When we looked at the Adelphi Hotel in Melbourne about 18 months ago, our conclusion was that it just didn't match the hype. Turns out others agreed with us but since some new owners took over just about that time, things have been looking up.
It's a slow process because, according to the new owners, it's all about "evolution, not revolution". They have opened a spa complex on the ninth floor, and in quite a unique deal, this spa is run by staff from a beauty therapy college nearby--and even wait staff in the restaurant and reception staff are graduates of the college, so whoever you speak to knows all about the spa treatments too.
Hotel videos are all the rage this week, but we still haven't found too many that we actually like. And while we thought that the promo videos from the Hilton Caribbean hotels were pretty average, we've unfortunately found a variety of hotel YouTube efforts that are worse.
Our problem with the Hilton Caribbean promo vids was that they were so, well, promotional. But in retrospect, we liked the fact that the Hilton Caribbean videos actually featured video. The waves rolled, the palm trees blew in the wind and there were real live people walking around.
If you turn your attention to a hotel video like the one just featured on the Rydges Blog for the Rydges Sabaya Resort Port Douglas in Queensland, Australia--although in fact, we don't really recommend giving it too much attention--you'll see a lot of similarities to other videos, except that there's nothing actually moving. It's just a bunch of still photography that's zoomed in and out a bit to give the feeling that it was worth making it into a video, but in fact it's even duller than the hotel videos we already labeled dull.
Which is a pity, because we think the Rydges Sabaya Resort is actually a nice place. We recommend trying it in person (room rates start at US$230 a night) rather than living the torture of the video. And we put out the call once more for hotels to make interesting promo videos. Please.
At the top of the list for our must-visits in northern Australia is the Qualia resort on Hamilton Island, off the Queensland coast. Qualia has just celebrated its six month anniversary and the resort has proudly reported back a few statistics from its first half year in business.
Even though the resort isn't entirely complete, what they have there already is running at a 60% occupancy rate, and in such a short time, they're already seeing 10% of their guests returning for a second go.
Staying in the north side of Sydney has one big advantage--a trip into Sydney means you get to cross over the gorgeous Sydney Harbour Bridge. Right now there's another interesting advantage if you stay at Rydges North Sydney, because they've recently upgraded their guest rooms to include new "Dream Beds" ... and since they found the old television sets didn't fit in so well anymore, they've also upgraded them to be 32 inch widescreen LCD TVs.
But that's not the good news. The cool part, we think, is that Rydges now has 166 old TVs (less a few that they've already given away) that guests can take home if they want. Rather than just dumping their 24 inch Philips televisions, Rydges North Sydney has decided to let their guests take them away instead, so if you stay at the hotel in the near future, you can pick up a free (working) TV.
Largely targeted at business travelers, room rates can drop to as low as A$139 (US$130) on weekends, making a free TV an exceptionally good deal. Come to think of it, the picture on our TV's been looking a bit crooked this week ...
Drive inland nearly 300 miles north-west of Sydney and you'll find the town of Dubbo, and with it, one of the nicest sounding bed and breakfast accommodations we've seen for a while. The Pericoe Retreat gets full marks just for including the word "retreat" in its name, because that's what a holiday out on the land should be like, we think.
A recent Sydney Morning Herald review was very enthusiastic about Pericoe. It's a purpose-built B&B with four suites, a swimming pool and a tennis court, and according to the reviewer:
It is a benchmark by which other B&Bs should be measured: unpretentious elegance; down-to-earth hosts; meticulous attention to detail; and it's free from the usual B&B vulgarity. No chintz, no excess, no kitsch - just good taste.
Added to that, it has reasonable rates at around A$200 (US$180) per night with breakfast included, and the price varies a little for weekends or weeknights and over holiday periods. Of course, even that is not so cheap for a place relatively in the middle of nowhere in Australia, but if you're looking for a break from the big smoke then it's a good choice.
One fact that we think shows how many agree it's a good choice is that Pericoe doesn't bother advertising much--90% of their bookings come direct through the website and they think much of that is word of mouth. Well, here's the words from our mouth, too.
In the wink of an eye, there's a new leader in the Australian hotel industry when it comes to hotels in the four to four-and-a-half star category. As of March 31, there will be more Mantra hotels than any other brand in that category--so we'll probably start to hear a lot more from them.
From April there will be over 50 Mantra hotels operating, a lot of which have led former lives as Saville and Pacific International properties. And there are plans for Mantra to expand even further. The CEO reckons that the rebranding will create "more choice" for customers, and while he means that there'll be more Mantras to choose from, it kind of sounds like less choice to us.
In any case, we'll be keeping an eye on the new Mantras and will let you know what changes we see. In particular, there are a bunch of downtown Saville hotels in cities across Oz that we've always quite liked, and we wonder if having a new Mantra (yep, bad pun intended) will make them even better or not.
It does take a little longer for things to travel all the way to Australia, but now the concept of checking in online is beginning to catch on. According to the blog belonging to the Rydges hotel chain, Rydges properties across Australia (and, in fact, New Zealand) are now offering a web check in service for anyone belonging to their PriorityGUEST loyalty program.
The bit we think is very convenient, although somehow kind of odd, is that you do your online check in at the same time as you make your booking. You only have to check a box during the reservation process and you're considered checked in. When you arrive at the hotel, showing your PriorityGUEST card will be enough for you to get your key, no further questions asked.
Sounds easy, just a pity it's restricted to loyalty program members, and we're also a bit suspicious that it's too easy to be true. Australians are generally good technology adopters, though, so it will probably catch on fast and spread to other Down Under hotels soon.
While we're quite sure now that decent WiFi access is a very hit and miss affair in Europe, we're not yet sure how a laptop fares Down Under.
Since we're considering a trip to Melbourne, we've done a bit of digging on hotels in Australia's second city that offer a good (and preferably free) WiFi service, and got a couple of tips from blogger monkeyjedi who's been tracking down some good WiFi spots across Oz.
If you're looking for a big chain hotel, then the Westin Melbourne offers complimentary broadband internet and wireless connectivity in all public areas, and it's also available in guest rooms. A little bit sneakily, we think, there is a charge if you use it in your room, so you should take your laptop out to the lobby (pictured) and log on there.
Also on the list, and suitable if you're more into boutique hotels, is the Hotel Lindrum. They offer free WiFi access in the lobby, but not yet in guest rooms.
We haven't tried this yet, but wouldn't we get some WiFi connectivity if we request a room as close to the lobby as possible? It could work in some hotels, couldn't it? Or let's try another strategy: hotels, this is the 21st century. GIVE US WIFI! For free, please.
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by amandak
