Luxury Hotels Versus Serviced Apartments
OK, so you've saved up all year round for the trip of your life. You have the destination in mind, you know what you're going to be going to do when you get there, you have been thinking about this trip so much you can almost feel the sun kissing your skin. You aren't going to be staying in hostels or on campsites either: you are going to live it the life of luxury. You've been looking at some great deals on hotels, only you can't make your mind up between apartment hotels and luxury hotels?
Luxury Hotels.
It used to be so simple. You would always go and stay in one of the great luxury hotels of the world. Well, maybe it still is. There is everything to love about the old world glamour of a luxury hotel. You are made to feel like the lord of the manor from the moment you stride up the stairs and have the door held open for you by an immaculately dressed doorman. Then you check in at the concierge's desk.
As you're going through the formalities the bell boy whisks away your luggage and transports it up to your room for you. In the time you would have spent lugging your suitcase up several flights of stairs you can retire to the bar. Here the soft sound of piano music drifts between you and the other guests. You drink martinis and talk to your loved ones.
You've only been staying at the hotel an hour and already you are sure you've made the right decision. All this is before you've even had your immaculately prepared gourmet dinner. Or even set foot in your palatial room. Needless to say, every day the sheets are changed, the room is tidied and you are at liberty to do as you please without a thought for the minor things in life.
Apartment Hotels.
Of course, that is until you get the bill. Now I know you aren't interested in going cheap, the whole point of this trip is to splash out and some people really won't mind. But some of the things you are paying for in a hotel, you really don't need. The bell boy is a nice touch, but with his wage and his tip directly affecting your bank balance do you really need him? The 24 hours a day seven days a week room service: is that essential?
The gourmet dinner is nice every now and then but maybe you want to go and wander through the city one night and by freshly prepared food from the street vendors, or eat in a restaurant that until then you've only ever read about from thousands of miles away.
The joys of a luxury hotel are obvious, but they certainly don't suit everyone. Some people want to be much more independent when they travel. They want an apartment that they can come back to at whatever hour they like without asking reception for their key. They want the privacy that hotels cannot really provide. They want their own laundry facilities and their own kitchen. They want a home away from home, in short. If this sounds appealing to you (more so than being pampered) then apartment hotels are for you.
The Decision.
Choosing between the two options is very hard and is of course a very personal decision. The idea of being looked after for the entirety of my holiday is very appealing, but the convenience and style of an apartment hotel would be hard to bypass for me. With some of the biggest and most famous names in the hotel industry launching their own apartment hotels - the glitz, glamour and service of a luxury hotel is possible in your own private apartment.
At the moment there are some great deals on hotels available, so keep your eyes peeled and that holiday of a lifetime might actually cost you less than you'd thought!