Fake Reviews

Speaking of fake reviews, get a load of this one we found on TripAdvisor. The review, of the Crowne Plaza Jerusalem, is titled "An inspiring and beautiful venue in which to reside, excellent hospitality." Big warning sign! Then, the actual review: A fabulous residence, offering efficient service, excellent hospitality, and inspiration also. The writer included some good pictures, with captions like, "Beautiful wooden marquetry furnishings" and "Function suite available for your needs". What's more, the writer has only one review. And, he's based in Scotland, apparently. Shame on Crowne Plaza!

For those of you who would like some "real" news, here you go:
1) Looking for a quick getaway? The Ramada Netanya is offering a winter sale for two nights, including dinner on the first night and breakfast both days. We checked dates and found a rate of $129 per night in a one bedroom suite. Not bad! Of course, this rate can only be booked on the global Ramada site. Try booking this through the hotel directly, and you're looking at rates upwards of $300 per night, not including dinner.
2) A new boutique hotel is under construction in Jerusalem, right next to Rimon (on Luntz Street), in the center of town. We don't have much information, but this hotel should give Harmony some good competition!

Tamares Hotels

So we were just browsing on the Isrotel website, and then the Dan website, and then Crowne Plaza, (like we do everyday...) and checked the progress of the CP Ashdod. (Who knows- apparently they had a soft opening in 2010 and are scheduled to open in the third quarter of 2011). That reminded us, of course, of the Costa Ashdod Hotel. We skipped over to the Costa site (no updates), and then decided to see if there was anything on Tamares' site. We noticed two changes to the site. Firstly, Tamares has added "Guest Reviews" to the site. Each hotel has just one guest review, and they are all five stars. Not at all suspicious, right? In order to fully appreciate these "reviews", we have copied some of them here. "Please pass this message to the General Manager of The Daniel (Ofer Aagmi) and to the President of Tamares Hotel Group (Raphy Weiner) as you all deserve full recognition for the top quality work you are doing." Or this one: "My husband and I stayed at the Shizen hotel last weekend and it was undoubtedly one of the most indulgent weekends we’ve ever had...The perfect location of the bed facing the huge window overlooking the sea was simply a therapy that can’t be described in words. We (My husband and I) both agreed that this weekend sets a new high standard for our next vacation anywhere in the world." Come on! If you want to make it seem realistic, at least put in some normal sounding reviews! And maybe a complaint!?

The second change was a new hotel, called the West Ashdod.
"The new suites hotel - West Ashdod is about to open its gates in the beginning of 2012. The hotel will feature 113 spectacular recreation suites, rooftop pool which overlooking the north beach of Ashdod, spa, fitness center, beauty salon, a club for residents and their children, an elegant lobby, a synagogue, and more."
The attached picture, however, is identical to the picture of the Costa Hotel. So, it looks like the Costa Ashdod is now the West.
A side point: Maybe Tamares are trying to start a new chain of hotels, West Hotels? We hope so!

Leonardo Boutique Hotel Rehovot

It's pretty sad to see a hotel located in the middle of nowhere. Well, not nowhere exactly, but nowhere that a regular tourist would ever go. As the Leonardo's website admits; "Known as the City of Science and Culture, Rehovot is located between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem to make it the perfect choice for anyone who needs to reach either city. From the international airport Ben Gurion (TLV), the Rehovot hotel is only half an hour drive away. The cities Ashdod, Beit Shemesh, Modiin, Ramle, Yavne and Gedera are also nearby." Know any other hotels that are advertised as being close to eight cities?
Nonetheless, for scientists, lecturers, and people interested in the Minkov Citrus Orchard Museum, this hotel has a great location. The "five- star" (along with every other hotel in the country apparently) hotel is rightfully geared towards business travelers and offers 120 rooms. The hotel advertises free wifi, but it does say that Superior guestrooms offer wifi for a fee. All rooms feature a quote "monsoon shower", not a rainfall but a monsoon. Interesting...
The hotel's best feature is the price. Checking in on a random day in February, we found rates for just $126 per night, including breakfast. For that price it's worth going to Rehovot! The hotel is expected to open in December.

