Colleague Hotel

A nice title from Travel Daily News for a unique hotel style staff accommodation and leisure facility complex that was opened by employees of InterContinental Hotels Abu Dhabi. By the end of the year 600 employees of the group, approximately 50 nationalities, will be housed in a luxury that is close to the standards of the Abu Dhabi Hotels in the group.

Less luxurious, the Royal Dutch Shell Group plc head office here in the Hague operates a hotel style facility that they prudently call “management trainee accommodation”

Relais et Chateaux

I have been on a short trip to Vienna trough Munich and Salzburg. Before anything else I would like to share this:

The planning of this trip gave me some insight in the pros and contras of planning your own trip versus using a travel agent nowadays. In the days of my frequent business traveling, long before the Internet area, we used a Los Angeles based one woman Travel Agent. Why based in Los Angeles? Because when the travel plans were made, usually after Dutch business hours, each and every Dutch travel agent was closed. She was there, reliable as always, willing to combine unusual travel requests and destinations, and, last but not least, she was one of the first woman I know of who could toggle the GDS schemes in a favorable way for us. One who could suggest a round the world ticket for an Amsterdam Los Angeles round trip as being much cheaper than a simple return ticket. Coming to think of this, I am curious how she is doing these days.

Already ten years ago, in the Internet infancy days, I once booked a satisfactory stay in one of the hotels of their collection through the Internet (then via an aptly answered e-mail exchange) as I did again during this trip to Vienna.

Relais et Chateaux

My conclusion is that they still are way ahead of the crowd. If you want to pick a hotel in a certain area you want to see where it is located. The site of Relais et Chateaux gives it all: Fast loading and to the point location of the hotel of your choice and in addition to to the point information about the hotel. Moreover they have their complete catalog on line in an easy flip through PDF format which you can also download if you want.

Finally in flipping through their portfolio, my conclusion is that they still are one of the primary sources for a real (luxury) weekend hotel.

Qbic: Dutch answer to Easy Hotel, Yotel and Hotel Everland

Qbic

Begin November 2006 the launch of Qbic Hip Hotels was announced by Paul Rinkens, Rino Soeters en Marcel Voermans, the people behind Design hotel La Bergère and Hip Hotel St Martenslane, both in Maastricht, as the Dutch answer to cube alike hotel concepts as Easy Hotel, Yotel and Hotel Everland:

Qbic Hip Hotel Amsterdam Center (at WTC, Strawinskylaan 241) is anticipated to open in March 2007.

Qbic Hip Hotel Antwerpen (at Sint Paulusstraat 42 / Lange Koepoortstraat 6) is anticipated to open in June 2007.

Each Cube will cover 7 m2 with a living room, King Size Hästens beds, Philippe Starck design bathroom elements, TV, radio, safe and wireless Internet access.

With individually adjustable varicolored led lights guests can establish their own atmosphere. Easily changeable wall panels will give the guest the possibility to adjust the atmosphere further.

The lobby in Amsterdam will be designed by Feran Thomassen and for Antwerp by Ontwerpers.nu (i.e. Designers.Now!). They envisage a digital “concierge kiosk” where through an ‘i- touch’ screen guests can gather the necessary information about things to do, where to wine and dine and where to party, or to contact a Qbic staff member who will be available on site.

Also a self service shop is anticipated for all amenities and necessities.

Pricing will be done by the “the-earlier-the-reservation-the-lower-the-price” system and vary from Euro 39,- to Euro 139,-.

Realization by PRM.

Last edited by GJE on December 3, 2011 at 11:43 pm

The one room cube: Hotel Everland

Everland

Hotel Everland is a hotel with only one room. It includes a bathroom deluxe, a king-size bed and a lounge. It is created by the Swiss artists Sabina Lang and Daniel Baumann The L and The B of “L/B”.

It was first developed for the Swiss national exhibition Expo.02 and was located on the lake of Yverdon. Afterwards the mobile pavilion was brought to Burgdorf and placed on the factory roof at L/B’s studio.

From June 2006 until August 2007 the cube is placed on the roof of the Museum of Contemporary Art of Leipzig, Germany. During the opening times of the museum, visitors can take a peek at the Hotel. After closing hours it’s reserved to the happy ones that have booked the room for a night.

In September 2007 Hotel Everland moves on to Paris where it will be installed on the roof of Palais de Tokyo. It will also be exhibited for one year and run as a hotel, but this time with a view on the Eiffel Tower.

Bill Gates: more of a Hotelier

The Canadian based Four Seasons Hotels Inc. that manages 73 Luxury Hotels in 30 countries is under a bid that values the company at a US $ 3,7 bio, from a Saudi Prince, Alwaleed Bin Talal Alsaud, currently according to Forbes the world’s eight richest person, through his Kingdom Hotels International, who teams up in this bid with the world’s first richest person, Bill Gates through his Cascade Investment LLC. They had already a 30% stake together for a number of years and will extent their interest to 90%, while the company’s founder, Isadore Sharp (75) will keep 10% of the shares.

Kingdom Hotels International took over another Luxury Canadian hotel group, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts which then was combined with the Raffles group already in January 2006 with a total transaction value of US $ 5,5 bio.