Hotel Bedrooms with a View
When we designed the house at GlenMyu Estate we thought what would we like from a hotel bedroom. An initial thought was that we should provide hotel bedrooms with a view. We wanted to make the best of the opportunity of what the stunning landscape of the hills below the house provide us.
We have no background in hotel design and just tried to imagine what we would really like to provide for guests.
Being a little bit older we had a seasoned experience of what we like and what we don’t like. Ruwanthi travelled extensively for work and stayed at various standards of hotels around the world. Therefore she had a really good insight into what works.
Important things.
There were several important elements that kept coming up and here are some that were really important to us.
Space – given the squeeze on space in the cities around the World as they become more populous people are crammed into smaller and smaller spaces.
It was really important that our hotel bedrooms had a sense of space.
We were limited by the footprint and the space where the house was to be built. So it took us quite some time to get the configuration to the size that we liked.
My wife and I have been in hotel bedrooms that are too big and the space is wasted. We have also been in hotel bedrooms where you couldn’t swing a cat!
I remember looking at an apartment hotel in Hong Kong and I was surprised to see that the square footage of the room was clearly stated. The prices of the rooms increased the larger it got. We ended up booking a larger room however it still appeared to be cramped as so much had been squeezed into the area. It just didn’t feel comfortable!
Comfort - Beds and seating are so important to us.
One thing that Sri Lanka does well is to make mattresses.
We were recommended to buy mattresses from HANTS by another hotelier who runs a really upmarket hotel. This was one of the best decisions we made! I have not slept in such a comfortable mattress over my 50 plus years on this earth.
The feedback from our guests has been great and we are so happy with our choice (and the recommendation we were given).
A comfortable chair is a must.
One of the things I have a problem with most hotels is that they do not provide ample comfortable seating
The amount of hotel bedrooms we have been in which only has one chair for a guest (even though there are two in occupation) really annoys me. I would spend half the time lying on the bed where I really wanted to be sitting in a chair.
We ensure that there are two comfortable seats or bean bags in the rooms so one of the party of two is not left out!
I also believe that a great chair is one so comfortable that you can fall off to sleep in after a sumptuous lunch!
A place to relax - not just at night
I have a theory that hotels don’t make their bedrooms as comfortable as possible so that they have the opportunity to sell more things to their guests out of the room.
If the room is not a place that you want to stay in for hours then the hotel will be able to sell a drink and snack in their lobby or other places around the venue.
We find that although we have two comfortable lounges at GlenMyu Estate lots of guests like to stay mainly in their rooms.
As they have a great view and a comfortable place to sit there is no reason why not to
Something different than home
We thought that it was really important to be in a place which is completely different than most standard homes.
If we had designed a property that was the same as yours at home, but just had this fantastic view, there would not be much fun in that.
The bedrooms are a place where you can be comfortable in for three or four days but it’s not a home – it’s just a special place to spend some time.
Uncluttered - cleanse your mind.
One way to clear your ind is to live in an uncluttered space. I found that I could not relax whilst at home due to the things that we gather in life. There are also always chores to do and they are on your mind.
At one point we were considering adding more furniture, however, we listened to our guests thoughts. We decided that the uncluttered sense of space was more important.
There is enough space and seating to cater for the three bedrooms and capacity of seven people in the property so there was no need to add more items.
A private en suite
I would rather not go on holiday if I had to share a bathroom with other guests. One of the important things I want from a holiday is to relax. How can you relax if you are always concerned about the potential queue for the loo!
A loo with a view!
As the hotel bedroom with has a view we though why shouldn’t the bathroom also have a view.
We have mirror stickers on the windows in the bathroom which provides privacy so, as I tell our guests, you can be as naked as you want to be.
You can sit on the loo and enjoy the view!
Having a shower and looking out onto the stunning hills below the house just feels like a luxurious thing to do.
The shower is generous which was an important factor to me being “a little larger than the average bear!”.
A concrete bath (In the Mahogany and Mango bedrooms)
We also provide a bath with a view in two of the three bedrooms we have in the property. The baths have a different look and feel to a plastic or ceramic bath. They are also large enough for two!
We provide candles on guests requests which makes it a unique experience in the evening as the stars come out and provide a different type of background.
If you want to experience our hotel bedrooms with a view please visit our website for more information, rates and what else there is to experience at the five acres at GlenMyu Estate, Haputale, Sri Lanka.