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May 9, 2007
Ironing Around the World
It's a bit sad - so many shirts to be ironed, so many different places, and no real record of the details. Well, here for the first time is a glimps of what it's all like.
As you might expect, there's a range. At the "ultimate convenience" end of the scale you have the Oberoi. Simply push a small button on the console next to your bed, and a bright young man arrives to attend to your sartorial needs.
Next in line is a vast middle ground of "do it yourself" places. It's de regeur in the US to have the room pre-stocked with an iron. I can't recall the last time I stayed in a hotel without one. However, not so in the rest of the world.
For example, at the Yokohama Bay Sheraton in Japan, you call the front desk and they send up a very, very compact, cute little ironing board and cordless iron (!!). The iron rests in a recharging cradle - you pick it up, do you thing and rest it back in it's recharging dock.
In (good 'ol) Germany, a similar call to the front desk of the Bauer hotel produces a massive, industrial strength ironing board and iron. Gentel reader, please forgive me for not taking a picture - it's difficult to describe. Suffice to say that this is a German solution.
Finally, at the far end of the "do it yourself" scale is the Ibis hotel. They have a communal iron and board. Apon request, you are ushered into the inner sanctum behind the front desk, where a small line forms waiting for the equipment. NB: The Ibis has a "Microtel" feel to it, although with a Swedish twist. All very friendly and efficient, but lacking much charm.
That's an overview - for more detailed information, you'll have to just...do it yourself.
Posted by pgutwin at May 9, 2007 1:26 AM