A Little Competition Can't Hurt

Especially not when it comes to hotels. As we like to say here at IsraelGuest, the more hotels, the better. More hotels encourage existing ones to constantly improve in order to stay poised to compete. Some may do some sprucing up, add services, or even better, reduce rates. Or even better than that, improve AND reduce rates. As we've discussed here before, the ole' hotels in Herzliya must certainly be feeling some love (read: fierce competition) from the Ritz Carlton. We've obsessed over this hotel and covered it extensively here on IsraelGuest, and we're pleased to report that a few months after opening the hotel has been receiving wonderful reviews on TripAdvisor. Meanwhile the Daniel has been anxiously renovating to keep up, and we know the Dan is planning a massive expansion to become the largest hotel in Israel (and presumably one of the most luxurious). But there's still more competition underfoot. If you recall, Herod's Group (Herod's Eilat, Dead Sea, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem eventually) is also building an uber-luxurious hotel in the coastal town. According to its website, the hotel is said to be opening in "2014" (although another page claims "end of 2013...") and "will present the ultimate accommodation facility for both businessmen and tourists alike." The website goes on to promise "As it is perfectly located on the coast of the Mediterranean, it offers the much needed relief and calamity after a long day full of business meetings or just travelling around." Now I dunno about this, but maybe hotels have just become so luxurious that guests are looking for a little calamity in their hotel stays? Is that the new hot trends? The 250 room hotel will be located right on the Marina and will feature a large outdoor pool, extensive meeting space, a spa, and "an exceptionally large lobby." The website proclaims that Herods "is definitely going to be second to non-amongst [sic] the other hotels around." Watch out, Ritz Carlton! And Herods- maybe get some spell check? And a dictionary?