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Killer View
Room With a Killer View: Nature Welcomes You in South-West England
November 15, 2007 at 9:51 AM | 0 Comments
We are suckers for a room with a killer view. We find that we are even more likely to forgive some minor hotel inconveniences if we can stare out the window at something pretty--yeah we are that shallow. Let's help out our fellow hotel mavens by uploading rooms with killer views to the HotelChatter/Flickr photo pool, or by sending the photo along to us. We will feature our favorites in this space from time to time. Remember to tell us the name of the hotel and the room number of the hot view.
At the luxurious Buckland Tout-Saints Hotel in south-west England, the killer views go both ways--inside the hotel looking out gives you these immaculate manicured gardens and then the wide green beyond, and if you're outside the hotel looking in you'll see the cute-enough-to-eat manor house that is the Buckland Tout-Saints.
When we went to find out more about this grand hotel, we started getting confused by the British hotel rating system. Apparently the Buckland Tout-Saints Hotel is the proud bearer of not only three red stars, but also two AA Rosettes. We figure this is a good thing but are longing for an internationally standardized system so we can figure out hotel quality. Well, for the delightful view alone we give this place a dozen rosettes. Is that possible?
[Photo: tico24]
Related Stories:
· Hotels in the United Kingdom [HotelChatter]
· Travel Stories in Devon [Jaunted]
Ritz-Carlton Hotels
How Does AAA Give Diamonds?
September 10, 2007 at 9:01 AM | 1 Comment
Yesterday's New York Times did a bit of bean spilling on the process the AAA uses to give diamond rankings to hotels. The story followed an inspector to a final rating meeting at the Ritz-Carlton New York Central Park, which got to keep its 5 diamonds (making it one of only 93 hotels, from 32,000, to score so high).
The ratings process itself made for an interesting explanation, starting with the anonymous overnight stay, followed usually months later by a surprise meeting when the inspector introduces themselves and meets the manager. The first time, undercover, the inspector checks everything from carpets to TVs, from room service to staff attitudes; the second time, they get a proper guided tour. It all adds up to a total out of 363 points, and you need 251 points to be a 5-diamond hotel.
Interestingly, the Ritz-Carlton NY scored 324 points last year, but only 282 this time round. Either standards are falling or the inspectors are getting tougher.
[Photo: giuvax]
Related Stories:
· An Inspector Calls, And Hotel Listens [NY Times]
· The Job Of Your Hotel Dreams [HotelChatter]
· Hotel Insectors Look For Ketchup Smudges and Dead Bolts [HotelChatter]
