Watchlist Image of Hotel Malibu 34. Hotel Malibu (1994 TV Series) 5.9/10 (60 mins.) Stars: Joanna Cassidy, Cheryl Pollak, John Dye, Harry O'Reilly Add to Watchlist Image of The Rosebud Beach Hotel 35. The Rosebud Beach Hotel (1984) 4.3/10 After taking over a failing Miami hotel with her workaholic fiance, Elliot, Tracy thinks Monique Gabrielle has seduced her better half-to-be... (83 mins.) Director: Harry Hurwitz Stars: Colleen Camp, Peter Scolari, Christopher Lee, Fran Drescher Add to Watchlist Image of Hotel Cæsar 36. Hotel Cæsar (1998 TV Series) 2.7/10 Hotel Cæsar is the longest running soap in Scandinavia premiered October 24. 1998 on TV2, Norway's first and strongest commercial broadcaster... (30 mins.) Director: Thomas Kaiser Stars: Anette Hoff, Kim Kolstad, Sossen Krohg, Tom Eddie Brudvik Add to Watchlist Image of Hotel Polan und seine Gäste 37. Hotel Polan und seine Gäste (1982 TV Series) 7.9/10 (343 mins.) Stars: Elzbieta Starostecka, Dieter Montag, Hans-Joachim Frank, Kalina Jedrusik Add to Watchlist Image of Hotel Pacific 38. Hotel Pacific (1975) 7.4/10 A teenage country boy starts working in a restaurant of the famous Pacific Hotel in the 1930s. He soon discovers that to get promoted one needs to conform and sacrifice his dignity. (94 mins.) Director: Janusz Majewski Stars: Marek Kondrat, Roman Wilhelmi, Roman Skamene, Cestmír Randa Add to Watchlist Image of La locandiera 39. La locandiera (1980) 5.8/10 (109 mins.) Director: Paolo Cavara Stars: Claudia Mori, Adriano Celentano, Paolo Villaggio, Marco Messeri Add to Watchlist Image of Hotelier 40. Hotelier (2001 TV Series) 7.4/10 About a businessman who wants to take over a hotel and destroy the business into pieces. he gets to know the staffs and falls in love with one of them without telling them what is his purpose living so long in this hotel. Director: Yong-woo Chung Stars: Hwa-jeong Choi, Yong-jun Bae, Jin-hie Han, Jun-ho Heo Add to Watchlist Image of Le concierge 41. Le concierge (1973) 5.4/10 A brilliant yet unemployed university graduate becomes the caretaker of a high-end apartment building, where he makes himself indispensable. (100 mins.) Director: Jean Girault Stars: Michel Galabru, Bernard Le Coq, Maureen Kerwin, Jean Carmet Add to Watchlist Five myths about hotels Everett Potter, Special for USA TODAY Published 5:02 a.m. ET April 12, 2016 | Updated 5:52 p.m. ET May 8, 2016 CLOSE Many hotel booking sites claim to have a 'best rate guarantee' to save you money. But there are often hidden stipulations that can backfire on you. Here are 3 tips to ensure you get the most bang for your buck. VPC 635959944686247169-ThinkstockPhotos-520542221.jpg (Photo: Getty Images/iStockphoto) CONNECTTWEET 385 LINKEDINCOMMENTEMAILMORE Hotels myths are legion and legendary. A popular one, now widely refuted, says that all of your identity and credit card information is stored on your electronic room key card. It isn’t, in fact, but here are five more myths that many travelers believe when they check into a hotel. 1. At brand-name hotels, when they say all of our rooms are the same, they mean it. Regardless of whether it’s a big brand or an independent hotel, no two rooms are exactly the same in a hotel. How could they be? Of course, that doesn’t mean that a hotel won’t try to convince you otherwise. “They certainly want you to think they mean it,” says Jacob Tomsky, a veteran hotel worker and the author of the hotel expose, Heads in Beds: A Reckless Memoir of Hotels, Hustles and So-Called Hospitality. “But it’s absolutely untrue. Every hotel, every floor, has structural differences. Room sizes change, views change, and yet they all remain listed under the same price category, all identical in eyes of the system. A hotel wants you to think they’re all the same, because someone has to stay in the bad rooms. ” Tomsky points out instances where a room on each floor has lost half its bathroom because it was built adjacent to the floor’s ice machine or an elevator shaft is cutting into the size of a bedroom. “Even if the square footage and the layout are the same, not every room is in the same prime location,” says Christine Sarkis, senior editor at SmarterTravel.com. “There's always a room that's louder and there's always the room with the view of the loading dock, the parking lot or the exhaust fans.” But all is not lost. When making a reservation, “be specific about the features you want in your room and be nice to front desk staff,” says Daniel Craig, a former hotel general manager and the president of Renown, a hotel consultancy. “They decide where to put you.