hotel

Bruges is the capital of West Flanders, which is a region of Belgium. The city has been nicknamed "the Venice of the north" due to the many waterways that cross through the city. Bruges is a historic city and has been a world heritage site since the year 2000. The city is fairly small, with a population of just over 100,000 people.

Bruges is the location of many medieval forms of European architecture, and is one of the most popular cities in Belgium to visit. If you are looking to go back in time, Bruges is the city to visit.

The city is known for its great works of art, and many tourists visit the city during the summer. The summer is the best time to witness the true beauty of Bruges. Many famous people have hailed from Bruges. The mathematician Simon Stevin was born there, as well as Tony Parker, a basketball player in the French NBA.

Tourists to the city who love art will want to visit the Groening museum, a museum which houses an art collection which dates back to the 14th century. While many believe the works of Michaelangelo can only be found in Italy, they would be surpised to learn that his only sculpture to leave the country can be found at the The Onze Lieve Vrouwkerk in Bruges, which houses the Madonna and Child.

Another museum that you will want to visit is Choco-Story Museum, which was once a wine tavern which has now been turned into a museum dedicated to chocolate and the cocoa bean. You will also be able to buy some Belgian chocolates in the gift shop.

When it comes to transportation, some areas of the city are restricted. Despite this, no part of the city is truly free from cars. Driving in the city is quite difficult due to many one way streets. It is best for visitors to use carparks or trains when traveling in the city.

Bruges has many festivals throughout the year. In February they hold a Musica Antiqua which lasts about a week and in July a festival called Cactusfestival is held which lasts three days. This brings music fans from all over the world.

The company was started in 1939 in Maryland as Quality Courts United, a referral chain consisting of about seven motel owners. Later, the motel chain operated simply under the name Quality Motels (1969-71) and Quality Inns (since 1972). Quality Courts United accepted franchise hotels without strict norms or guidelines from the company. This is different from Holiday Inn which from their early beginnings implemented numerous mandatory standards and guidelines (e.g. room size and amenities) at every one of their locations. Also, Quality Inn accepted franchisees with existing hotels.

During its early years, Quality Courts’ operations were entirely in areas of the U.S. east of the Mississippi River and portions of Canada. From 1946 to 1964, Quality had a marketing partnership with Best Western, whose properties were located mostly west of the Mississippi River, and thus not in direct competition with Quality. While this partnership made sense geographically, it did not go over well in the long run, and was abandoned in 1964 as Best Western expanded into the Eastern U.S. with its Best Eastern operation (which was replaced by a nationwide Best Western operation in 1967). Quality Courts began its efforts toward national coverage in 1966 when it opened a motel in St. Louis, Missouri and two in Texas at Houston and Arlington.

The company became Quality International as the company switched to franchising in 1972. A few years later, the franchising well on its way, about 300 hotels were independently owned and only about 38 were still company-owned.

In 1982, Quality Inns pioneered segmentation in the lodging industry by introducing Comfort Inns and Quality Royale. Comfort Inn competes with such chains such as AmericInn Hotels; Baymont Inn and Fairfield Inn by Marriott; Quality Royale was meant to compete with upper midpriced chains like Red Lion and Four Points by Sheraton. Comfort Inn experienced impressive growth in the 1980s and 1990s. Quality Royale was converted to Clarion in 1987 and all-suite divisions, Comfort Suites and Quality Suites were introduced as the first mid-market all-suite chains. The original Quality Inn brand competes with Holiday Inn, Best Western, and Ramada.

Berlin is the capital city of Germany, and is its largest city. Because the western and eastern parts of Berlin were separated from 1949 until 1989, Berlin is one of the most diverse cities in the European Union. The city is located on the rivers Havel and Spree, and is surrounded by the state of Brandenburg. Berlin has a population of approximately 3 and half million people.

The city is an important part of the expansion of the European Union, and is the cultural and political center of the country. The city of Berlin is well known for its universities, as well as its museums and research facilities. Berlin was founded in the 13th century after Germanic peoples settled on the land that was once a Slavic area.

Berlin is without a shadow of a doubt the heart of Germany, a city which defines Germany and its culture. Despite the fact that the Berlin Wall has fallen, the city is still divided, with east Berlin being a somewhat neglected part of town.

Berlin is a great city to visit at all times of the year, but the weather is best between the months of May and September. The city is very busy during the summer, but is a great time for those who love the outdoors. When it comes to attractions, Berlin is a city which has something for everyone.

Those who enjoy going to museums will find many in Berlin. Those who enjoy history will want to visit the Brandenburger Tor, which at one time was the iron boundary between east and west Berlin. It is one of the most photographed areas of Germany.

When it comes to dining, Germany has a fairly simple traditional cuisine. Most German dishes are composed of meats and potatoes. Despite this, you can find many different types of food in Berlin. Germany is a fairly expensive city where it is easy to spend lots of money.

If you use a rail pass to get around and prepare your own meals, you may be able to stay in Berlin for 50 euros a day. Those who choose to stay at mid range hotels and use public transport can expect to spend 100 euros per day.

When looking for hotel accommodation most people are very price driven in terms of making their choices. Finding out where you want to go and how cheaply you can stay there are very often the only factors that are taken into consideration. Couple this with the British attitude of “making the best of a bad situation” and being too accommodating when it comes to poor service, and it is no wonder there are so many hotel horror stories out there. As a travel writer I have certainly encountered a number through the years myself, however one of the best I have heard of late can be read here -  The following is an extract from this particular hotel horror story -

“When I checked in, I was given the last available room. It had one bed even though I requested (requested being the key word) two beds. I would be sharing a room with someone and even though I don’t mind sharing a bed, I did not know how the other person would feel. I was told my request for 2 beds was just that, a request. They are not obligated to give me what I requested. Okay, so I would be sharing a bed. Fine.

Then I went upstairs, put the key in the lock, and opened the door. There on the bed, was a couple… um… enjoying themselves. They looked at me, I looked at them, and then I ran out the door. I went down to the front desk and told them what happened. They told me that they didn’t know which rooms had been given out that day. The man checked a few things on his computer and told me, "Whoops, that was the room of the couple who just got married here." How did he know who was occupying the room and the other guy at the desk didn’t even know the room was occupied? So I got another key and he was pretty positive it was empty. I went upstairs, put the key in the lock, and the door didn’t open. I had to go back down to the desk. I was getting tired of lugging my luggage all over the place. He checked the key and gave it to me again, assuring me it would work this time. I went upstairs, put the key in the lock, I was happy to find that the key opened the door and even happier to find that the room was unoccupied.

The Savoy Hotel is a five-star hotel located on the Strand, in the City of Westminster in central London that opened on August 6, 1889. The hotel remains one of London’s most prestigious and opulent hotels, with 263 rooms and panoramic views of the River Thames across Savoy Place and the Victoria Embankment, part of the Thames Embankment.

Opened in 1889, it was built by Richard D’Oyly Carte, the owner of the adjacent Savoy Theatre, with architect Thomas Edward Collcutt, who also designed the Wigmore Hall. Its name derives from the Savoy Palace which once occupied the site. The hotel was built on a plot of land next to the Savoy Theatre, originally purchased to build an electrical generator for the theatre which was the first public building in the world to be lit by electricity.