Why we love Hotels?

Although it is a simple question, the answer for it can totally vary from one person to another, to make it easier, let us be more specific, let us ask the question in a slightly different way; what does a certain hotel mean to you? What does it stand for?

For me, my first encounter with hotels was when I was a student at the college of fine and applied arts in Khartoum. I used to go with my friends to art exhibitions normally taking place in Hilton. The hotel was standing in total greatness, looking at the river Nile, it seemed as if the Hilton and the Nile were having a special conversation, whispering at night, and meditating during the day.

And the moment we arrive at the gate, we start feeling the vibes of luxury and fancy life coming from those expensive cars dropping very sophisticated and well-dressed people. They were normally coming from all over the world; Europe, America, Africa, China, and the Middle East, and as we enter the loopy, we feel that gentile refreshing conditioned air, at our left, is the warm reception and at our right is the big waiting area with its comfortable dark brown leather sofas.

We then go directly to the lobby area where the vivid paintings are fixed on the walls under dazzling spotlights creating that elegant dreamy atmosphere. There were small seats put in different corners of the lobby while at the far corner was a small shop for money exchange where hotel guests could exchange currencies and buy dollars, near it, was a small bazaar for Sudanese Antiques of all different kinds of animals, it was like a small permanent sculpture exhibition that tells the talent and creativity of the people from south of Sudan, the antiques were small-sized so potential customers and foreigners could easily purchase and pack them as gifts for loved ones or as reminders for their equatorial adventure in Sudan, the melting point between Africa and the Middle East, they used to buy little statues of crocodiles, giraffes, gazelles, and elephants made out of mahogany and abanos wood.

Don’t forget about the opening ceremony of the exhibition, it is the main event of the evening around which all the other events turn. It normally starts with a speech for some prominent artists presenting the painter and introducing his art with a critical dialogue mixed with deep appreciation and some overstatement, we enjoyed the art but enjoyed the beverages and snacks the most, good dining was our solace if the paintings were not up to our stander, we were biased to realistic art versing abstract one, I remember we used to enjoy the cold sweet Tebaldi, a refreshing juice made from the Baobab tree located in the west of Sudan. We then used to listen to the artist talking about his pieces, the medium he used, and the inspiration he relied on to portray his theme. That classic music was quietly playing in the background while people were enjoying the night with happy laughter and smiling faces, others were standing still and quiet with their eyes focusing and diving deep inside the vivid colors and dark shadows of the paintings, it was such a dreamy elegant atmosphere.

But while I grew older, my perception of hotels has evolved, I became a regular guest at hotels throughout my travels, I might stay at a hotel for just a week or two or even extend for months on some occasions. I love traveling and as a result, I love hotels.

Being affected by my early days as an art student, I kept the visual approach towards hotels, I kept linking hotels to visual arts, and what is the largest platform for visual arts than cinema?

Casino Royale – 2006
One hotel might remind me of an action film like James Bond’s movie Casino Royal, where the feelings were intense and the action at its peak through the controversial characters who were, daring, dedicated, and pushing the drama to the edge. Casino Royale has marked a turning point in the evolution of bond movies when the ideal bond was shifted from tall dark actor to blond one, this transformation was led by Daniel Craig who, according to many, has taken 007 to a higher level.

The story of the film has imposed on the shooting location, Grand hotel Pupp, a theme of secret agents, suspense, and adventure. Grand Hotel Pupp, Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic was the location where Casino Royale James Bond 2006 was filmed, a classic hotel that matches the hotel in the original older version of the film starring David Niven in 1967.

Home Alone 2 – 1992
Another hotel full of happy and joyful guests might remind me of the classic comedy movie Home Alone 2 when a young kid is once again separated from his family to find himself alone in New York City. And when he finds out that he was again left alone, he simply checked into a luxurious suite and enjoyed his time by jumping in the swimming pool, ordering ice cream from room service, and relaxing into a king-size bed watching an old movie. The movie took place in the iconic five stars Plaza Hotel in New York.

So, for me, I like hotels because they remind me of movies I enjoyed watching, besides a hotel gives me that distinguished feeling of being a part of something elegant, a call for luxurious times, and a way to enhance soothing and self meditating, this package all together makes me feel like a leading character in a movie I would love watching.

Now after we mentioned some world-Class Hotels That Set the scene for well-known movies, can you tell us about some favorite hotels of yours in which you felt like a character in a certain movie you enjoyed watching? Tell us in the comments below and share your exciting hotel experiences with us.