Delivering The Dream
July 5, 2010With competition for customer loyalty at an all-time high, it takes more than a chocolate on the pillow to woo a hotel guest these days, as Fiona Klonarides reports
Need somewhere to stay in Las Vegas? For £25,000 a night at the Hugh Hefner Sky Villa at the Palms Casino Resort, you’ll get plenty of extras. Those who lounge in the out-of- this- world playboy’s playpen get a butler, poker table and popup plasma TVs among other perks – and a Jacuzzi that looks over the Las Vegas strip. In case you forget where you are, a big Playboy bunny logo shimmers at the bottom of the illuminated pool and when it’s time for bed, it rotates under a mirrored ceiling – dizzying luxury at an eye-watering price.
In Dubai £11,500 buys you a night to remember at the Royal Suite at the Burj Al Arab. The towering, sail-shaped seven star hotel commands Dubai’s glittering coastline and impressive though it is outside, when you get inside all that glitters really is gold. Expect a space larger than most people’s apartments, a four poster rotating bed, leopard-print carpets, a private cinema and a Hermesstocked bathroom. Need to pop out? Call the chauffeur-driven Rolls Royce or if you must fly, reserve the helicopter (which costs extra). With a landing pad above your pad, it couldn’t be more convenient.
It used to be that going on a cruise was a luxury in itself; now it’s about the experience on board. Guests expect more and cruise operators must deliver more, like onboard skating rinks and IMAX cinemas. Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas, the biggest ship in the world, is not so much a ship, more of a floating mega-resort with a scale so amazing it’s almost quite Alice in Wonderland. 170 years in the making, P&O’s flagship Azura celebrated its celebrity-studded launch in April, and the ship’s godmother, Britain’s best-loved ballerina Darcey Bussell was there to bid her “bon voyage”. Azura’s celebrity chef is Atul Kochhar, the first ever Indian restauranteur to be awarded a Michelin star. Kochhar is overseeing the kitchen at his signature restaurant Sindhu, while Olly Smith (who like Kochhar is a regular on James Martin’s “Saturday Kitchen” show) is the wine guru behind The Glass House, the ship’s smart bistro/wine-tasting bar.
Passengers have plenty of dining choices on board, and at Sindhu the menu is mouthwatering: okra bhajis with chili honey dip, sirloin steak kebab with Sarawak pepper jelly and coconut sauce, and lentil dumplings with coconut chutney are some of the specialities on offer. P&O have spared no expense when it comes to the wine list either. Olly, arguably Britain’s most entertaining wine connoisseur, spent time at a vineyard in Sicily to source and blend his signature wines for The Glass House. Wine lovers can sample a wine flight, their own mini-wine tasting, and Olly will be there himself on certain dates during the year.
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