DISCOVERY

September 2005

A GOOD GUIDE IS HARD TO FIND

Customers choose Asias best resorts and hotels p. 18


It is a tough job being the editor of a hotel guestbook honestly. Its akin to seeing a wonderful buffet but only being able to nibble at the edges. However, according to the editors of the second edition of Asias Best Hotels & Resorts, sifting through the 64,000 nominations by customers from over 150 different countries provided a fresh perspective on the properties reviewed.

Why? Because, apart from a handful of editors picks, its 400 featured hotels and resorts were nominated by people who have bounced on the beds, eaten in the restaurants, cast an eye down the mini-bar price list and roamed around the grounds. Official brochures may trumpet state-of-the-art gyms, heart-warming service and stunning ocean views, but only guests who have actually been there know the reality.

Lets be honest, finding an outstanding hotel can be a nightmare, says publisher Jon Stonham. The best source of information comes from someone who has actually been there tried the beds, sampled the food and been served by the staff.

So Asias Best Hotels & Resorts by Insight Guides has been moulded by real-life clients views from the poolside lounger, the back of the check-in queue and even the guestroom bidet. The 384-page result is a one-stop lyrical guide to the very best in Asian accommodation, as informative as it is inspirational.

One of the most striking finds is the higher expectation of travel-savvy guests and the changes hotels have made to meet them. In the space of a few short years we have gone from faxes being pushed over under the door to properly wide wireless connectivity, says Stonham.

However, one aspect of the Asian hotel scene that has remained constant, and is one of the biggest draws to the region, is the service. Nowhere else in the world do you get that sincere smile and that desire to make your stay a pleasurable one.

Flip through the guide, and you journey from the Yak & Yeti in Nepal to the Huka Lodge in New Zealand, from classics like the 75-year-old Peninsula in Hong Kong to a hidden gem of a hotel you may never have heard of. Perhaps the guide should carry a warning to dyed-in-the-wood armchair travelers.