The Luxury Hotel Insider: Exclusive luxury hotel deals, features and special rates from the luxury hotel experts at Five Star Alliance. Spotlight on: the Kabul Serena, Afghanistan’s First Five-Star Hotel
November 9, 2005
By: Mary Winston Nicklin
I just heard about another controversial development project: the first five-star hotel opened yesterday in war-ravaged Kabul. The Kabul Serena luxury hotel offers 177 guestrooms, ranging in price from $250-$1,200 a night. Afghanistan’s capital is being revitalized by foreign aid and investment (and profits from the opium trade). Yet many argue that money invested in development projects—such as the city’s luxury hotel—should be aimed instead at projects to aid the poor. On the other side of the coin, the hotel is providing jobs for 360 Afghans (20% women) and is helping to promote economic growth and international tourism. The hotel itself—as explained by its developer—helps the national economy by accommodating those foreigners who will have a major impact on developing the economy. What are your thoughts?
The Latest Lunacy in Iraq: A Five Star Hotel in the Green Zone?
November 8, 2005
By: Mary Winston Nicklin
Both The Washington Post and The Independent UK have recently reported the impossible: the development of a five star, $85 million hotel in the heart of Baghdad. The 23-storey “opulent palace complex”—as described by the Independent—will be the first private investment in Iraq since the U.S.-led war. Not to mention: the tallest building in the capital. (Hmmm, could the target be made any more obvious?) The land is being donated by the Iraqi government, but the (foolish) private financing is being undertaken by an Iraqi businessman. The hotel will be located in the middle of the Green Zone (built to withstand mortar and rocket attack), and will take two years to build. There is a lot of controversy surrounding the project, because most citizens cannot enter the Green Zone, and the hotel would thus be serving only the foreign population. (The plush suites, business centers, conference rooms and golf range accessible to a select few foreigners.) This has got to be a joke. Would you book a room here? PS. Apparently, there’s another plan brewing- to turn Saddam Hussein's former Tikrit palaces into a themed tourist destination. Don't know about you, but I've always fantasized about vacationing at the former-residence of a war criminal...
New Over-the-Top Perks at Luxury Hotels
November 2, 2005
By: Mary Winston Nicklin
Jumping on the blog bandwagon, I’d like to highlight the interesting NYT piece about the ultra-lux perks recently employed by luxury hotels, in order to distinguish themselves and entice repeat customers. Notable extravagant examples include the Four Seasons Manhattan (where a $400,000 Maybach 62 and a $325,000 Rolls-Royce Phantom are parked out front for clients’ use), the Conrad Istanbul (which provides CD players and discs for guests to learn useful Turkish phrases) and the Loews Annapolis Hotel (where guest can “borrow” the hotel’s Labrador retriever, Luke.) Experienced any hotel perk that can top this list?!
The World… in Dubai
October 24, 2005
By: Mary Winston Nicklin
In the luxury resort market of Dubai, nothing surprises me. Home of the only 7 star hotel in the world (Burj Al Arab), the latest SKI? resort (as Gridskipper reports today about Ski Dubai), and the development of The World-- in miniature man-made islands shaped like the continents of the world. The US$1.8 billion project, expected to be complete by the end of 2005, consists of 250 to 300 private artificial islands divided into four categories—private homes, estate homes, dream resorts, and community islands. Hell, you could even buy a continent! The World is located four kilometers offshore from Jumeirah, close to The Palm Jumeirah and Burj Al Arab.
