Despite the internet now being a basic necessity for just about everything, getting hold of it while traveling can prove frustrating and expensive.
Many hotels around the world, safe in the knowledge that business travelers with expense accounts will shell out ludicrous sums for just an hour’s worth of connection, continue to charge exorbitant rates — sometimes over €20 daily — despite the fact that surveys show that travelers are crying out for free connections.
HotelChatter, which this week released its 7th annual Hotel WiFi Report revealing the best and the worst when it comes to US and international hotels and the worldwide web, believes free WiFi is on the rise as hotels listen to their customers.
Luxury hotels in the United Arab Emirates are offering their guests an Arabian fantasy as Britain’s Prince William marries Catherine Middleton on Friday.
The Emirates Palace hotel in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE, promises “a majestic experience fit for a king and deserving of an emperor” and said it wants to make the day unforgettable for its guests too.
The Palace, which bills itself as a seven-star hotel, offered an overnight stay from a modest $450 to $1,500 (300-1,010 euros) with a royal high tea thrown in.
US hotel chain Hilton has unveiled a new lobby design intended for its global hotels and resorts.
The new lobby, which is being premiered in the chain’s hotel at McLean Tysons Corner, Virginia, is designed with distinct “zones” for guests and visitors and radically overhauls the brand’s current reception areas.
Instead of a desk-oriented approach, the new, modern design focuses on interaction and collaboration, with the centerpiece an 18-hour bar which evolves from coffee shop to cafe to cocktail bar as the day progresses.
Hotel brand Accor opened a new property in the Western Chinese city of Lijiang this month, as travelers seek to widen their experience of the once-unknown country.
Accor said that it was opening the Pullman Lijiang Resort & Spa in Yunnan province as China’s “wild west” becomes increasingly popular with experienced Australian travelers, who are now looking for lesser-known spots.
The resort offers a mixture of rooms and villas, with a 2000 square meter spa, lakeside bars and two restaurants serving international and Chinese cuisine.
W Hotels has just announced plans for the Namaste Tower, a new W Hotel in Mumbai that is due to open July 2015.
To follow the long tradition of great Indian architecture, the striking 984-foot-tall building will house 62 floors combined into a hotel, office, and retail space.
The design of the tower is actually meant to reflect the namaste yoga gesture where two wings of the hotel are clasped together like hands greeting the city of Mumbai.
Hotel group Accor has announced that it will implement a range of services designed to cater to the needs of inbound travellers from China and India.
The company, which operates hotel brands such as Sofitel, Pullman, Novotel, ibis and Motel 6, will begin rolling out its new Optimum Service Standards this year in its Australian hotels.
The new scheme will mean that parts of the hotel stay will be specifically tailored to the nationality in question, with particular foods being added to the hotels’ breakfast buffet, for instance.
