From minibars to pillow menus to 24-hour butlers, today’s hotels have turned every indulgence and convenience into a standard necessity.
But this wasn’t always the case. Not long ago, those little shampoo bottles that people now love to swipe didn’t even exist.
Nor did in-room iPads or fingerprint recognition technology. Oh, the humanity!
Thankfully, over the last 100 years some innovative hotels have helped pave the way for these modern accommodation marvels.
Because of their foresight and progressiveness, these ground-breaking properties forever changed the future of the industry, enabling guests to expect — and demand — increasingly more.
Electric Xmas tree: Hotel del Coronado, San Diego
Currently celebrating its 125th anniversary, this scenic beachside resort made jaws drop back in December 1904 when it unveiled the world’s first electronically lit, outdoor Christmas tree.
Back then, candles were still commonly used to don yuletide trees and electric Christmas lights were a rarity.
Hotel del Coronado’s extravagant holiday display amazed guests at the time and set the stage for the lavish hotel light exhibitions we now see today.
En-suite bathrooms: The Goring Hotel, London
Renowned for having hosted various members of the royal family throughout the years (Kate Middleton even stayed here the night before her wedding to William), the Goring is widely considered one of the top luxury hotels on the planet.
However, when it first opened back in 1910, what really wowed the travel industry was that each bedroom was fitted with en-suite bathrooms — something that had never been seen before at any other accommodation property.
Needless to say, The Goring’s early guests were delighted not to have to queue up for the toilet any longer.
In-room radios:?Boston Park Plaza Hotel, Boston
When this Boston property opened back in 1927, it was the first hotel to provide guest radios in each room, a feature that had never been offered on such a wide scale before.
To put this in perspective, the radio in the late 1920s was extremely popular among Americans and was increasingly becoming a main source for news, entertainment and music — similar to what the TV and Internet would become for later generations.
It wasn’t until 1933 that two-thirds of Americans would own a radio set at home, so to have one available in one’s hotel room in 1927 was quite a prospect.
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