5 things that a 5 star hotel has to have...

Here are the 5 things that I THINK a 5 star hotel needs to have in order to desserve their stars:

1. A fitness. Health and wellbeing is becoming so important to so many people - so this is a must. Yes, I know that you can always go for a run outside, but still, it is not the same thing as having an inhouse gym with all the facilities that come with it.

2. A cleaning lady who not only cleans your room, but also neatly arranges your stuff. I love it when I come back from a long day in the office, and the hotel cleaning lady has even arranges my toileteries in the bathroom. Or if she has taken my clothes that were lying on the the chair, and hung them in on hangers in the closet.

3. Toileteries that are relevant for women. I hate it when they put these shampoo/conditioner/body lotion that I would not even want my worst enemy to put on their body.... Also, I love it when hotel rooms offer really good hair dryers - you know, those you do not stop working after 5 min because the heat got too high for them..... Especially now that there are new restrictions on what toileteries you are allowed to bring on to airplanes, there is a huge opportunity for hotels to offer 'all the customers toiletery needs'. What a business idea, hein??!

4. Friendly staff who would do ANYTHING for you. You should feel like a queen when you get into the hotel. The staff should be welcoming you back (if you have stayed there before), you should feel that they are 'at your feet' for whatever need you might have..

5. A small gift in the room upon arriving. This can be anything from a free bottle of Evian to a small box of chocolate. It does not have to be a big thing - just showing their gratitude of having you as a guest would be just fine!

So, are there any hotels who meet all these needs?

Well, I can mention two:
1) The Mandarin Oriental in Geneva, and
2) The President Wilson in Geneva

Hats off! Keep it up.

Buenas noches, going to bed after a long day in Madrid...