I think that everyone, no matter how little money you think you have, should experience the comfort service luxury of a seven-star hotel. Now, I don't know that there is even such a grade of hotel, but it sure feels like it when everything you could want or need is there for you.
I recently stayed at the brand new W Seoul Walkerhill hotel. It's in Seoul, obviously, attached to the more traditional and well-known Sheraton-Grande Walkerhill hotel.
I'll dispense with the cab ride there and other such anecdotes.
The entrance has a giant, and I mean giant, revolving door to let you and all your stuff inside. The first thing you see is a lounge. It's all very sleek and modern. There's a circular sofa that surrounds a number of small round tables. A multi-leveled area has more sofas that you sink into with side tables and computer screens, and there are some booths as well. On the left side there is the self-proclaimed 'longest bar in Seoul'. At the end, there is a shiny metallic pod-like DJ booth.
The check-in counter is nowhere to be seen as it melds right into the lounge. There are only two lowly workers at the desk. Check-in is swift and efficient. I'm handed a cardkey and we're off. Before we leave the lounge, called the Living Room, I must mention the art piece that is on the wall in the lobby area.
It's made up of smooth, wooden squares which are mounted in the rear to devices that allow them to swivel just ever so slightly back and forth on a horizontal axis originating at their centres. Think of the old-school Wheel of Fortune letters, but horizontal. There are hundreds of squares forming a wide rectangle. The pieces are top-lit by a number of spotlights. Now, I said they're smooth, but they're also just a little bit shiny, so that depending on what angle a piece is stationed, it reflects a little or a lot of light. So some squares are 'white' (angled upwards), some 'black' (angled downwards), and some different shades of 'grey' (take a guess). The swivelling devices make wooden clicking noises, like Scrabble pieces in the bag when you are digging for that much needed U. Mind you the swivelling squares do not touch each other, so I'm not sure about the authenticity of the sounds. At first glance, the art piece seems to be a random bunch of squares that make clicking noises as they swivel back and forth. It looks alive. In fact it is. Somewhere in the midst of those wooden squares is a camera. This camera feeds its signal to the computer that must be controlling the swivellers. As people walk by, the wooden 'pixels' display the video image in slightly-delayed real-time. It's actually very, very cool.
The elevator is very dark. There are video screens showing the available services throughout the hotel. Hanging from the ceiling are illuminated rings, like gymnastics rings, but many more, and of varying lengths and positions. Each elevator has different colours of rings.
Our room was on the eleventh floor. The elevator lobby has a tall rectangular video screen greeting you with what looks like a screensaver or visualisation that would accompany your computer's audio software. However, it too, has a camera and the images displayed are affected and morphed depending on your motions.
The hallways were lined with thick, soft carpet, with circular patches of taller, thicker pile, graduated in size and set at distances apart from each other along the wall. The lighting, though I can't recall it, was very well done. At the end of the hallway was a giant ball of basically Christmas lights.
As we opened the heavy door, soft music greeted us. A first look inside reveals little. There are sheer white floor-to-ceiling curtains straight down the length of the room. On the right is the adjoining room door, a closet with frosted glass doors which has a sensor that turns on the interior light when you open the door, and houses an iron and ironing board and two amazing white cotton robes.
To the left is the bathroom which has two frosted glass cubicles, the left one a toilet and the right a shower (where the water simply falls out of the ceiling from an oversized shower head), a double-sided mirror held up by cables, Aveda bath products (which we stole, of course), a rectangular sink, speaker connections to the radio and TV, a bathtub, and a bathtoy, all enclosed in glass. There is a retractable screen which can come down beside the bathtub, blocking the view to the bed. The light switch confused me because it was mounted to a glass wall with no visible wires.
To the right, a little farther along, was the minibar and snack and beverage station. Some really nice coffee and teas were setup there. I forgot to take some tea.
Even farther, there's a bench seat with throw pillows, a 29-inch TV, a Bose radio/CD player (which was the source of the music), and a desk with standard hotel stationary and such. I forgot to steal the really cool metal paperclips in the shapes of Ws.
At the end of the curtained 'hallway' are two white leather pod-like swivel lounge chairs and a table. The three sit on the most comfortable rug I have ever laid my tired bare feet on. Oh, and a view of the mountains.
And last, but not least, there is a king-size bed (I thought I had reserved the round bed, but alas) with a padded mattress, 300-thread count sheets, a red duvet, and four king-size feather pillows, all atop a platform that is lit all around the edges and up the walls to the ceiling. In the drawer under the TV was yet another red pillow and a faux fur blanket which was oh-so-soft.
Everything is remote controlled, from the lights, to the radio, to the DVD player, to the curtains. Oh, didn't I mention the DVD player and library of free DVDs (and CDs) that are available with a simple phone call?
Due to uncontrollable circumstances, we were not able to check in at the earliest time possible, which was a shame, considering how much fun it was just to lounge in the room.
And how much it was.
Breakfast is another story. Full buffet. And I mean full. They've got fresh juices, fresh fruits, dried fruits, cereals, yogurts, breads, jams, pastries, sausages, potatoes, eggs, bacon, eggs wrapped in bacon, mushrooms, polenta, salmon, chicken, noodles, coffee, and yes, champagne. And all of it is gourmet. I mean all.
The moral: Yes, it cost me way more that I can reasonably afford, but you have to indulge yourself once in a while. It probaly cost about CA$500, but for one day, you have everything you need, and anything that you don't need but want is a phone call away. It was definitely worth it. Take that opportunity when it presents itself. You won't regret it.
