HotelChatter

So when we and a writer from the biggest gay travel magazine in the world entered the hotel's hallowed world and asked to see a room, it wasn't surprising when the visibly annoyed front desk clerk rebuffed us saying they were full. When we asked when would be a good time to come back and try again she said, "I have no idea" and went back to chatting with her co-worker.

We drifted over to the bar area, surprised to see lots of financial district suits instead of the models and artists the hotel would like us to believe are the key patrons. When we got out our cameras to snap a shot of the lounge, another staffer cracked her permabore facial expression to tell us, "No photos allowed."

Us: "We're both travel writers working on a Reykjavik hotel story."

Her: "You must get permission from the manager."

Us: "When will the manager be back?"

Her: "I don't know. Maybe next week."

We hear the rooms in this hotel are very 80s as well, with a stark black and white color scheme, hard slick surfaces, and platform beds. But since we don't have a photo, we instead give you a shot of the towel use instructions put out by a local hotel alliance for its members to use.

Apparently this is a metaphor of how you should treat beautiful guests and how you should treat everyone else, according to the Hotel Service 101 class at hotel 101.