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If luxury bathrooms are now the cutting edge differentiator for hotels then they need to have the most up to date kit - and this one has. Click on the whirlpool bath to see the shower
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"If luxury bathrooms are now the cutting edge differentiator for hotels then they need to have the most up to date kit"
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For many UK practices this was staple business into the late 80’s, and the longer term results were that many substandard hotels were never upgraded, becoming instead social services hostels or refugee centres.
In Bucharest there are signs of this happening, and across the road from the Novotel is a charming hotel building, in need of a total ‘gut job’ and currently empty. Maybe it would make a boutique hotel, but often conversions end up being apartments instead as it generates a quicker return.
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Intensely red light fitting over the table in the dining area of the 'presidential suite'
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Although the Accor brand here is a representative of a chain philosophy, that is not to underestimate its local impact, and the local pride the staff take in ‘their’ new hotel. Seeking brand identity can be a double edged sword, and although here the chain has been quick to use local wines its import of French cuisuine doesn't work well, with the 'steak and frites' combo standard being poor and its implementation of local cuisine patchy.
It is all very well importing Western standards but where local culture is strong it surely should be respected, and it cannot be beyond the wit of highly paid hotel executives to ensure that whilst they meet brand standards they also acknowledge the local culture. After all Bucharest was know in earlier years as the Paris of the East, so one would expect the French to be a little more embracing of Romanian traditions, than just knocking back the local vino.
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Novotel Bucharest
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