The hotel we finally managed to book into (most beds in Cambridge, I have learned, tend to get booked up months in advance) had arguably everything one would want – save for free WiFi. At £150 per night, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect paid for Wi-Fi. If the likes of McDonalds, Costa and Caffe Nero can offer their customers complimentary Wi-Fi, then surely so called luxury hotels should be able to?

Paying an arm and a leg for Wi-Fi in hotels is definitely one of my bete noirs about hotel rooms, but we’re all different: my Mother, for example, moans about overly complicated lighting or dark ‘mood’ lighting that is supposed to be cool but only ends up causing casualties.  But how about you? We want to know what makes you mad about modern hotel rooms? Let us know by posting a comment below!

The tourism ministry induced the French hotel business to improve the quality of facilities and services and many hotels have worked hard to obtain this five star label that puts them on a level playing field with the rest of the world.  Now the choice will be easier for incoming tourists and gone will be the annoyances that were always possible when, in the same category, you weren’t able to tell the difference between standard four-star hotels and luxury ones.

But, what about the most famous French luxury hotels which are already a cut above others? Apart from the few traditional glamorous ones, a new wave of prestigious establishments from international hotel chains is changing the landscape of the top hotels on offer, mainly in Paris and Provence-Côte d’Azur. By the end of 2012, Paris will have doubled the capacity of luxury hotel rooms. In order to highlight the best of the best and to promote the excellence of these high-class hotels a new label – the Palace – has been recently created by the French Tourism Ministry.

The level of quality to achieve this ‘Palace’ label has led a few people to talk about a ‘seven star label’. It goes without saying that all hotels aspiring to become ‘palaces’ have to be exceptional establishments, “la crème de la crème” as the French say. They must be atypical and beyond the ordinary standards of a luxury hotel. Not only must the services be outstanding but the facilities including restaurants and spas have to be first rate too. In award to achieve this status, location, architecture and the history of the hotel, are also very important to the official jury. And new hotels have to wait a minimum of 12 months after opening, before any status is to be awarded.

Hotel du Palais

In late May 2011, the first eight awarded Palaces were announced by Frederic Lefebvre, the French Tourism State Secretary who declared: “These hotels must be a dream. The word ‘palace’ takes place inside the imagination of everyone and it’s an invitation to travel”. Four hotels in Paris, two in the French Alps, and two on the seaside were allowed to carry the Palace label. And in October, the George V in Paris, which seemed to have been forgotten in the first round, became the ninth.

The Parisian Palaces are the Bristol, the Meurice, the Park-Hyatt Paris-Vendôme, the Plaza-Athénée and the George V. In the country, the Cheval Blanc and Les Airelles, both located in the Alps in the famous ski resort of Courchevel, received this label. Finally, the Hotel du Palais in Biarritz on the Atlantic Ocean, and the Grand Hotel du Cap at St Jean-Cap-Ferrat on the Mediterranean seaside received “palace” awards.

In Paris, the Raffles Royal Monceau which has re-opened after a long renovation, the Shangri-La and the Mandarin Oriental which recently opened, as well as the Peninsula which will open later this year, are among those who must wait before they can make an application for the label.

But this new revolution is stronger than anyone could have imagined. Even though prices in such ‘palaces’ are very high, the demand still exists. Sometimes it is hard to get a booking. Paris is the most visited town in the world, and attracts upscale tourism. So to be able to withstand these newer hotels that have attracted ‘palace’ status, a lot of well-known establishments have chosen to close and be completely renovated in order to try and win the coveted award. It’s a tsunami that has shaken the small world of the French luxury hotel business.

Park Hyatt Paris Vendome

The Carlton in Cannes will be closed for eight months from September 2012 to May 2013, ditto the Negresco in Nice which will close for six months from January to June 2012. In Paris, the Ritz (owned by Mohamed Al-Fayed) will close its doors and won’t re-open until the beginning of 2015. The management of the Crillon in Paris, which was voted the best city hotel in the world by The Daily Telegraph last May, recently revealed that “The Crillon faces renovation works in 2012″, but hasn’t yet specified dates or whether it will be a partial or full closing.

Finally, the birth of the ‘Palace label’ is a wonderful opportunity to improve the French hotels and to remind staff and hoteliers that you cannot afford to rest on your laurels. France, being the first tourism destination of choice in the world has to make permanent and continuous efforts to keep this position.

So soon, Paris will present a more fabulous choice of accommodation for Parisians and for all those who have already fallen in love with this city of gastronomy, culture and romanticism. And for those who are still hesitant about visiting Paris, spend this weekend watching Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris – a true love letter to Paris.

The idea of imposing a controversial tourist tax of up to £1 a night on visitors, was put forward last year as a way of increasing investment in York’s tourism sector.

Fortunately York has followed in the footsteps of Edinburgh (another town that considered charging a tourist tax), and dropped the idea.

