A good clean room with proper service — that is the least one expects while staying in a hotel. But there are some unusual ones that go beyond one’s expectations and compel you to travel just to stay there

Ever wondered why you like to stay in some hotels more than others?

Probably the ambience in a particular case, the services it offers, the views, or perhaps its very theme. A hotel in Kerala, for example, may be popular for its wellness programs, while one in Rajasthan for its heritage value. Various creative ideas of people across the world have translated into a range of unique hotels. These have created niche market for themselves and resulted in imitations in other parts of the world born from appreciation and admiration. Over the next few pages we explore some of these unique ideas.

ICEHOTEL in Jukkasjarvi, Sweden

Photo: Big Ben Productions

Hotels in jails
Some jails are not reserved for criminals; rather, you will have to pay, and in some cases quite a lot, to experience these jails. Hotels in jails may sound bizarre, but this has been turned into reality at quite a few places. The Jail at Mount Gambier in South Australia is one such example. This hotel is meant primarily for people wanting to stay on a low budget. Rooms are available at as low as US$ 22. France has an ambitious program to raise 44 billion Euros by selling off nine jails to private hotel chains.

Britain’s oldest jail in Oxford has been converted into a boutique hotel by the Malmaison hotel chain. The most famous of the jail hotels, however, is the Four Seasons Istanbul. This luxury hotel started in 1996 at a venue that was known as Sultanahmet Jail till 1969 and was used for detaining writers, journalists, artists and dissident intellectuals. Initially, the Four Seasons played down the infamous history of the place, but they soon realized that the murky past was rather good for business. Liberty Hotel in Boston also has 18 of its rooms built in what was once a prison.

Can such hotels be built in India? Cellular Jail, which is in shambles, can probably still be saved from complete ruin if sold to a hotel chain with the rider that its historicity will not be compromised and that it will be kept open for public viewing. There are various other jails falling apart in the name of preserving historical monuments. Perhaps a leaf out of Mount Gambier’s The Jail or Malmaison in Oxford will prove more handy on this front.

Tree-house hotels
Tribals have used tree houses for ages, but of late these have emerged in the form of hotels in different parts of the world, as luxury for some and as eco-friendly for some others. Germany, South Africa, USA, Vietnam and also India boast tree house hotels. For various reasons tree-houses have caught the fancy of travelers. In India, one can find these type of hotels at quite a few places, particularly in the vicinity of jungles. This is more popular in the south Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala where tree resorts like Green Magic Tree House Resort (Vythiri), Carmelia Haven Resort (Idukki), Tranquil Tree House Resort (Wynad), B-six Holiday Resort, and Safari Land Farm are in operation. Usually these tree resorts have regular kinds of rooms as well.

The exteriors of these tree houses have a primitive look, but they are well-equipped with modern facilities such as electricity, telephones, television, running water and Western-style attached bathrooms. Rooms are furnished with bamboo beds, colorful sheets, blankets, carpets and a verandah is usually present. Prices range from Rs 4000 to 11,000 per night, depending on the facilities available. In a resort in Panna, Madhya Pradesh, for instance, a tree house costs nothing less than Rs 10,000 a night during peak tourist season.

Setting up tree house hotels translate into an investment of Rs 15 to 20 lakh. (See the July 2008 issue of DARE, or visit http://www.dare.co.in/opportunities/services/mainstreaming-tree-house-resorts.htm.)

Manab Pal, MD, Floatel “Being a pioneer is difficult” How did you conceive the idea of the Floatel? The idea is mine, as I have experience in the shipping industry and offshore oil exploration. I picked up from the offshore oil industry, which exploits oil resources in the high sea. I designed this hotel based on a technical idea and my educational background in naval architecture. I designed it to fit for a location on the river Hooghly. I got it built in Santosh shipyard in Singapore and towed to the present location. What were the difficulties you faced while starting the hotel? Being a totally new concept, I faced immense difficulties in getting clearances and licenses. There were lots of questions raised under the existing acts and statues. It took eight long years to get clearances. I conceived this idea in 1994 and the first trial run could begin only in November 2006. While starting a pioneering project one must be ready to face a long gestation period. We had to seek clearances from both the state government and the central government over various issues. One must have patience and financial strength for this kind of project. What was the total investment? With the total time and cost overrun, and everything included, total investment came to about Rs 26 crore. Did you buy the ship on which hotel is built? A floating hotel cannot be made on an existing ship. A unique configuration above the waterline is required for building floating structures, be it a hotel or a shopping mall or a hospital. The bottom of the craft can be same for all structures, but above-the-waterline configurations depend on what the craft is going to be used for. The design has to be fitted with this configuration. How many rooms does Floatel have? What are their tariffs? We have 52 rooms altogether, including three large suites and nine banqueting areas, which can accommodate about 2,200 persons. We have a dedicated bar and a restaurant with a capacity of 150. Our rack rate starts at Rs 7,000, and luxury suites go up to Rs 30,000. Occupancy rate before the slowdown came was about 80%. Have you been affected by the slowdown? Almost 99% of our customers are from outside Kolkata. More than 30% are from foreign countries. Overall, more than 80% of our business comes from corporate sector. Most businesses are affected by the slowdown.

