Hotele sławne, dziwne, naj… na świecie

Abstract

Nowadays, the level of hotel services is globally getting more and more equalized. Their range and standards are becoming unified and the differences between particular continents or countries are becoming less and less significant. In this situation, the high quality of the offered product is no longer sufficient to ensure a long-term advantage over the competitors. Some hotels try to enrich their offer with additional, psychological benefits, namely the so-called value added. A stay at the hotel can be a sign of prestige and belonging to an elite group. It can reflect personality or life philosophy of a guest and provide unforgettable experience, which can be something to boast about among friends. Because staying in “ordinary” hotels, even of the highest standards, is no longer considered as something to take pride in, tourists are choosing unconventional hotel establishments more and more frequently. They are offered a night’s stay in buildings of peculiar location, eccentric architecture and unusual interior. The services provided in these establishments are frequently highly sophisticated. The article depicts examples of establishments belonging to the following groups: – famous and luxurious hotels, e.g. Ritz Hotel in Paris, Burj Al Arab in Dubai, Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi or Hotel Bristol in Warsaw, – boutique hotels, e.g. Paramount Hotel in New York, Copernicus and Rubinstein hotels in Cracow or Rialto in Warsaw, – designer hotels, e.g. Fox in Copenhagen, Ripa Hotel in Rome, Kube Hotel in Paris, Puerta America in Madrid and Lalala Hotel in Sopot, – peculiar and untypical hotels, e.g. Ishotelet in Kiruna (Sweden) or Hydropolis in Dubai, – record-breaking hotels, e.g. MGM Grand in Las Vegas (the largest hotel in the world), “Explorer of the Seas” (the largest swimming hotel), the smallest hotel capsules in Japan, Gornergrat in Zermatt (the highest-located hotel), Grand Hyatt in Shanghai (the highest hotel in the world), – odd and extravagant hotels, e.g. hotels located inside a harbour crane (Harbour Crane in the Netherlands), inside concrete tubes (Das Park Hotel in Ottensheim) and inside old wine barrels (De Vrouwe van Stavoren) as well as totally spartan Zero Star Hotel in Sevelen (Switzerland) or a Soviet ex-prison of Karosta in Liepāja (Latvia), – hotels located inside means of transportation, e.g. Hotelbus (rotel – a combination of a luxury bus and a hotel), hotels inside train- and tram coaches (Controversy Tram Inn), hotels inside a helicopter (Hotelicopter), Boeing 747 (Jumbo Hostel) or a mobile module without any address (EverLand Hotel). Hotels are no longer treated as just facilities for tourists. Nowadays they constitute fully-fledged elements of a complete vacation experience of a tourist. They determine tourist satisfaction level just as much as visited monuments, exotic landscapes or local cuisine. Some hotels are so extraordinary that they become a popular tourist desti-nation themselves. Demand for their services is fueled by phenomena typical for postmodern societies, such as drive for novelty, search for new experience and the need for trendy environments promoted by the media – all this to impress others with unforgettable memories and sensations.