The Happier the Hotelier, The Happier the Guest
The association of Dutch Heritage hotels by the name of Erfgoed Hotels Benelux (erfgoed = Dutch for heritage) has changed its name into Historic Hotels of the Benelux. Its nice new brochure has already the new lay out. When everything goes all right, its old lay out of its website here above will change into the new lay out here below this week:
Historic Hotels of the Benelux is a member of Historic Hotels of Europe.
Historic Hotels of Europe is a partner of Historic Hotels of America
As mentioned earlier, Four Seasons is under bid from Bill Gates and Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Alsaud, the principal behind Kingdom Hotels.
After obtaining favorable recommendations from a special Committee of independent Directors, the Board of Directors of Four Seasons has approved the take over and anticipates completion in the second quarter of 2007 subject approval by the shareholders. More in a press release of Four Seasons.
The news drew my attention, because a lawyer friend of mine once had given a very humoristic presentation about it and because during the Sixties and Seventies the Brits and the Dutch shared a history of free Radio and even free TV stations on board of ships, platforms and other constructions outside territorial waters which officially were dubbed Radio (TV) Pirates. Some of that history is documented on line by one time “pirate” DJ Bob Le-Roi.
The Principality of Sealand is a concrete and steel platform located 7 miles East from the UK shore and North of the Thames Estuary. It was built as a fort, called Roughs Tower, in WW II and derelicted afterwards. In 1967 Paddy Roy Bates, a former English major, settled there with his family. He proclaimed the island his own state and gave himself the title of prince, Prince Roy. When the Royal Navy tried to evict him, Prince Roy saw them off with warning shots fired from the fort. A judge ruled that Sealand lay beyond the three-mile limit of Britain’s territorial waters and was, therefore, outside government control.
The Brits and Dutch even extended their original 3 mile territorial water zone to a 12 mile zone because of the ongoing piracy. After the extension at least the Dutch radio pirates were rolled up by the Dutch Royal Navy.
Sealand cleverly, and thus far probably effectively, countered the extension of the 3 to 12 mile zone by extending its own territorial zone to 12 miles and thus claiming they are still in international waters and the border between them and the UK being half way, 3.5 miles from the UK shore. It is not a nation recognized by the UN, but has its own currency, stamps and passports (including falsifications).
According to World Hum and UK Times Prince Michael, son of Prince Roy, has put the Principality on the market.
It is easy to see that it has some potential: A wedding location, a resort with (virtual) casino and tax free shopping facility, since nowadays tax free shopping is almost impossible within the EU, to name a few….I wished I had some cash laying around.
“Never too late to start something new” must be what Bill Marriott, 75 soon and over 50 years of a world renowned hotelier, thought when he started dictating his first post for his personal blog Marriott on the move on January 16, 2007.
Yes, I am on the road and slowing down the posting a bit.
Today, I had an excellent lunch in what I believed was an observatory, but turned out to be an extraordinary high hide away above Zermatt in the Swiss Alps at 3100 m above sealevel which is almost two miles high, the 3100 Kulmhotel Gornergrat. This small hotel cum observatory exists already over 100 year and was tastefully renovated during 2005 and the first part of 2006. I got a tour of its rooms and one of its suites with amazing view in the tower of the observatory. I will be adding to this post later.