Monday, March 4, 2013

What Makes a Luxury Hotel Luxury ?

During the economic boom of the late nineties and early noughties the number of companies building luxury hotels built rose significantly. This was down to the fact that many people had more disposable income and could enjoy the luxuries of exotic holidays and fancy hotel rooms. During this time questions arose about what makes a hotel luxurious?

Is a hotel simply luxurious because it has a five star rating or is it down to the level of service provided? At the time many were unsure and debates ensued about the true criteria of a luxury hotel. This lead to travel journalists coming up with a list of basic criterion, however it should be said that every hotel needs to be judged on an individual basis.

Location
 
A hotels location and the views that it offers are often central to influencing a persons booking decision. The best hotels are frequently located at the heart of the world's biggest cities and found in close proximity to one another. For example in Paris all the best luxury hotels can be found on the Right Bank. This is because this is where the best views of the city can be found.

Location is pivotal to luxury hotels because they not only have to offer great views but also be in a location that is accessible to all the cities best attractions. These demands can often only be met by the worlds most luxury hotels. Of course you cannot base a hotels status on location. If you consider hotels that site on beech resorts the availability of land is often expanse and easy for many hotels to use.

Level of Service

Service in luxury hotels must of course exceed that of all others. Hotels must be able to go above and beyond to meet its customer's expectations. In some documented cases six and seven star hotels will fly food and other items from half way around the world just to meet customer expectations. Staff members should also be trained to a very high standard and be able to arrange things at the drop of a hat.

Facilities

Luxury hotels should not only have a vast range of facilities but also the very best facilities. Customers of such hotels expect quality and want to be able to do everything in the comfort of the hotels grounds.
Facilities that are not found anywhere else will often help improve a hotels status. People expect a swimming pool, bars, hot tubs, and spa's(or weekend spa weekends) but what else does the hotel offer. A luxury hotel blends cutting edge technology with style. They have something for everyone.

Attention Detail

This is the area in which luxury hotels excel. Hotels of this type use arts work, architecture and decorations sourced from some of the finest regions in the world. You only have to look at hotels such as the Burj Al Arab or the Vincent Hotel in Southport to see this. Gold leaf decorations and marble flooring are almost standard in these types of hotel. No expense is spared in this area and in many cases a luxury should be defined by this. Luxury hotels offer the kind of attention to detail that can't be replicated anywhere else. This is because many of its customers will want to return for just that reason.

In essence these types of hotels are individual. They set themselves apart from the masses by the money they spend and how they operate. They make it difficult for others to replicate them and give people reasons to come back again and again. The star rating is a good guideline however it has a very rigid guidelines and criteria which simply don't reflect the true extent of some luxury hotels.

Article Source: EzineArticles

South Beach Luxury Florida Hotels !

South Beach in Miami is the most famous tourist destination for youngsters perhaps, for its night life. The pulsating music of Latin beats along with the intoxicating aroma of Cuban cuisine from the road side cafes makes this destination irresistible for any connoisseur of food, music and carefree life.

Even if you are one of those people who plan for every trip at the very last moment, you have nothing to fear when it comes to getting your hotel reservations done for South Beach hotels. You just need to go online, choose the kind of hotel that seems most suitable to your budget and go ahead with the booking. You have the option of taking your pick from a long list of luxury resorts and hotels, medium budget accommodations, those that are extremely pocket friendly and places that offer special discount packages.

The prices of rooms on per night per person sharing basis can range from anywhere between $20 and $800 depending upon your choice. While even the cheapest hotels will offer you the luxury of the view of the beautiful South Beach, the high end accommodations come with a number of other conveniences that can make your trip truly memorable. Rooftop swimming pools, bar and lounge, private luxury suites with excellent room service, 24hrs-internet access and a number of other amenities makes the money spent on these luxurious accommodations worth it.

The hotels listed in the "standard" category or the medium budget accommodations too are equally competitive. You can get almost all the facilities that are offered by the luxury destination at these hotels, only at cheaper rates. Whether it is a twenty four hour reservation desk or room service, a swimming pool, a bar or a concierge, these hotels have it all. Most of these hotels also boast of their excellent restaurants.

It would not be wrong to say that a large variety of choices makes selection more difficult. Advertisements are meant only to guide; one must keep one's requirements and budget in mind and carefully select the accommodation. So, choose the best to make your stay at South Beach a truly memorable experience.

Article Source: EzineArticles

Saturday, March 2, 2013

Find the Finest Lodging in Pensacola Hotels in Florida

With mild winters and hot, humid summers, Pensacola is located in Florida, USA. This is a county seat of Escambia County. Though, there are many tourist attractions in this beautiful city, the three unique areas including Pensacola, Pensacola Beach and Perdid remain the most famous. These places of interest are popular for attracting thousands of visitors all year round to enjoy cultural activities and outdoor adventures along pristine shores.

This is indeed an ideal destination for family getaway offering many logging options of different categories right from pet friendly hotels to spa and casino hotels. While on tour here, whether you are with tight budget or want to spend lavishly, you need not worry much as there is a wide range of hotels from cheap to luxury.