“ Five myths about hotel housekeeping 2. On sold-out nights, a hotel always has an extra room available just in case. On the contrary, if the hotel is busy there’s a good chance it’s got more bookings than rooms available, Craig says. “If a hotel tells you it’s sold out, it’s sold out,” Craig says. “The No. 1 priority for hotels is a ‘perfect fill.’ That means that all rooms are occupied,” with no one “walked” to a competitor. In cases where a hotel does hold back an extra room or two, Tomsky says “that doesn’t mean you can have it. When a hotel is facing an oversold situation, and hotels often book to 110% capacity, betting on a 10% no-show rate, the hotel might begin claiming there are absolutely no more rooms very early on.” Five myths about bed and breakfasts 3. If you tell the hotel that you’re on your honeymoon, you can expect an automatic upgrade. No way, says Tomsky. While a hotel will always attempt to enhance any special occasion reservation, “it’s also always someone’s anniversary, someone’s birthday, a honeymoon. And people say anything to get an upgrade. It doesn’t even matter if it’s true or not. If we can help, maybe we will. If we don’t want to, perhaps we won’t. There is no automatic upgrade. So be kind to the desk and sensitive to that.” Even if there’s a chance of an upgrade, getting it means certain stars have to align. For example, “there has to be a room to upgrade to and a minimal chance that the hotel will be able to fill it with a paying guest during your stay,” Sarkis says. She agrees with Tomsky that the front desk staffer has to want to upgrade you. “So unless you've arranged it in advance,” she says, “don't be surprised if you arrive at the front desk, declare that it's your honeymoon, and receive nothing but a congratulations in response.” If you really want an upgrade, “if it’s your wedding night or honeymoon, be sure to tell the hotel at time of reservation, and you’ll receive higher consideration if an upgrade is available,” Craig says. “But it’s by no means a guarantee. If you really want that suite with the heart-shaped vibrating bed, pay for it.” Five myths about all-inclusives 4. You’ll get a better deal booking directly with a hotel than with an online travel agency (OTA). One would think so, given that direct bookings are more profitable for hotels than third-party bookings. But Craig says that “due to rate parity clauses in agreements between hotels and OTAs, hotels are contractually obligated to not undersell OTAs. And due to general incompetence, many hotels allow OTAs to undercut them.” But he also acknowledges that travelers can resort to workarounds to get a better deal. Craig advises that travelers “shop on OTAs, then call the hotel directly and ask it to beat the offer. The hotel has more flexibility over the phone because the transaction isn’t public. And remember that the room rate is just part of the package. Hotels often have more flexibility with inclusions like parking, internet, breakfast and upgrades. If the hotel won’t match or beat the offer, find a hotel that will.” Plus many hotel brands now offer direct booking discounts and perks for members of their loyalty programs. Five myths about hotel spas 5. Certain nights of the week are automatically more expensive than others. A definite myth, agrees Tomsky, who adds that in the hotel business, “every night is just another night. Hotels mostly set rates on inventory-based algorithms and it doesn’t matter if it’s Wednesday or Saturday. If the beds are filling up, the rates are going up. And there are thousands of conventions and corporate meetings spanning any week, and weekends, almost all of which you are totally unaware