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How To Recognize A Luxury Hotel?

Experienced travelers have it on the tip of their finger and can spot a luxury hotel from a mile away. But what about the rookie adventurers who do not want to end up spending their whole vacation budget on a single night spent in a hotel? How can they recognize a luxurious hotel and avoid this mistake?

Many hotels around the world consider themselves luxurious. However, the standards which regulate the categorization of hotels vary greatly. A 3-star hotel in one country may pass as a 5 star in another. Keep reading and find out what is it that makes a hotel luxurious without looking at the price list.

Simple booking

High-end hotels take care of their clients` time. They are aware that people do not want to waste their holiday filling out forms or standing in line at the reception. The booking process has to be quick, effective and effortless.

Providing the promised quality

A luxury hotel will not jeopardize its reputation by offering clients rooms which are not identical to the ones showed at websites. A client expects what he has booked, and a proper luxury hotel will always deliver the promised level of quality.

Luxurious features

From high-end furniture to top-class bathroom amenities, a room in a luxury hotel has to win you over with quality and style. The unique furnishings, tasty decorations, high-tech amenities, stunning views and beautiful bathrooms, a true luxury hotel must have it all. Of course, we cannot leave out a good breakfast. A luxury hotel has to offer a rich, tasty and healthy breakfast.

A range of activities

A luxury hotel offers not only a room to sleep in but additional activities for their clients. Most luxury hotels offer indoor swimming pools, spa centers, fitness areas and many more amenities. Other features include hairdresser salons, beauty parlors, sports halls, tennis courts, conference areas and others.

Concierge services

A hotel without a concierge cannot be called a luxury hotel. A concierge is a person who is not only an employee of the hotel; it is a person you can count on. A concierge will take care of your flight arrangements, your theater tickets, and your taxi service. He will also explain where to have the best sushi in town and get you dinner reservations at the hottest restaurants. Indeed, a good concierge is what every luxury hotel needs.

Features Never Found In Luxury Hotels:

If you have ever stayed in 3 or 4 star hotels (as I am sure many of you reading this have over the years), there are a number of “features” or experiences that you will no doubt have had, that you will never experience at a luxury hotel.

Now, that is not to say that luxury hotels are lacking in any way, rather the opposite is true. Read on to discover some of these “features” or experiences that you will never endure at luxury hotels:

Extended Waits Checking In and Out:

3 and 4 star hotels are used by the vast majority of holiday goers, as they are somewhat cheap and cheerful. However, once check in time arrives, people seem to descend from everywhere, clamoring to get checked in to drop off their bags in the room.

The same is true of check out time. This does not happen in luxury hotels, as it is the staff’s top priority to ensure that you have the very best experience possible, right from the start.

Some luxury hotels enable you to check out, before you even leave your room, meaning all you have to do is drop off your room key before heading off on your journey home.

Sub Par Bedding:

They say that there is nothing like your own bed at home. Perhaps the person or persons who came up with this phrase never experienced beds in luxury hotels however!

3 or 4 star hotels all seem to have the same beds and bedding materials, usually hard mattresses (to ensure that they are acceptable to a range of tastes, and are hard wearing), while some luxury hotels will allow you to choose your preferred mattress and bedding material type, ahead of checking in.

No more rock hard mattress or scratchy blankets!

Food Choice – What Food Choice?!

3 or 4 star hotels normally have just 1 restaurant, and while there may be different cuisines on offer, these are usually a shadow of what the authentic cuisine should be, prepared with substitute ingredients, that have been stocked to cater to the wide ranging menu.

Luxury hotels will usually have several restaurant options on site, with specialized and authentic menu options, often prepared by a chef who specializes in that particular cuisine. You will know the difference immediately, as the correct ingredient will be used to ensure the freshest, tastiest experience possible.

This too is true of vegan or vegetarian options, as 3 or 4 star hotels may have only just 1 item on the menu to cater to your tastes, while luxury hotels will have a massive range to choose from.

General Surroundings:

3 and 4 star hotels are “adequately” decorated in both their rooms and public areas. Often favored by business people for meetings and “off the street” customers for food etc, these hotels are perfectly fine for short stays.

However, luxury hotels are prepared to the highest standards, ensuring that no matter where guests look, they are witnessing the very finest.

Why a Luxury Hotel Beats Out A Mediocre One Every Time

The time is fast approaching, where people all over the world decide it is time to book their holidays, in order to unwind, relax and cast off life’s stresses, if even for a little time.

For many out there, this is the one or two week period they look forward to most all year, so should it not make sense to try and ensure that the accommodation you choose while on that holiday is amongst the best possible?

Here are some reasons why a luxury hotel will beat out a mediocre one, every single time.

Services:

Some 3 or 4 star hotels are perfectly fine, decorated to high standard and quite comfortable. But often, there is something missing. Be it laundry service, room service options or the ability to get food at any time day or night, you will often find that lesser hotels are not exactly everything your heart desires.

You will often find that you need to make compromises to get the experience you really desire. Not so with a luxury hotel, who will usually do everything that a guest asks, to ensure that their experience is the very best possible.

The Comfort Factor:

It is safe to say that pretty much everybody reading this will have experienced 3 or 4 star hotels at least once while on their travels. Perhaps many of you have never experienced luxury hotels however. Comfort levels are night and day between the two.

While 3 and 4 star accommodation may seem comfortable at the time, once you have experienced the level of comfort offered in luxury hotels, you will find it next to impossible to ever revert back to booking 3 and 4 star hotels ever again.

Food Choices:

Again, 3 & 4 star hotels are perfectly fine when it comes to food offerings, that is if you are pretty easy going, and choice is not an issue for you. And indeed, many great chefs work in these hotels.

However, with that being said, luxury hotels will often have many different offerings, in many different settings (they may have different restaurants for different styles of cuisine, such as Italian or Asian).

Another issue you will often find, especially if you are vegan or a vegetarian is that, while your needs are catered to somewhat in 3 or 4 star hotels, there often is only just one choice on the menu for you – it does not take to long to get sick of seeing “”Nut Roast” on every single hotel menu you see!

Overall Experience:

The overall experiences between luxury and lesser hotels is totally different. While many in 3 or 4 star hotels simply return there in the evening, maybe have something to eat, and head for bed, repeating the next morning, those in luxury hotels find it hard to leave their surroundings – at all! You really need to experience the differences for yourself!