Part of our job is to travel and review hotels, so in a typical year it's not unusual to stay at 30-40 different hotels. I always find it enjoyable to see some of the more interesting hotel amenities offered to guests.Â
Last week I stayed in the Hotel Nikko in Ho Chi Minh city. Hotel Nikko is a Japanese chain and they have some great Japanese touches such as the Toto Washlet toilets and Japanese dishes on their menus. Interestingly, they also offer bath salts (common in leisure hotels, not business hotels like this one), and for the first time I got a sachet of detergent, despite their being no washing machine in the room.Â
What are some of the interesting or unusual amenities you've been offered in your travels?Â
When the Hoxton in Shoreditch first opened, they had full size bars of Pears soap, which they encouraged you to take with you when you left. Not sure if they still do this.
When I stayed at the Pudong Shangri-La in Shanghai, they monogrammed the pillows with my initials (CC), but I didn't feel it appropriate to nick the pillow case, ha!
Also stayed at the Gateway Hotel in Hong Kong recently (part of Marco Polo Hotels) and was surprised that the entire mini-bar in the room was free (including alcohol). Even though you can always go to the hotel lounge and grab a free drink, I'd not seen that offered before in the room itself.
@ChrisCh, the free minibar (inc Alcohol) is prevalent in some Anantara hotels (In Asia from my experience)
To the topic at hand, perhaps I'm different but the bathrobes and slippers provided have always made me go hmmm (despite them being in almost every hotel, so must be popular to some people).
In Hong Kong I was suitably impressed to be provided with a mobile phone with unlimited data and calls which included 10 countries with Australia being one of them. Just hotspot it to your own phone and you're set. Never seen this anywhere else.
One place in Cairns come and knocked on the door and out of the blue offered some board set games to use if we wanted (we were a couple) which included Cluedo, Monopoly and 2 or 3 others. We said no, but were somewhat perplexed to the motivation that initiated this - I don't think we fitted a stereotype this might appeal to, but anyway.
I have had the free mini bar (including alcohol and snacks) at the Princeps Boutique Hotel in Rome, which was a very pleasant surprise. They also had a free help yourself breakfast, and access to an espresso machine 24/7 - great for filling my mini thermos before a long train trip to Sicily.
My go-to hotel in Tokyo - the Dormy Inn Shibuya - has one of those Toto Washlet bidets, but as the instructions are all in Japanese, I have never had the guts to try it. They also have fantastic in-house Onsens - sexes separated, tattoos refused, free Ramen noodles in the lobby in the evenings and an extensive pillow bar. Their breakfast buffet is great too. I always head for the Japanese offerings, but they have plenty of western food as well.
I have had the free phone thing offered to me in Singapore at the Ascott Raffles Place hotel. Great for going for random walks and then being able to 'map' your way home, aside from the free calls, and copious research I did while there as it was a bit of an unplanned impulse trip. Good quality free slippers on request too!
sid
sid
Member since 07 Jan 2011
Total posts 208
Part of our job is to travel and review hotels, so in a typical year it's not unusual to stay at 30-40 different hotels. I always find it enjoyable to see some of the more interesting hotel amenities offered to guests.Â
spankee
spankee
Member since 25 Feb 2013
Total posts 18
I'm always amused by the trouser presses in Japanese hotel rooms. Mainly because they don't seem to work, and the lack of an iron in the room.
MarkJohnSon Banned
MarkJohnSon Banned
Member since 19 Jan 2018
Total posts 41
Is it too soon to say a Gideons Bible?
west49th
west49th
Member since 11 Aug 2017
Total posts 5
When the Hoxton in Shoreditch first opened, they had full size bars of Pears soap, which they encouraged you to take with you when you left. Not sure if they still do this.
Tancho
Tancho
Singapore Airlines - KrisFlyer
Member since 31 Jan 2013
Total posts 38
Conrad Hong Kong - Teddy Bear
Chris C.
Chris C.
Member since 24 Apr 2012
Total posts 1,116
When I stayed at the Pudong Shangri-La in Shanghai, they monogrammed the pillows with my initials (CC), but I didn't feel it appropriate to nick the pillow case, ha!
Also stayed at the Gateway Hotel in Hong Kong recently (part of Marco Polo Hotels) and was surprised that the entire mini-bar in the room was free (including alcohol). Even though you can always go to the hotel lounge and grab a free drink, I'd not seen that offered before in the room itself.
GSP
GSP
Member since 24 Feb 2017
Total posts 4
@ChrisCh, the free minibar (inc Alcohol) is prevalent in some Anantara hotels (In Asia from my experience)
xtfer
xtfer
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
Member since 14 Mar 2017
Total posts 159
The mobile phone with internet and calls is particularly popular in Singapore as well. I approve.
kanga9999
kanga9999
Member since 09 Apr 2017
Total posts 63
I have had the free mini bar (including alcohol and snacks) at the Princeps Boutique Hotel in Rome, which was a very pleasant surprise. They also had a free help yourself breakfast, and access to an espresso machine 24/7 - great for filling my mini thermos before a long train trip to Sicily.
My go-to hotel in Tokyo - the Dormy Inn Shibuya - has one of those Toto Washlet bidets, but as the instructions are all in Japanese, I have never had the guts to try it. They also have fantastic in-house Onsens - sexes separated, tattoos refused, free Ramen noodles in the lobby in the evenings and an extensive pillow bar. Their breakfast buffet is great too. I always head for the Japanese offerings, but they have plenty of western food as well.
I have had the free phone thing offered to me in Singapore at the Ascott Raffles Place hotel. Great for going for random walks and then being able to 'map' your way home, aside from the free calls, and copious research I did while there as it was a bit of an unplanned impulse trip. Good quality free slippers on request too!
asw
asw
Singapore Airlines - KrisFlyer
Member since 08 Aug 2012
Total posts 11
Conrad Tokyo - the set of 5 mini teddy bears.