A background story

I love hotels. Whenever I come back from holiday somewhere the first thing I would mention would be the hotel I stayed in. Whenever anybody tells me they're going on holiday, the first question I ask is where they are staying? Whenever I send a postcard or email, I normally give a hotel report than the standard weather report. My specialist subject on Mastermind would be Tripadvisor's Top 100 hotels in Prague or New York. Actually, I could probably stretch to Top 200 in New York.

Recently I've come to realise that my enjoyment of a city is heavily dependent on the place where I'm sleeping. I've not been too kind on my analysis of Brisbane, Australia since I spent a week in a grimy guesthouse there a few months ago. I found the gecko's who walked around the living room to be a pretty cool feature but waking up to a trail of ants walking along my bed one morning was a bit too 'I'm a Celebrity...' for my liking. I was quite grateful that the kitchen was layered with an inch of grease and grime on every pot, pan and potato as it forced me to venture out for meals and meet new people. Not knowing what I would come back to other than paper thin walls and visible bacteria put a bit of a dampener on my Brisbane experience. Had I stayed in a clean hotel with clean sheets and air conditioning, where I could just go back there in the evening and chill, I'm sure I would have liked the city. It works the other way around too. Staying in the right accommodation can contribute to my love of an area. Hold on to your hats for a future post about my first love and all time favourite hotel, Hotel QT, New York City. It may not exist anymore but it's still worth a mention. After all, it's not every day you get to crash a Kelly Clarkson aftershow party.

From when I was a baby to up until about 18yrs old I have travelled through Europe with my family to spend the summers in the Czech Republic and Czechoslovakia as it formally was. I've stayed in countless towns and cities along the way and seen many historical sights. It's quite funny, oh ok weird, that I remember the places we've visited because of our chosen hotels. I've been to Koln, Germany about ten times but if you ask me about it i'd only be able to tell you about the Novotel we always stayed in. It was one of my favourite hotels actually (and henceforth a much loved city). It had a swimming pool, a gym and a ping pong table. All the ingredients for a pleasurable stay don't you think. Had it not have been for a case of projectile vomiting (both ends) brought on by food poisoning, i'd still be a frequent visitor. I'm sure there's a blog out there by the poor maid who had to clean that room. But still, I love that city. I have come to hold my favourite German city, Wiesbaden in the same regard for practically the same reason. It's not the architecture or culture that makes this my favourite city. Oh no. It's because of the Crown Plaza. As I recall it had an extravagant marble floor.

So as you may have guessed, I'm a bit weird. I've just returned from a journey around the world where I've stayed in countless properties that have given me countless anecdotes for my otherwise boring email/facebook updates. This is my blog sharing the mundane, quirky and horrific lodgings I've frequented past, present and future. I hope you enjoy...