In caves
Certain prehistoric dwellings, mines and caves have been converted into hotels in various parts of the world. The UK-based newspaper Independent has, in fact, made a list of five best cave hotels in the world. They include: Les Hautes Roches, Rochecorbon, France; Cappadocia Cave Suites, Turkey; The Caves, Jamaica; Alexander’s Santorini, Greece; and the Desert Cave Hotel, Australia.

In the Jamaica-based The Caves, there aren’t any rooms built in the caves, as Monique Griffiths, Executive Assistant Manager, explains. She says, “The caves are actually below the hotel and we have special dining areas and a bar that are in the caves. The caves are natural; we have only developed the areas to make them more comfortable for use.”

However, Cappadocia Cave Suites claims on its website that all its rooms incorporate original cave structures, cave bedrock, unique lighting, antiques and local handicrafts. Restoration works are ongoing and expected to finish later this year. Once completed, the hotel will have 38 suites. Desert Cave Hotel, on the other hand, has 19 underground suites to give people the experience of living in what used to be mines at one time.

India has also many abandoned caves in the Deccan and Malwa plateaus, the Vindhyas, and the Aravalis. It remains to be seen if anyone is up to the challenge of constructing similar hotels, yet taking care not to disturb their historical significance.

Comments (8)

Subscribe to this comment's feed

ddung doll
written by ddung doll, June 21, 2010

want something special, come here
led flashing bracelets, make any ordinary night extraordinary.
cheap bakugan toys,
finger skate, power balance
ddung, barbie girls
organ donor dolls
at http://www.toptoys2trade.com

report abuse

vote down

vote up

Votes: +0

Daily Rent in Kiev
written by Rent apartment in Kiev, June 14, 2010

Khreshchatyk 25 - 3 room apartment daily rent. 4 sleeping places. This apartment is located in the city centre. Price: 160$

report abuse

vote down

vote up

Votes: +0

Rent apartment in Kiev
written by ROOMS, June 14, 2010

Michael lane 20, 1 room apartment daily rent. This apartment is located in the city centre Kiev. 2 sleeping places

report abuse

vote down

vote up

Votes: +0

...
written by Arva, May 19, 2010

wow you have shown beautiful ideas!!!

report abuse

vote down

vote up

Votes: +1

Disused Tube Station!
written by hotels in croydon, March 28, 2010

Looking at this great article made me think. Living in an old London Tube station?! Problem is the lack of light, but some people would love that Idea. didn't Hell-Boy do that?!

report abuse

vote down

vote up

Votes: +0

Tented swiss cottage tents
written by Manimaran, November 16, 2009

We have developed a swiss cottage tented accommodation in Kolli Hills. This is also an out of the way concept.

report abuse

vote down

vote up

Votes: +1

Tree Houses.
written by Arjun Rajkumar, June 18, 2009

Very interesting article!

It will also be easier to market yourself if you are the owner of these types of hotels. As an example, the term 'tree house' was searched 12,100 times on Google in May from India alone. Can you guess how many times the term 'tree house' was searched on Google worldwide in May? 823,000!!

These are done by people looking to stay in a tree house. The owners of these hotels should tap into this large online market. It will be worth it.

All these hotels are fantastic concepts! Well written.

Arjun.
first10.in

report abuse

vote down

vote up

Votes: +0

Castles in The Air
written by Observer, June 10, 2009

How about a Hotel suspended using blimps? "Castles in the Air" Nice name eh!! :)

report abuse

vote down

vote up

Votes: +0