Comments on: The Eternal Awkwardness of Luxury Travel

By: Lisa Corcoran

Lisa Corcoran — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 19:44:38 +0000

OK, so the turndown service can be a little inconvenient and my husband hates people carrying his bag but having just returned from La Residencia in Mallorca, I have to confess I loved every single minute of it. To be fair, the staff really were lovely (def real people!) and there was no hint of stuffiness. Perfect….

Looks like I’m out of the support group then!!

By: Jeremy Head

Jeremy Head — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 16:10:43 +0000

Yeah… but come on. You would KILL to fly business class rather than economy wouldn’t you? I would! And I love spa treatments and would pay for them too

By: Abi

Abi — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 11:14:27 +0000

Hm – how about tidying up my room while I’m out so that I can’t find anything any more? There is method in my mess!

I agree with you about the turndown service and strange pantomime over luggage – but I’m more than happy to mix luxury and rock-bottom when I travel. Sometimes it’s nice not to have to block the door with the wardrobe to stop someone breaking in at night…

By: Tim Richards

Tim Richards — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 23:03:26 +0000

Totally agree with you David, and I love the Austrian guy’s quote, very well put. When I travel, especially to a foreign country, I crave AUTHENTICITY above all else, and there’s nothing faker than a luxury hotel (except of course a luxury resort!).

Now I can appreciate a comfortable room after a long hot day out in the city or wherever, but all the endless fripperies are just absurd – and as you suggested, childish. Does one really need to be constantly reasured that one is important?

(Will disagree a little on spa treatments though, as I think they can be legitimately therapuetic beyond pampering)

By: Andy Jarosz

Andy Jarosz — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 23:02:18 +0000

I share your discomfort of luxury hotels David. Part of 5 star service should be allowing guests to carry their own bags if they want to. I travel light and want to unpack the minute I open my room, not 15 mins later when the bellboy shows up with his outstretched palm. Far more comfortable in a decent guesthouse.
Having read Hal’s comment I realise I’m a crap excuse for a travel blogger, having had to pay for all the hotels I’ve ever stayed in. What am I doing wrong?

By: Daniel

Daniel — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 16:02:11 +0000

I agree with the general feeling….but I also wish I had enough money to enjoy luxury travel! Basically, it is what it is. Sometimes being able to relax and be treated very well is nice, other times it’s not what one is looking for. The key is simply to acknowledge that there’s a trade off.

*I’m curious how much he will really give away. And I’d be curious for an update in a decade!

By: Nicolas De Corte

Nicolas De Corte — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 16:01:24 +0000

Does one really have to give away all their money to become able to live on a closer budget?
Maybe putting everything into a long-term investment would be a more considered thought. But who am I to judge? Thumbs up for the formerly rich guy!

By: David

David — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 15:53:48 +0000

Good point on the turndown service, Sarah. I like the way that they always tell the maid to go and do it when I’ve just got out of the shower, and I have to dive for any available scrap of material to stop myself flashing at her as she saunters in…

By: Sarah Lee

Sarah Lee — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 15:50:05 +0000

Great post Grumpy – thought you looked a little uncomfortable with some of that five star treatment we had in Tenerife recently. As much as I love a bit of luxury (oh, ok then, a lot!) I have to agree with the bit about the bellboy – never know what to do when they arrive, feel uncomfortable, wonder if I really am expected to tip them for doing what I can usually do myself and how much is about right for what is generally a tiny aspect of my hotel experience.

Agree with Stuart though not every five star is the same, and for some luxury is distinguished by a friendly, relaxed ambiance. But there are some that are faceless and false.

Another ‘luxury’ I’m a little uncomfortable with (or confused by) – turndown service. What is it all about? I’m quite sure I can pull back my own bedcovers before getting into bed. I posted on other strange goings-on at five star hotels here: http://bit.ly/azXhcT

By: Hal Peat

Hal Peat — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 15:37:43 +0000

You forgot to mention one of the latest horrors of the five-star universe, which is being greeted with the warning that “We don’t have a concierge here. Instead you’ve been assigned your own…personal assistant!” Big mistake with me, who is frequently even crankier than usual after eight hours of flying and airport nightmares.

But seriously, sometimes I can distinguish between what you encounter in a place that was thrown up on a still pristine coastline over the past decade and a hotel that’s been around since the early nineteenth century. The former creates that uncomfortable feeling of being thrown into a kabuki acting-out of feigned luxury and status, the latter has some element of authenticity, ambience, even a provenance of its own. And I tend to react somewhat differently in each setting. I’ll add that I can understand and respect your own general five-star antipathy. It’s the decent reaction. Then again, you are a travel writer and not just a travel blogger, so your inclination is the right one in feeling appalled by five-star excess rather than, for instance, one blogger post I read elsewhere that asked triumphantly “What SWAG did you score on your latest press trip?” Such people never get massaged enough nor receive enough bottles of cheap champagne in their suite. Christ amighty.