Travel & Hotspots

Things that make a good hotel great

Sitting by the beautiful pool of the Four Seasons Hotel in Casablanca, a waiter comes by with a raspberry ice cream made by the kitchen itself. ‘From the house.’ A little later, a colleague follows with fruit skewers, and even later someone strolls by with cute glasses of strawberry juice. Look, this is what makes me really happy. Of course, there are plenty of good hotels. But these are the typical things that make you recommend a hotel to others and come back again later. Therefore, here is my list of things that make a good hotel great.

A great gym

At the Four Seasons in Casablanca (where I happen to be right now), they have an excellent gym where you are spoiled with fresh dates and walnuts (they are really good here with tasty snacks!), but the best gym I found was at Le Parker Meridien in New York. You take an elevator down and arrive at Gravity, a super trendy place where you can work up a sweat among New Yorkers. Also with a boxing room and all kinds of classes you've never heard of.

Nice bath products

How often does it happen that you don't have shampoo with you and are forced to wash your hair with dish soap that smells like cheap aftershave or air freshener? I personally get very happy when hotels have nice products from, for example, MALIN+GOETZ (Hudson Hotels) or Aveda (Renaissance Hotels).

Late check-out

If you fly in the evening but have to check out of your room by 12:00 noon, that can be quite inconvenient. Yes, they are happy to store your suitcase for you and you can use the hotel facilities, but it is of course much nicer if you can just take a shower in your own room. At chains, you can sometimes pay extra for a late check-out, but at smaller hotels, you are usually dependent on the owner's kindness. At Corso Vittorio 308 in Rome, the cutest B&B, well located and not expensive, they don't make a fuss about a late departure, as long as the room is not occupied by a new guest. That's why I will always recommend this B&B.

Personal service

And I’m not talking about having ‘Welcome Mr. Paw’ on the television upon arrival (because they always misspell your name in my experience). In The Trump Tower in Panama City, a megalomaniac place as we know from Mr. Guinea Pig Head, my son got sick. After housekeeping unceremoniously removed the carpet he had thrown up on, they returned a little later with a cup of chicken soup. The sweetest thing I have ever experienced in a hotel. May-Britt told me that she was very happy with the handwritten notes on her bed at Le Bristol in Paris.

A great spa

And I’m not talking about a beauty salon where you can get overpriced facials from girls barely twenty, but a fantastic sauna with everything you could wish for. In my own country, Château St. Gerlach and Landgoed Lauswolt deserve a spot on the honor roll. Enjoy a long soak and sweat, and then roll into your luxury bed.

Pool with a view

A pool is always nice. And a pool with a breathtaking view is even nicer. Preferably an infinity pool on the roof like at Grand Hotel Central in Barcelona. Or carved into the rocks like at Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc in the South of France in Antibes. Overlooking rice fields like the Amandari in Bali. Yes, for 1000 euros a night, it better be fabulous, you might think. In that case, I have a perfect address for you. In Kuala Lumpur, where I had a stopover last year, I stayed at The Swiss Garden Residences: a fantastic pool with a view over the city and huge suites for under 100 euros a night.

A hairdryer that really works well

Even in five-star hotels, you sometimes find one of those hairdryers that is attached to the wall with a hose and only produces a mediocre breeze. A somewhat woman-friendly hotel simply provides a good hairdryer in the room. And you know what else is nice? Flattering lighting at the bathroom mirror.

Breakfast

Forget those buffets. The best breakfast ever was at Roots Jungle Retreat, a quirky little hotel in the jungle of Dominica. Owner Staci made something different every morning. Sometimes banana pancakes with tropical fruits, sometimes breakfast burritos, sometimes perfect fluffy omelets... Nowadays, Staci and her husband Pat run the catamaran Sweet Pea, which offers lovely trips around the British Virgin Islands. Check out Daysailsweetpea.com. Pat and Staci also fall under the category of best personal service ever, so I would say: start saving for your next vacation there!

Photos of the Four Seasons Hotel Casablanca

Made by Jiri

Written by Marion Pauw