Archive for November, 2007

How much would you spend on a one night stay in a fancy hotel room? $18,000? $23,000? How about $25,000? While most of us are probably saying “Are you crazy?!” a handful of the wealthiest families around the world are saying “Yes, gimme the keys!” The three priciest hotels in the world are certainly worth loosening your purse strings for if you have the means.

Although not the most expensive, the Presidential Suite at the Martinez Hotel in Cannes, France seems cheap compared to number one. The beautiful 8,000 square foot room is decorated in a chic Art Deco style. There are silky curtains and fabrics, sleek furniture and exquisite teak parquet floors throughout the space. All of the suites have two bedrooms, a kitchen, a Turkish bath and a personal sauna but the Presidential comes complete with personal butler, Bose plasma television and telephones, open bar and use of a hotel limousine. Anything and everything is at your disposal if you can squeeze out a cool $18,000 for the stay.

The Imperial Suite at President Wilson Hotel in Geneva, Switzerland comes in at number two on the most expensive hotels list. You can shack up here, amongst royalty, the highest of government officials and celebrities alike, for $23,000. Security is tight here. Windows and doors are bulletproofed and security guards abound. Although a nice feature for many of the hotels elite guests, a secure stay isn’t all the Imperial Suite has to offer. The space takes over the entire top floor of the hotel. The hefty price tag comes complete with four bedrooms, five mosaic marble floored baths, a steam bath and Jacuzzi. As if that weren’t enough the dinning room has a grand mahogany table fit for a king, literally – it seats up to 26 guests! One of the best facets of the Imperial Suite is the living room which features a stocked library, pool table and a cocktail lounge; all within view of the rooms unique water fountain. Talk about a luxury lifestyle.

Surely you’ve been anticipating the room that costs the prettiest penny of them all. That room is the Bridge Suit at the Atlantis Resort in the sunny Bahamas. The suite costs a whopping $25,000 for a stay from 2:00pm until 11:00am the following day. The price doesn’t even cover a full 24 hours! Regardless, many wealthy families and nobles do throw out their spare change to stay here. The suite is in an ultra extraordinary location, set atop of the bridge that links the two Royal Tower buildings of the resort. It has sweeping views of the entire resort and the lucid Atlantic Ocean waters. The red, black and gold color palette radiates magnificence throughout the ten room suite. Within these two rooms there are remarkably high 12 foot ceilings, a bar lounge, marble bath tubs, unique dolphin fixtures and an advanced entertainment center. If you can afford to shake your piggy bank out, who wouldn’t stay here?

Photo of the Atlantis Resort courtesy of Wikimedia.org

CitizenM claims that they are the first hotel with “affordable luxury for the people.” The people behind the concept of the hotel chain got the idea by merely observing. These keen annotations brought them to the conclusion that the new millennium brought a new type of traveler. These travelers go abroad often. They are independent and adventurous. They have a certain level of respect and regards for other peoples and cultures. They want to learn. They have seemingly found the fountain of youth, which is apparently meeting new people, exploring different worlds and living life to the fullest. They are called the Mobile Citizens of the World. These travelers are often times just average income earners who don’t have a whole lot to spend on luxury so they stay in budget hotels and motels, even brothels, just to get by while they discover new and exciting territory.

CitizenM saw their in. If this new generation of people loved the luxury of travel so much, wouldn’t they want a hotel to go hand in hand with it? The people behind the hotel chain know that this new class of travelers includes explorers, shoppers and professionals. These people like to have fun and make the most of their stay. The hotels took these concepts into consideration and turned it into a reasonably priced hotel chain that even common people can afford. Hence, CitizenM hotels was born. Hotels are set to be placed in strategic locations within European cities like London, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Stockholm, Brussels, Milan, Copenhagen, Moscow, Paris, Istanbul, Warsaw and Budapest among many others. Many are positioned to open within the next few years. Each hotel is stylish, modern, socialable, entertaining, comfortable and best of all completely affordable.

The moral is that Mobile Citizens of the World, you no longer have to use out-dated services or shared bathrooms – CitizenM has got your covered!

The Queensberry Hotel in Scotland sat vacant for two odd years, creating an eyesore in the small town of Dumfries. That is until the Barracuda Group came along. The Queensberry is the third of some 15 plus renovations that the group plans on doing around the UK.

The Barracuda Group worked closely with Dumfries officials to make sure the integrity of the town landmark remained. They dispensed 1.4 million euros into the deal which included a change to the façade, a restaurant serving choice foods and a pub that pours only premium branded alcohols.

The Queensberry Hotel reopened on July 3, 2007. Dumfries citizens, members of the Barracuda Group and even some tourists proudly hung around the refurbished pub, giving many cheers and thanks to the tasteful renovation.

There is much to see and do in and around Dumfries, Scotland. Plan a stay at the Queensberry and set your sights on beautiful abbeys, stunning castles and the rolling Scottish countryside. The hotel includes 16 non-smoking bedrooms from 49 euros per night. The price includes a continental breakfast.

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia.org