Isrotel Kiryat Anavim

This hotel is under construction in Kibbutz Kiryat Anavim in the Judean Hills. This hotel, according to Isrotel, "will be the last word in hotel design". There is very little information on the resort, but we do know that it will have a spa, and will appeal to "tourists and Israelis alike". And yes, you guessed it: This hotel will be a member of the Isrotel Exclusive Collection. The hotel is located about 25 minutes outside of Jerusalem, near Maale Hachamisha. Our verdict? A luxury resort, just outside of Jerusalem? Sounds great. Rates will probably be comparable with luxury Jerusalem hotels, like Mamilla and the Inbal. There is no opening date, but judging by the picture, it looks well underway.

Isrotel Princess Resort

Remember the old, dated Princess Hotel in Eilat? The one that, twenty years ago, was the hotel to stay at in Eilat? Today, it's mostly inhabited by tour groups, and is widely acknowledged to be very run down and needing a renovation. With the exception of a few renovated themed suites, the majority of the hotel is very 80's decor. For some reason, Isrotel has decided to take this hotel under their wings as well (maybe they decided that there weren't enough Isrotels in Eilat...). All those hoping that Isrotel will bring a much needed renovation are to be dissapointed. Judging by the Isrotel brochure, there are no plans to renovate. Rates, judging by a random date in November, are quite high. The Hilton Queen of Sheba, which we consider to be the top hotel, wanted $245 a night. The Princess, which is considerably less nice, is asking $280 per night. The Crowne Plaza, which is about on par with the Princess, is asking $298 per night. Bottom Line: Isrotel is not drastically overcharging for this property, but some renovations, on the rooms at the very least, would greatly improve the hotel.

Nope, I don't Sea One anymore

We agree, Sea One is a stupid name for a hotel. And, what would that even be in Hebrew? Yam Echad? Luckily, the naming team at Isrotel has come up with a different name. The luxury Tel Aviv hotel will be known as the Royal Beach Tel Aviv. Yes, the hotel will be a part of the Exclusive Collection, along with the other Royal Beach. Royal Beach Tel Aviv will have 23 floors, with 241 rooms and suites. The hotel is designed by the well know German designer Harald Klein, who has done several hotels in Germany, including the Sofitel Berlin's suites.

Interestingly, the hotel's rooms are divided into several groupings.
Three of the floors are designated for business levels. On the eighteenth floor will be the two story business lounge, boasting "showers, toilets (including handicap-toilet), TV room, 2 meeting rooms, bar, service area that includes newspapers, journals and office services, in addition to a quiet work area and dining areas." It's slightly curious as to why a hotel business lounge would include showers... Isn't that what a hotel room is for?

Two floors of the hotel are designated as the VIP levels, with a presidential suite and four additional suites on each level.
The Wellness Guestrooms, on two levels above and below the Spa, "allow such guests interested in the Spa services to stay by its facilities, and to walk around with their white Spa bathrobes, and use the Spa services without having to ‘mingle’ with other hotel guests." Seriously? We never knew mingling was so terrible.

As the only hotel being designed after the creation of Isrotel Exclusive Collection, we can't help but wonder- is this the design for all future hotels? Different, exclusive floors for different guests? Wonder where they'd put normal people like us...

West Tel Aviv

This new hotel, from the Tamares Group (Daniel hotels and Shizen Spa) was completely under the radar until today. The hotel is located on the so called "exclusive" Tzuk Beach in north Tel Aviv. All of the sixty- five rooms are one bedroom suites "of the highest quality", with two flat screen TV's, kitchenettes, private balconies, and warm wood tones. One of the nicest features of the hotel is the modern fitness hall, which looks very unlike the typical Israeli gym. The hotel also offers an outdoor pool and dairy restaurant, as well as complimentary bikes.
IsraelGuest is seeing a rise in the suite-hotel trend, with the Island Suites in Netanya, the Ramada in Netanya, Costa in Ashdod, and now the West. The West, however, seems like the only boutique hotel, with just 65 rooms. The rooms seem much more compact than those at the Ramada and the Island, though. The rest of the building (and the adjacent building) is probably apartments. Rates seem on the higher side, ranging from $300 to over $600 a night in high season.
With a location just outside Tel Aviv, and close but not in Herzliya Pituach, it's unclear which city the hotel competes with more. Either way, watch out Kfar Maccabiah!