There are some huge names in the Hotel industry, The Ritz is one that comes to mind. Others such as Marriot, Pearl Continental, Shangri-La and Holiday Inn are a few examples of hotel chains. What all these hotels offer is luxury hoteling but they by no means threaten a cardiac arrest at the check out counter. Since the arrival of the Burj-ul-Arab on the scene though, the niche market of ultra expensive elite hotels has opened up. The famously sail shaped Burj-ul-Arab may be hard to match but it does not lack competition, or not for long at least.
The wise say that if you have to ask how much it costs you can not afford it? most of us do have to ask. A grand per night is just the beginning of what the Burj-ul Arab charges, other 7 star hotels, as they are and will be tagged, should be in the same bracket, making them exclusive to the elite. Burj-ul Arab has since 1994 built a reputation for personalized service. From the 13 types of pillows to choose for your bed to the 42 inch plasma TV you could otherwise watch from the neighbor's house, the opulence and lavishness of the settings makes the hotels stand apart. The gold plating in its interior, the lavishly decorated breathtaking restaurants are, for now, unmatched.
Burj ul Arab's current competition is on a different level though. The name of the luxury hotelier Town House is not new to anyone in the field but the challenge Town House Galleria in Milan has put up is well worth a mention, no other hotel outside Asia has followed the 7 start route. The hotel was completed in 2007 and, unlike Burj ul Arab's huge building the Town House Galleria has fewer than 30 suites. Its historic location and the level of service provided with a personalized butler ready to act as your assistant throughout your stay to take care of every detail is something that sets Milan's jewel apart.
From the world's only 7 star hotel, the Burj has come to share the title, but that race is bound to hot up further with the up and coming hotels that are under construction as of now, including the Morgan Plaza of Beijing, The Pentominium in Manilla, The Centaurus in Islamabad and The Flower of the East on Kish Island in Iran. Even while there is no international 6 star rating, these hotels are planning and advertising their aspirations to be 7 star luxury hotels.
Interestingly, these projects are all in Asia, would Europe try and match the Asian hoteliers? Or can America? It also remains to be seen whether the lofty aims can be met; there is more to the seven star status than the buildings and that is exactly what the Town House Galleria is trying to gauge in their request to the Swiss testing and certification company, SGS, when they asked for a formal evaluation against what would eventually be a world over 7 star status. Could there ever be 8 star hotels?
