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.
We love a good YouTube video, we really do. What we're not so super keen on is fairly dry and dull promotional videos on YouTube. At the moment, that's pretty much the only type they've got posted at the new Hilton Caribbean YouTube page.
It's a nice idea, though. You can click on the hotel of your choice, including some pretty spots like the Hilton Curacao or Hilton Barbados, and get a virtual tour even before you decide to book a room. They show areas around the hotel as well as inside, and give you the differences between some of the rooms, for example.
It's functional, has a decent narrator and pretty pictures, but it's not exactly captivating. We're after a bit of action--maybe interviews with some staff or guests, and music that's not quite so cheesy. Are we asking too much? If YouTube virtual tours are the hotel promotional tool of the future, we think there's more that can be done.
Here's a video of the match which is actually very cool especially the aerial views of the Gansevoort's rooftop. We also got a kick of the water ball boys.
Edition Hotels was formally announced this past January at the ALIS conference in Los Angeles and Marriott has created a news video on the event and uploaded it to YouTube. (Notice their customized page!)
There's nothing much new here that we haven't heard before about Edition Hotels but we do see a lot. Bill and Ian both speak on camera and are extremely excited about the project. Btw, Ian has found a perfect tan shade. And Marriott's Chief Financial Officer Arne Sorenson gets some screen time to talk about the planned nine locations and expects half of the Edition Hotels to be outside of the U.S.
The developers of Edition Paris and Edition Chicago also speak out, (the young one uses the word "synergy!) which makes us wonder if these two will be the first to open.
Then there's just a lot of party shots. Marriott threw a pretty swank party at the Ace Gallery in Beverly Hills with Cristal champagne, caviar on ice blocks, exotic flower arrangements and servers and bartenders pretty enough to work in some of Ian's hotels.
We can't tell if it's because we actually heard Bill Marriott talk instead of blog or if we just like a good party, but now we're excited again about Edition Hotels. (Which after the logo reveal was much-needed.) Now, if only we could jump in our time-travel machine to 2010.
You might need sunglasses to watch this video: the Reflections Hotel Bangkok is really bright and colorful, as these visitors recorded. It's an art hotel with 30 distinctive rooms, designed by both Thai and international designers. The gals who recorded this video had this to say:
The coolest hotel in the world. Every room is individually designed in the funkiest way possible. This is a tour of Room 208 that we decided to splash out on on our last night in Thailand.
Cool and funky it surely is, and with superior rooms costing 3600 Baht per night including breakfast, that's not really the big splash out that it sounds like--it's just US$115. There is also a swimming poool and seafood and Japanese restaurants. Remember, each room is different: try picking your room from this amazing menu.
Yesterday we ran a review of Compass Point Hotel, on New Providence Island in the Bahamas. There was a nice view of the colorful cabanas from the dock out in the water, but this gives you the view looking out at the sea.
This is a 360-degree video tour, so you can see a few chalets, the big hot tub, and the pool and restaurant in the distance past that. As you'll see, there's a splash of color at every turn. Enjoy!
[Ed. Note: Yesterday we gave you a quick video tour of the Congress Hall hotel in Cape May, NJ courtesy of Jaunted editor Davie. Today she follows up that virtual treat with a standard old-school review. Enjoy.]
I know myself pretty well and am good at predicting what types of hotels I will and will not like. It is this primordial instinct for the hospitality industry that rightly led me to resist a vacation with my family to the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida. I ended up submitting to their demands and stewing in (what I knew would be) casino hell for a weekend. If only Anna Nicole had consulted me before her untimely and mysterious death there!
Anyway, I swore to myself that I'd never go on any "cute" trips to "adorable" inns close to New York City. You know, the kinds of trips overworked and boring urban couples probably take to make the babies that then grow into the teenagers that later ruin their lives. I swore I'd never find myself in--except perhaps for the purpose of an emergency pit stop--a town known for its antiquing opportunities or colonial history. I've pretty much lost the better part of that battle, though, because I ended up at Congress Hall in Cape May, NJ, this week. In fact, I'm writing this from room 303.
The worst part of my downward spiral into hypocrisy is that I'm actually pretty happy here.
Wandering Jaunted editor Davie packed her bags for an impromptu road trip to Cape May, New Jersey (of all places!) for a stay at the Congress Hall Hotel.
Prior to leaving she sent us this note:
The place was overhauled five years ago and looks quite cute. They also promise free, working WiFi, which I will have to investigate.
Indeed judging from the decor in room 303, the place is cute, if a bit West Elm-y with the seashell decor. As for the working WiFi, Davie says she was concerned about only have two bars yet the connection is working fast.
Other info? The room cost her $99 a night but with taxes it added up to $112.86. She's also got a room with the town view but the inn offers ocean views as well. For all the haters out there, Jersey can be pretty. Just not the parts near Newark. Or the boardwalk at trashy Seaside Heights. Or anything in Six Flags Great Adventure. Or around Secaucus. And Camden isn't pretty either. And...ok we'll stop here.
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by amandak