It’s a decision that makes sense: with families already feeling financially squeezed, the introduction of a tourist tax could have killed both York and Edinburgh’s tourist trade. On a personal note, I know that I would have chosen other cities ahead of Edinburgh and York had the taxes taken effect.

What doesn’t make sense is that York’s council chiefs didn’t think to check that that the tax could actually be implemented, before announcing their plans to the public?! The fact that the tax was considered is even more curious, given that hotels in York went against the grain and enjoyed a two per cent increase in occupancy rates to 80.8 per cent in 2011, according to hotel figures released by PKF Hotel Consultancy Services.

Coming in the wake of Westminster’s antics, we can’t help but wonder: are all councils run by idiots?

The ASA’s ruling comes as no surprise to anyone at CD-Traveller towers. TripAdvisor reviewers might be asked to sign a declaration that their reviews are real and that they have no incentive or competitive interest with the places commented on, but it doesn’t deter foul play and several members of the CD-Traveller team have been offered  discounts and upgrades in exchange for positive reviews. (Rest assured, as morally upstanding citizens we have always refused!)

So should we be turning away from TripAdvisor? Not necessarily, says CD-Traveller. Sure some of the reviews maybe bogus but there are plenty of accurate ones too. The message? Use TripAdvisor but treat it with caution: keep in mind that, like anything, if something sounds too good (or gross) to be true, it probably is.

What’s hot

Spain
Forget forking out a fortune to fly to Australia or the Caribbean and make for Spain instead. Temperatures might not match those of Barbados or Brisbane but Spain represents better value for money: Post Office Travel Money has revealed that a trolley of typical holiday items (sun lotion and the like) cost just under £38 on Spain’s Costa del Sol – almost £90 cheaper than the same items cost in Barbados and Brisbane.

Wearing a bikini in Egypt

Women visiting Egypt, who prefer to top up the tan in a bikini rather than an all one swimsuit, can pack their two pieces. Egypt’s new government has said that tourism “will not be subjected to any changes as long as we are represented in parliament. Bikinis and alcohol all round then.

Skiing rules
British holiday makers are hoping to see ski resorts introduce breath tests and penalty points in an attempt to curb reckless skiers, according to a survey by insurer More Than. Nearly one in there Brits are concerned about speed skiing, saying that they had been hit and/or injured by somebody skiing too fast. Meanwhile more than four in ten Britons want helmets made compulsory.

Skiing in Switzerland

On the subject of skiing, Swiss ski resorts are slashing prices this season by up to 33 percent – in a bid to boost visitor numbers. Case in point? Crans-Montana is offering 33 percent off accommodation, ski hire, passes and tuition up until February 11 and then again from March 10-April 6. For the full low-down, see our story: http://www.cd-traveller.com/2012/01/17/you-too-can-find-gold-in-crans-montana/

Enjoying a hot air balloon flight over Uluru
Australian adventure tour operator, Outback Ballooning, will start offering hot air balloon flight over Uluru next month. Negotiations for the 30 minute flights, which are priced at £300 per person, have taken two years.

Digital detoxing
Hands up if you spend too much time on your phone and/or laptop. That’s a lot of hands… which is why luxury operator, Black Tomato (www.blacktomato.com), is launching a digital detox in 2012. The week long trip to dreamy Caribbean destination, St Vincent and the Grenadines, takes in two private resorts and all technology is banned. Sign us up now…

What’s not
The cost of London hotel rooms
Looking for somewhere to lay your head in London during the Olympic Games? Be prepared to pay… Research into 60 London hotels conducted by Tessa Jowell, the shadow Olympics secretary, reveals that, on average, the cost of hotel rooms in London will quadruple during the Olympic Games.

Being a Concordia passenger

CD-Traveller readers booked to travel on the ill-fated Concordia should look away now. The cruise line has said that it will not refund airfares for holidays canceled as a consequence of the ship capsizing. In a statement, the cruise line (which has no legal obligation to reimburse customer for their losses) said: “For guests who choose to cancel their cruise, Costa will offer a refund plus a 30 percent future cruise credit. No compensation for airfares will be provided if they are cruise only passengers. Passengers should contact their airline and their travel protection provider.”

Bungee jumping in Zambia
Tour operator Shearwater has suspended a bungee jump after an accident which saw 22 year old backpacker Erin Langworthy plummet into Zambezi when her rope snapped 40ft above the water. Shearwater has said that it doesn’t know when the bungee would be open for business again – despite the Zambian tourism minister taking the plunge himself to reassure tourists that the 365ft jump is now safe.

Getting a tattoo in Bali

Travellers to Bali might want to refrain from visiting a tattoo parlour. Australian health authorities have said that a tourist contracted HIV from an infected needle on the Indonesian island. The number of new cases of HIV in Bali last year, was up 19 percent from 2010.

