7-2 Eight Hotels with Unique Amenities

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In the competitive world of luxury travel, hotels will try anything to attract customers--from wine baths, pet psychics, and caviar facials to gourmet cooking classes, revolving rooms, and other extravagant extras.

Conrad Maldives Rangali Island – Maldive Islands

Believe it or not, the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island has an underwater restaurant. What’s more unbelievable is that the resort will transform it into a private guestroom upon request. The price (also available on request) of the Ithaa Suite includes a private champagne dinner and breakfast in bed.

Hôtel Plaza Athénée – Paris, France

Some lucky little girls will see their dreams come true at the glamorous Hôtel Plaza Athénée in Paris. The hotel features two completely customized Barbie rooms that look straight out of a Dream House (pink, pink, and more pink!). The two rooms (which connect to Deluxe rooms where parents can stay) are only available from August 6 until September 2 and cost a pretty penny: For the connecting rooms, expect to pay around $1,960 a night.

Hotel de Luxe - Portland, USA

The Hotel de Luxe in downtown Portland, OR, has dedicated the entire third floor of the hotel for pets and their human travel partners. The hotel offers everything from gourmet doggie room service menus to doggie acupuncture or massages. Topping the list of services? Telephone and in-room pet psychic readings, meant to strengthen the bond between man and beast.

Epic Hotel – Miami, USA

Vertically-gifted guests can now stretch out in specialty rooms at downtown Miami’s Epic Hotel: The “tall rooms” feature extra-long beds and raised shower heads in the bathrooms.

Loews Coronado Bay Resort - San Diego, USA

The Loews Coronado Bay Resort in San Diego has a 33-foot gondola equipped with two professional massage beds. After leaving the resort’s private marina, guests enjoy a 40-minute massage amid sea breezes and the gentle rocking of the gondola as it cruises the canals and waterways of the Coronado Cays. Prudently, massage sessions start with sunscreen application and end with champagne and strawberries.

Six Senses Hideaway - Zighy Bay, Oman

Guests of the Six Senses Hideaway at Zighy Bay in Oman can arrive at the hotel from the airport three different ways: By speedboat, by Jeep, or by strapping yourself to a professional paraglider and soaring to the resort’s front steps from a nearby cliff.

Tides Riviera Maya - Playa Del Carmen, Mexico

After guests check-in, a staff member—the so-called Soap Concierge—stops by the villas at the Tides Riviera Maya to slice off samples of different soaps. The soaps are all made locally following ancient Mayan recipes. Guests may stick with one scent (which include cinnamon, mint, and aloe vera) or switch nightly.

Grand Hi Lai Hotel - Kaohsiung, Taiwan

The Grand Hi Lai Tawain comes complete with giant Hello Kitty figures, Hello Kitty bathroom amenities, and a Hello Kitty car with a driver.

(b) Reading: How to Provide Information About Hotel Facilities

You must know about all the events that are taking place in your hotel:

Special promotions, major activities, general concepts of the different restaurants, prices, timings, entertainment, room rates for the different seasons, etc. Information is part of your uniform. The more you know the more professional you appear.

Always recommend own hotel facilities as being the best option available in town.

Only give out information if you are 1000% sure of your answer. Never mislead your guest as wrong information can have a disastrous effect on your individual professionalism and on the guest's image of our hotel.

You might not have an answer to a few details such as group rates, seasonal room rates etc… Simply acknowledge the fact and ask the guest if they will allow you to find out the correct information: "I do not know the exact answer to your question Sir/Madam, but if you allow me 10 minutes, I will make enquiries and come back to you". If the guest is calling by telephone, ask for their contact number so you can call back.

Some information such as occupancy and revenue is classified as confidential. We are not allowed to disclose confidential material. Displaying tactfulness, avoid giving a specific answer to the guest, for example, "How high is your occupancy rate?" Answer: "Throughout the year we run an average 90% occupancy rate".

Vocabulary

Word	Meaning	Example
gourmet	related to good food and drink	The gourmet chef owned a French restaurant.
extravagant	recklessly wasteful; unrestrained	In the competitive world of luxury travel, hotels will try anything to attract customers--from wine baths, pet psychics, and caviar facials to gourmet cooking classes, revolving rooms, and other extravagant extras.
transform	change or alter in form, appearance, or nature	What’s more unbelievable is that the resort will transform it into a private guestroom upon request.
glamorous	having an air of allure, romance and excitement	Some lucky little girls will see their dreams come true at the glamorous Hôtel Plaza Athénée in Paris.
feature	a prominent attribute or aspect of something	The hotel features two completely customized Barbie rooms that look straight out of a Dream House.
dedicated	devoted to a cause or ideal or purpose	The Hotel de Luxe in downtown Portland has dedicated the entire third floor of the hotel for pets and their human travel partners.
menu	a list of dishes available at a restaurant	The hotel offers everything from gourmet doggie room service menus to doggie acupuncture or massages.
specialty	an asset of special worth or utility	Vertically-gifted guests can now stretch out in specialty rooms at downtown Miami’s Epic Hotel: The “tall rooms” feature extra-long beds and raised shower heads in the bathrooms.
recipe	directions for making something	The soaps are all made locally following ancient Mayan recipes.
promotion	encouragement of the progress or growth or acceptance of something	The hotel is having a special promotion for newlyweds next month.
major	a large, important part of something	A major part (45%) of their business comes from wedding banquets.
concept	an abstract or general idea inferred or derived from specific instances	The new concept for the children's hospital is to have each room decorated in Disney themes.
image	a visual representation (of an object or scene or person or abstraction) produced on a surface	Never mislead your guest as wrong information can have a disastrous effect on your individual professionalism and on the guest's image of our hotel.
enquiry	an instance of questioning	Ask the guest if they will allow you to find out the correct information: "I do not know the exact answer to your question Sir/Madam, but if you allow me 10 minutes, I will make enquiries and come back to you".
contact	be in or establish communication with	If the guest is calling by telephone, ask for their contact number so you can call back.
occupancy	the number of people renting rooms in a hotel versus empty ones	This hotel had an 85% occupancy rate last January.
revenue	the entire amount of income before any deductions are made	The company's revenue exceeds $50,000 a day.
classify	arrange or order by classes or categories	Communications during emergencies – such as severe weather – are typically classified under the terms emergency notification or mass communication.
confidential	(of information) given in confidence or in secret	Her confidential information was not given out to anyone.
disclose	make known to the public information that was previously known only to a few people or that was meant to be kept a secret	We are not allowed to disclose confidential material.