What makes a great hotel room?
I travel, a lot. In Australia and overseas and stay everywhere from modest motels in the far flung inland of Australia when filming to smart big hotels. Some places get it right, but so many places get it wrong. So I pondered on what makes a hotel room work for me – and thought this might be useful to others. With the internet these days it’s so easy to ask all the right questions before you make your decision.
Ambience
First and foremost I like a quiet room. Whether I am working silly hours shooting TV, or dealing with different time zones, you need to be able to sleep when you want to and not be disturbed by people in the room next door – or with the floor above creaking. And blackout curtains. Once inside it’s good if it is easy to work the lights and air-conditioning. We stayed in an hotel in Nafplio once which was lovely, but after 4 days we still hadn’t worked out how to properly use the lights, sound system or curtains!
I like a choice of bed type – soft for me – and pillows. And please can I have sheets and blanket rather than doona if I choose. It’s great if you can turn off all room lights from the bedside.
Layout
The layout of the room is important. Don’t have the toilet door directly opposite the bed. We all like a bit of privacy and should you be a couple, it’s better if one can get up in the night without disturbing the other. A very smart hotel in Dubai had the most ridiculous positioning of bed to bathroom. I won’t go back.
As something of a workaholic, I like a desk where I can sit properly and work on my laptop. Not a coffee table or some chic minimalist alternative. And power points close by, for computer, mobile phone et al. Best too, to make wi-fi complimentary – so much more welcoming if wifi is included. Put up the room price if you must, but please include the wifi. Sometimes you’re lucky enough in a good hotel that the mini bar is complimentary too! It’s called hospitality. A daily newspaper is a pleasant touch.
The Bathroom
Good lighting is important for anyone who wears make up or shaves – so doesn’t that cover off all of us? Then you want a shower with a proper head with taps which are easy to use. I am a fan of simple hot and cold but this is increasingly rare. Also a shower which doesn’t leak or spray all over the bathroom floor.
In the UK powerpoints (except for shavers) are not allowed in bathrooms. So if this is the case, please make sure there is a powerpoint for hair dryers and the like in easy sight of a mirror.
The Nitty Gritty
The first thing I like to do when I get to a new hotel room is unpack. It’s great when there are plenty of coat hangers – some padded and some suitable for trousers or skirts. And enough hanging space below so that your clothes don’t get crushed on a shelf or safe below. A safe is, however, a great asset – again one which is easy to use. If I have an early start I like to set both the alarm on my mobile phone and an alarm clock in the room – as long as I can figure out how to use it!
In Australia we take tea and coffee making facilities for granted – but this does not happen often in the UK or Europe. I am overjoyed when I find a kettle and even happier when there is a coffee machine. So welcoming.
Location
The ideal hotel room is in a hotel which is easy to walk to shops, restaurants and bars and in a place like London, close to public transport – which is excellent and easy to navigate for the traveller.
So how many hotels tick all these boxes? I am always so delighted when I find one which does. And it was that which inspired me to write this piece. My partner and I often grumble about the inconvenience of some hotel rooms. So having just stayed at the Athenaeum, touted as your “home away from home” I was delighted to find a room which worked perfectly for me and satisfied all my preferences listed above.
I have stayed there before, but not for a few years. As I arrived the doorman welcomed me back by name! As did the concierge.
Traditional High Tea
Gentleman’s tea
Enjoying high tea with my daughter, Lucy.
I was in London for two days of meetings, dinners and catching up with friends. I was able to have a business meeting in the Whisky Bar, in privacy and comfort. I took my daughter to tea in the Garden Room which won Best Tea in the Tea Guild Awards in 2012. I had the Gentleman’s one (both are £ 34.50 per person) which draws on the traditions of a private club, and is savory rather than sweet: wild boar sausage rolls, miniature steak and ale pies, Welsh rarebit and bacon scones. It comes with a glass of single malt scotch, chosen by The Athenaeum’s whisky sommelier who teaches you how to nose and taste!
One morning I indulged in the full English breakfast in the restaurant (they make the best black pudding – just the thing after a big night!). I could have walked in the park opposite which my room overlooked but on my last morning I preferred to walk up to Oxford Street, then along and down New Bond Street for some shopping and window gazing. If I’d had time, I could have just as easily walked to Knightsbridge. Buses stop nearby and Green Park Tube station is only minutes walk away. Some friends even gave me a birthday gift of a facial in the spa.
I was one happy woman. But it was the comfort and privacy of my room which pleased me most. I’ll be back.