of. Just because it’s Wednesday doesn’t mean the largest corgi convention in the Midwest hasn’t booked the entire town. And whatever rooms remain will be sold at a premium regardless what day of the week it might be.” But Craig begs to differ and says not only is there a reliably cheaper day to be found but it’s likely to be found on the weekend. “Sunday night is usually the cheapest night to stay in a hotel,” he says, “because it’s the hardest night to fill rooms.” He points out that if it’s a corporate hotel, demand will be lower on weekends so rates will generally be lower. If it’s a leisure hotel, demand will be higher on weekends so rates will generally be higher. But how does that make Sunday cheaper? “Most hotels try to attract both traveler types, and the typical flow is a massive exodus of leisure travelers on Sunday and a slow trickle of corporate travelers, who generally prefer to travel during the week,” he says. “So Sunday nights are the best opportunity to find attractive rates.”11 Annoying Things About Hotels Published November 13, 2011 Facebook Twitter livefyre Email Print As the Hotel-Tell All, Oyster is very well-traveled when it comes to hotels. We’ve seen it all — whether good or bad. Let it be known: after visiting thousands of hotels, the endless fees, poor service, and mediocre food, it starts to get irritating. 11. Valet Charges No parking? Don’t charge through the roof for valet parking. You know it’s our only choice and makes us bitter. Valet at The Angler's Boutique Resort Valet at The Angler's Boutique Resort More On This... Boutique Hotels at a Bargain and Borrowed Books for Kindle 12 Funny Signs 'Lost in Translation' 10. The Toilet Flush Demo We appreciate you showing us how to flush the toilet upon the room check-in tour, but come on! We’ve been able to do that by ourselves for a long time now. Bathroom in the Plaza King Room at The Plaza Bathroom in the Plaza King Room at The Plaza 9. The “Complimentary In-Room Treat” Please don’t provide a “complimentary basket” filled with treats upon room check in, and then secretly charge $3 for the biscuits lying right next to the basket. The Guestroom at the Halekulani The Guestroom at the Halekulani 8. The Resort Fee We’d love to be provided with an actual definition, explanation, and breakdown of what exactly “The Resort Fee” is. We understand all hotels do it these days, but if all your friends were jumping off of a bridge, would you? The Fairfax at Embassy Row, Washington, D.C. The Fairfax at Embassy Row, Washington, D.C. 7. The Lounge Chair Reserve When hotels allow guests to save lounge chairs by the pool by putting down a towel at 6 am, it makes other guests feel unworthy. We were under the impression that vacation was a time to relax – just because we’re not in mood for an early-morning-lounge-chair-brawl doesn’t mean we don’t deserve a chair of our own. If you’re not there, you’re not lounging. Lounge chairs by the pool at Treasure Island Lounge chairs by the pool at Treasure Island 6. Lounge Chair Charges Speaking of lounge chairs, charging for them and umbrellas is just stingy. We’ll be more likely to give a bigger tip if we’re not forced to pay for an amenity that should come with the hotel. The Lounge Chairs at The St. Regis Atlanta The Lounge Chairs at The St. Regis Atlanta 5. The $10 Bottle of Water We know that same bottle costs $1.59 at 7-11. You’re not fooling anybody. The Chambre Petite Room at the Mansfield Hotel The Chambre Petite Room at the Mansfield Hotel 4. Self-Written Reviews Listen, we’re Oyster. We know the real reviews from the fake ones. TripAdvisor TripAdvisor 3. The Photo Fakeout We’ve mastered the art of investigating Photo Fakeouts – Oyster’s most popular feature that exposes hotels’ deceiving marketing photos. Heads up: if your main pool is the size of a kiddie pool, no need to angle the camera so the viewers think it’s an Olympic size lap pool. We’ll likely call you out on it. Oyster's Photo Fakeouts Oyster's Photo Fakeouts 2. Mini Bars Where to begin… Minibar in the Deluxe Room at The Mirage Minibar in the Deluxe Room at The Mirage 1. WiFi Charges Get with