Put it over your glass if you’re sitting outside. It protects your drink from wasps, flies and other midges.

Wrap up your wet toothbrush and face flannel.

If you’re unsure when you’ll have time for your next meal, make a sandwich at breakfast in the hotel, and wrap it in the showercap.

Are you cold? Wear a showercap on each foot, inside your boots or shoes.

If you have to unexpectedly cross a field or walk through mud, place a showercap over each shoe.

When you’re going out on a hot day, soak your flannel in cold water, wring it out, wrap a couple of ice-cubes in the flannel and place it inside a showercap. You can rub it over your face, up your arms, etc.

Showercaps are great for parties and barbecues. Cover your bowl of salad, plate of meat, etc with them.

Peeling beetroot or doing something smelly or messy? Use a showercap over each hand.

Colouring your hair can be a time-waster. While waiting 20 minutes for the colour to work, cover your hair with a showercap, then you can get on with something while you wait, without the colour dripping on anything.

Taking photos in the rain? Cover your camera with a showercap! You can hold it off the lense while taking a photo.

You don’t need to ask for a doggy bag in busy restaurants. Use a showercap.

Cover your kitchen mixer, bread maker, etc with showercaps to keep them clean.

If you have to pack anything in your case that may leak or break, like perfume or bottles, wrap it in a showercap, then place it back in the box, and wrap it in your clothes.

Propagating plants and seeds.

CDs or DVDs without covers.

Knitting and other crafts, in between working on them.

Walking the dog and picking up mess.

A hood to keep your dog dry.

A steering-wheel cover.

Mobile phone cover. You can still talk in the rain.

Do you have any other uses for the humble showercap?  If so, we’d love to hear them!

Opposing these ideas is the view that a VAT reduction may reduce prices for the consumer but will do nothing to force the hotel and other accommodation industries into being as efficient as they can.  A VAT cut would help mask any inefficiencies. Another view is that any reduction would probably not put many people off a visit because the tourism appeal of different parts of the UK is what attracts people not the odd £5 saving here or there.

Which is right?

Thailand supported its tourist industry earlier this year by temporarily reducing costs and it seems to have helped but one case doesn’t make an argument. Thailand had other reasons for supporting its tourism industry after the airport and transport disruptions earlier this year.

So will the M.P’s win? Probably not because governments like to raise as much money as they can and to them, this seems a soft touch

Breakfast this morning was just that.  “Do you want breakfast,” I was asked. No choice just bacon, sausage, mushroom, baked beans, fried egg and toast. Whether I should have some fruit and satisfy those health soothsayers who are warning of my imminent demise didn’t come into it. No choice between white, wholemeal or brown bread. But there was orange juice!

And then it happened. The sole waitress suddenly came to a stop. I thought she’d knocked her knee on a table leg but I later found out she had damaged a weak tendon. All of us were aware of her pain. And there was no one to help. Except the guests. She cooked and we went and collected our breakfasts, then cleared them away. And whilst we were doing that we talked to each other. When did you last talk to someone over a meal in a hotel?

It was the conversation from the group of four behind me that made the stay longer than I planned. They were discussing which prisons they preferred. I kid you not. A number were discussed and the pros and cons weighed up. Bed comfort, cell size, food, amenities were considered.  It was the most interesting breakfast I’ve had in a long time. Nobody making or taking mobile phone calls. No duo talking about a business meeting.  No newspaper page turning and no waiters pausing over my shoulder trying to make me increase any tip I felt I should give.

Yes that was quite a stay. So different, so pleasant as a result. But now I stop as my knees are beginning to remind me of my age.

At the moment I am in Australia and just back from 4 days in the southernmost state of Tasmania. (more in the Destinations section of Cd-Traveller shortly). We’d been down to a cheese making farm and decided to bring three different cheeses back to Sydney for the family to try. To keep it cool we had put the cheese in the hotel room fridge (yes I know you shouldn’t use fridges but we all do) along with some bottled water we had bought and some chocolate. We were checking out that day, packed the cases but left the fridge contents so that they kept cool as long as possible. Returning to properly check out, we found the cheese gone. The water was still there. The chocolate was still there. Not the cheese!

At reception they couldn’t explain why just the cheese had disappeared. After all cheese is expensive but surely there aren’t cheese robbers around. It isn’t as though there is a shortage of the stuff. After about fifteen minutes the hotel had tracked down the missing cheese and returned it to us. But with no explanation just apologies.

So what happened?

Had the hotel staff decided to get their own back on us for all those  guests who had taken soap and shampoo bottles over the years? Is cheese now more of an appeal than chocolate?  Had we picked cheeses that were as rare and fine as black truffles?

We’ll never know since we had no explanation. But I warn all you cheese lovers. Protect your cheese. Buy a cool bag and place them in the room safe