My Homes Away From Home

Work has in the last three years made me travel a fair bit around the world. Of course some people think its pure vacation, but I was just fortunate that I got to see a little teeny weeny bit of this world as a part of my job.

So, these trips that I made in the last three years were ranging anywhere between 4 days to 4 weeks. And therefore the hotels that I put up in (rather was made to put up in), irrespective of the size and service standards did mean home to me for that period of time. Just thought of penning down a few memories of the hotels I did get the chance to visit:

• Westin, Bangkok: My first home away from home. I stayed at this hotel during my first trip abroad in 2004, so therefore I don’t recall much except that it was on Sukhumvit Road in Bangkok, where I had a woman walk all over me for the first time trying to give me the famous massage.
• Conrad, Bangkok: A brilliant hotel. Have stayed there about three times – It’s the first time I saw walls of the bathroom made of glass – I thought it was really cool. But it had the most amazing bell boy – He had the most unique way of calling for taxi’s for the guests – A rock and roll performance with his entire body swaying to the music only he could hear while he called for the cab. A completely impressive example of how to enjoy even the most mundane of jobs.
• Raffles, Singapore: Never got to stay at this hotel (sigh!!), but more enjoyable than having the famous Singapore Sling here was the joy of peeling peanuts served along with the drink, and throwing the peels on the floor. Yes, I was behaving my age (which was 26 at that time) - Given the hospital like cleanliness of the city, I could bet that the Long Bar would be the only place for the housekeepers of Singapore to keep themselves busy.
• Hilton, Singapore: The bell boy at the hotel had a fascination for Bollywood. Stayed at the hotel atleast 4 times, and everytime the same bell boy would get my luggage to the room, and not forget to tell me how he loved hindi movies. I still owe a DVD to him of a hindi movie which I promised him. Next time dude.
• Best Western, Paris – Yes there are tons of them, so don’t have the exact address, but it was the one closest to Galleries Lafayette. Stayed there both times that I visited the city. My first introduction to hotels without room service. And the hotel actually had a bell which you had to ring in case you were arriving after 11 PM because the reception staff used to go off to sleep.
• Hilton, Milton Keynes: Made me realize how the same chain can have such different standards across the globe. Of course, the one in Singapore is so much better.
• Sandton Inn, Johannesburg: The only hotel where I read security instructions at the main entrance. Well, though this hotel did have room service, for some reason, dinner was available only until 8 PM. Without internet in the rooms, it had this one terminal in the lobby which the entire hotel was to use for access to the internet.
• Ashford International, Kent, UK: The only hotel where I not just went to have a look at the gym, but also used it everyday. That’s worth remembering for a person like me, trust me. Yes, the motivation is another story
• Nailert Park, Bangkok: Haha. This was one experience. The house-keeper here accidentally picked the passport of my colleague as a result of which we missed the flight, and the hotel earned at extra day of revenue. Yes, they did not believe in bearing the cost for their mistakes. But this hotel also has a strange bar – it has lamp shades that look like blown condoms. And they look funny hanging from the ceiling.
• Crowne Plaza, Paramatta, Sydney: Comfortable, and in the midst of the most crowded street in Paramatta filled with every type of restaurant. Wonder, what kind of people really ate at the hotel. Something, my German colleague really had difficulty coming to terms with was the supposedly poor control they had for charging parking fees to the guests.
• Frazer Place, Bangkok – This was a true home away from home. From the luxuries of the Conrad, we were moved to this service apartment for the next trip because the hotel had substantially increased their rates – pity for us, but it was high time the hotel did do that for the quality of service it delivered. Anyway, Frazer was a nice experience. Apart from everything else, it was the only accommodation where I shared my room with my junior colleague for the fear of not waking up on the day of the closing meeting with the client. Sheelu, you are special :) And yes, this hotel also had the swimming pool on the top floor with glass walls surrounding the terrace. You could actually see the sky scrapers of Bangkok while swimming.
  

I did get the opportunity to work on a project for a hospitality major in India recently, and well, while I do appreciate a hotel much more now, my companions for future hotel stays can be rest assured of experiencing the critic in me.