the times. It’s like toilet paper and oxygen. Also, WiFi is provided free of charge, give us a good signal. There is nothing more frustrating than slow or unusable Internet. The Sivory Grand Suite at the Sivory Punta Cana Readers recommend: songs about hotels – results From grand palaces with Glenn Miller to more bijou establishments with Ella Fitzgerald, RR’s veteran Marconius checks in with songs from last week’s topic The Eagles You can check out any time you like … the Eagles. Photograph: CSU Archives/Everett Collect/REX Shares 6 Comments 33 Marco den Ouden Ouden Thursday 15 January 2015 12.57 GMT Last modified on Tuesday 14 February 2017 18.51 GMT Home is where the heart is, but a hotel is where the heart goes when it needs a break. Or needs to escape. Or to find refuge after a breakup. Or to hide away in loneliness. Or to have a fling. Or to cut loose and have some fun. Hotels are a metaphor for life. Chris Isaak’s Blue Hotel is one such metaphor. “Blue Hotel on a lonely highway,” he croons, with a resonant voice complemented by some great twangy guitar. Brook Benton also explores this theme, except his Hotel Loneliness turns into Hotel Happiness as he finds true love. Rough Silk’s driving rocker has our protagonist dreaming he’s checked into a hell of a hotel – literally! Lucifer’s Hotel (Hang Over City)! But it’s really a trial run. The devil tells him: “I just wanted to invite you as a guest to kill your fear ’cos you live so carefully that you don’t dare to live at all.” He should cut loose and live a little, not suffocate in his “self-made prison cell”. Grand hotels are not just venues to stay at while away from home. They often feature piano bars and ballrooms with live entertainment. One such was New York’s Hotel Pennsylvania in the 30s and 40s. Glenn Miller’s band played the Cafe Rouge there, and his classic Pennsylvania 6-5000 was inspired by the hotel’s phone number. Romantic trysts? Ella Fitzgerald wants to spend some time with her man. There’s a Small Hotel where they can “creep into our little shell,” a “bridal suite … to share together”. Richard Hawley has had his troubles in the love department, as has his friend, both “lost out of love once again”. They escape to a Hotel Room and find solace in each other’s arms, with a hint that maybe something better’s beginning. Of course, motels are notorious for hosting illicit relationships. Don Covay notes, to his horror and embarrassment, as “I Was Checkin’ Out, She Was Checkin’ In.” As the clerk gives his wife’s lover the keys, he observes that “the man gave him the same room” he had just shared with his girlfriend. Hoist on his own petard! Advertisement You can escape your troubles in the solitude of the hotel, and Warren Zevon is drowning his sorrows as he reflects on his alcoholism in the deeply personal Desperados Under the Eaves. The ultimate despair sees Yoko Ono contemplating suicide. “Age 39,” she thinks, “Looking Over From My Hotel Window, wondering if one should jump off or go to sleep.” The line “show me your blood, John, and I’ll show you mine” made me wonder if it was written after Lennon was murdered. In fact, Ono recorded it eight years before her husband’s death. Hotel workers were featured in a number of songs. Fischer-Z relates his encounter with Rosanna, the woman providing Room Service who speaks no English. Or does she? Billy Bragg and Wilco sing of a night clerk at the Hot Rod Hotel. His job includes cleaning up, but when some unruly guests leave “gobs of spit and condom rubbers on the windows, walls and doors” he quits in disgust. There were a number of songs about itinerant musicians and a couple with historical references. Most notable among these is the Old Crow Medicine Show’s account of the murder of Martin Luther King at a Motel in Memphis. But any list of songs about hotels would be incomplete without the most iconic hotel song of them all. The Eagles’ cryptic and haunting Hotel California is a fitting finale to this list with its fabulous two-minute guitar break, not sandwiched in the middle as most are, but at the end. A flashy end to the song and this playlist. The playlist