subject: SPECIAL FEATURE: Luxury Hotels [print this page] SPECIAL FEATURE: Luxury Hotels SPECIAL FEATURE: Luxury Hotels
At the Burj Al Arab in Dubai, voted the world's Best Hotel at the World Travel Awards 2007, guests click their heels on Carrara marble floors, saunter through the gold staircases, dine on personalized menus and retire to their suites in private elevators, where a full-range Hermes bath and body line and over 13 types of pillows await them.
The Gulf's most buzzed about lodgings, built to mimic the sail of the Arabian dhow, is billowing on an artificial island off the Jumeirah beach. Some 4298 miles away, at the grand lobby of Makati Shangri-la in Manila, resident general manager Greg Dogan talks about first-class hotels.
"For a luxury hotel to qualify as such, the physical product is of primary consideration-from the size of the rooms, the quality of the linens to the staff-to-room ratio," he says.
Although none of Manila's finest can rival the Burj's 780-square meter Royal Suite, top hotels like the Makati Shangri-la do provide ample frills for the discriminating dons.
Makati Shangri-la's majestic main hall opens to a verdant oasis, and guests sipping the hotel's famed Filipino high tea are serenaded by a live orchestra. Flambe carts, crystal chandeliers and Wedgwood china invoke old world glamour, while the staff, clad in a Rajo Laurel creation handing out mother- of-pearl inlaid menus, suggest classic Filipino charm.
Past the elevators, top-end guests can expect nothing less than rich upholstery, flat-screen entertainment systems, well-partitioned rooms and fully stocked kitchenettes. Peninsula Manila's Peninsula Suite boasts of Pre-Raphaelites-style frescos, a sun-soaked solarium, wood paneled dining room and a private library, along with separate sleeping quarters for the valet and direct access to the hotel's helipad.
Mandarin Oriental's Persian Suite evokes Middle Eastern warmth with its brass lamps and fine redwood furniture, while Makati Shangri-la's Presidential Suite enjoys private butler service and customized bathrobes and love pillows japan.
And if that's too much to chew, Crowne Plaza has a Sleep Advantage Program, complete with sleep kits and specially designed beds to help guests get comfy with luxury.
And while it's too subtle to notice, these lux labels come fitted with last names.
"Most of the five star hotels have elevated to the high brands, whether it be Lauren, Armani or what have you. These brands are added to the five star hotel DNA based on the principle that a top end product with another top end product will give you a better product," says Mr. Dogan. Part of this branding is signature service, with hotel staff being sent to hospitality institutes like Shangri-la's Beijing Academy for further training.
Beyond the usual room service and mini bar affair, the country's choice hotels have been careful to cater to the visitor's varying palates, hiring international chefs to spice up their kitchens.
Makati Shangri-la's chic Red Restaurant has a regal menu and close to 200 premium wines on list for cosmopolitan fine-dining, while the hotel's Cantonese themed Shang Palace and classic Japanese resto Inagiku provide regional alternatives for the global guest mix.
Theater kitchen gets standing ovation at Peninsula Manila's Spices, where the varying cuisines of India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, China and the Philippines are tempered by Asian objets d'art and paintings by famous Filipino expressionist Ang Kiukok.
For the globe-trotting businessman, local hit hotels have dedicated business centers, each equipped with boardrooms, communications facilities, courier and secretarial services, and a technical concierge. Makati Shangri-la's Horizon floor even has complimentary buffet breakfast, afternoon tea and cocktails on offer in its exclusive club lounge.
For a more in-depth experience, customized tours via chauffer-driven cars are available. Culture fanatics will get a kick out of Manila Peninsula's heritage tours and short courses for kids. At the day's end, tired bodies may recharge at the hotels' famed spas, and come out just in time for another sitting on the lustrous lap of luxury.
