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Hotel Blog Watch

Hotel Blog Watch: Tassie's Islington Hotel, Hobart

February 19, 2007 at 10:44 AM | 0 Comments

Hotel Islington View

Down Under, pretty Tasmanian capital Hobart's Hotel Islington keeps everyone up-to-date with goings-on at the hotel through their monthly Manager's Blog. Hosts and managers Nicholas and Amy share the task of telling all the important things that go on at the Islington, and providing a taste of what's to come if you decide to make a reservation.

They do, however, manage to make it all sound barely like marketing at all, including recent complaints about their family members who've been slow to send them digital pics from the Christmas party. A juicily-titled section called Islington Gossip didn't quite turn up the tidbits we were looking for, apart from explaining how a couple of regularly returning guests got treated to a day out on a boat with the bosses. In fact the more you read of the Islington Managers' Blog, the more running a hotel sounds like a great job: from "Must run and join our guest for Cocktails and canapes" to "it was a great excuse for me and Amy to have one of Annie's [the chef] fantastic and personal meals", we could get the impression that it's all play and no work. But if that relaxed, fun way of life (typical of those Aussies) flows on to how the guests feel, perhaps it's okay. We'll keep an eye on the Islington blog and see if they do get around to doing plenty of work soon or not.

[Photo: funkyteru]

Related Stories:
· Boutique Hotel Luxury in Hobart, Tasmania [HotelChatter]
· Islington Hotel [TripAdvisor]

Boutique Hotels

Boutique Luxury in Hobart, Tasmania

January 12, 2007 at 11:04 AM | 0 Comments

If you make it on any kind of World Top 100 list, you must be doing okay--especially when you're a hotel located as far away from most of the world as Hobart, Tasmania. Britain's Tatler magazine recently raved about Australia's Islington Hotel and Conde Nast had it on their 2006 Hot List, too. It's recently undergone a $3 million refurbishment and a new review described it as:

More a grand mansion or art museum than a hotel ... its walls are adorned with million-dollar paintings and Australia's oldest tapestry.

Sounds a bit like one of those hotels that you can't quite get comfortable in, for fear of damaging something that isn't yours. But once you do settle in, there's plenty of pampering service to keep you satisfied:

There is a 24-hour houseman on site, a personal chef to cook up any culinary request using organic fruits and vegetables, marble bathrooms, flat-screen TVs and an acre of gardens.

And there's a masseuse and a personal trainer, if you need some kind of physical lift. The location is pretty neat too, sitting in the so-called "Dress Circle" of Hobart with views to Mount Wellington.

[Photo: Dev25]

Related Stories:
· Islington Hotel reviews [TripAdvisor]
· Hobart Hotel in High Society [The Australian]

Australia Hotels

Beat the Heat by Traveling to Winter

July 14, 2006 at 2:24 PM | 0 Comments

Although most people are not anxious to leave summer behind for winter, doing so can be quite refreshing. Jetting straight out of the summer season and into the Southern Hemisphere brings on new seasonal delights. Besides, not much sounds cooler than saying that you are taking a jaunt to Tasmania.

Hobart may have started with a lot of devils, criminals, that is, but today it is a capital city filled with friendly locals, sport lovers, and happy tourists. It has escaped the modernizing ways of much of the rest of the world, not to say that it is in the dark ages, by any means, but it does not present the usual menu of hotel chains. This in itself, is incredibly refreshing. The Macquaire Inn certainly does not spread itself like a disease across the globe, instead it focuses on its Hobart location and does a good job at that.

With only 18 rooms to serve, you can bet on personal attention. They pride themselves on this do former guests, who repeatedly gush that the staff is "sincere", "helpful", and "friendly". In fact "personalised service" is listed as an amenity here; quel concept!? Personalized service as an amenity rather that an Ipod? This is just too charming to bare! We love it!  

Traveling to Hobart seems like not only a trip to another season, but to another era. Plus let's face it, after the plane ride we will need all the personalized attention we can get.

Related Stories:
· Macquaire Manor Reviews [TripAdvisor]