Luxury Hotels
By staying into one of the luxury hotels, you can enrich your vacation to this beautiful Florida City. There are many star hotels in Pensacola, but some of finest ones include Portofino Island Resort & Spa and Crowne Plaza Grand.

• Portofino Island Resort & Spa
Located at 10 Portofino Drive Pensacola Beach, Portofino Island Resort & Spa is a super luxury hotel of the city. This excellent beach resort offers international standard services and accommodation with easy access to some major tourist attractions such as Gulf Islands National Seashore and Historic Village etc. Some of the finest features that this spa resort includes are full-service spa with dry saunas and steam rooms, and a fitness center.

Cheap Hotels
If you want to balance your budget while on tour, then make it sure that you stay into one of the cheap hotels, this would help you to reduce your expenditure. There is a huge list of cheap hotels. But the best ones include Days Inn Beachfront, Comfort Inn, Hampton Inn & Suites Navarre, Travelodge Inn and Suites, Cottages on the Green and Holiday Inn Express and Suites etc.

• Days Inn Beachfront
This is one of the cheap hotels of the city conveniently located on the beach at 16 Via De Luna Dr. You will find excellent service and great comfort of luxury hotels at the most affordable price in Days Inn. Some of the best attractions near Days Inn Beachfront include Beach Gulf Pier and Pensacola Village etc.

Besides, there are numerous hotels of different categories too like pet friendly, spa and casino hotels located in each corner of the city, whether near airport or in downtown.

Downtown Hotels
Mostly people prefer to stay in the center of the city as it houses major attractions. If you are also one of those people and searching for hotels in Downtown of Pensacola, then just don't bother. There are plenty of full service hotels, some which include - Courtyard by Marriott, Crowne Plaza, Howard Johnson Inn Express and Red Carpet Inn etc.

• Courtyard by Marriott
Located on the outskirts of Historic downtown of the city, Courtyard by Marriott is the best place for lodging where you will feel at home away from home. This offers international standard services and accommodation with wonderful features like - business center etc.

Article Source: EzineArticles

Luxury Villas - Compared to Hotels and Motels

Traveling would involve making a lot of decisions, like whether to travel with your family or have a romantic vacation, which place to travel and in that place the places to travel and so on. Joining this list of decisions will be an important one i.e. accommodation, where to stay. Choosing the accommodation will depend on a variety of factors like the number of people traveling, cost and amenities required etc.

Before choosing an accommodation, it is necessary to know the available options because there are varieties of options available. In this article, we will discuss briefly about one of the most famous tourist spot Florida and how to accommodate there. Let's have a look at the three types of accommodations available at Florida.

Florida Motels

Motels are nothing but motor hotels, they are designed in such a way that the front door opens directly to the parking space, so you can always have an eye on your vehicles and loading, unloading your baggage can be done with ease.

Florida motels are just like other motels, it can be the perfect accommodation for those who wish to stay just for a night or a short duration of time and are traveling with their private transport(like car, motorbikes).

They are available at low costs and provide you with decent accommodation facilities like free daily newspaper, coin operated laundries etc.

Florida Hotels
 
Hotels are similar to motels and also more comfortable then motels.

Florida hotels are one of the options preferred by travelers as they are located somewhere in the center of the city and are accessible to all locations. Also lodging in the hotels could mean you could use their restaurants for eating.

The hotels in Florida provide one with a lot of facilities like room service, laundry facilities, 24 hour front desk service, conference halls, renting cars at lobby and much more.

Small families or just a couple of people will find these hotel accommodations highly comfortable at affordable costs.

Florida Luxury Villas

Villas or holiday rentals are those which are available with a kitchen facility that is the basic difference between the villas and hotels.
Florida luxury villas are the luxury accommodations true to their name, they are accommodations so perfect for the vacation that some would prefer to stay and enjoy the luxuries over there.

These villas will be the perfect accommodation for a group of friends or a family, the facilities over there range from spas, swimming pools to relax, to games rooms with billiard and games console with Xbox, Wii to get one active.

These luxury Florida vacation villas also have excellent kitchen facilities; many of them are located near to one of Florida's favorite tourist spots, Disney world. They also have high speed internet, cable connections, DVD libraries and much more.

The main reason to choose them ahead of hotels is because if one is holidaying with a group of say ten people then these villas will always cost less per person than hotels and are more comfortable too with more room space and a lot of luxuries.

Comparing all three types of Florida accommodations, the best ones are of course Florida motels, Florida hotels and Florida luxury villas. Yes all three of them are the best accommodations and it depends on how you choose them.

You could be wasting a lot of money if you would rent a villa just for a couple of days, similarly you could be cramping yourself in a motel if you are a large number of people. Similarly lodging in a hotel with a large group for a couple of weeks will any day cost you more than the Florida luxury villas.

So choose the right accommodation that would suit you instead of getting suited for an accommodation.

Article Source: EzineArticles