The 25 Coolest Hotel Perks In The World

Image via Complex Original

City: Most Ace Hotel locations
Website: acehotel.com
Coolest perk: Records and record player

Hipsters rejoice! If playing music on your iPhone is too mainstream for you and you'd rather appreciate the snap, crackle, and pop of vinyl while laying in your platform bed, you can do so at most of the Ace Hotel locations. Bring your own vinyl, or if you're feeling lucky, call to the front desk and get some more delivered to your hotel room door. Free of charge. It's usually kind of a grab bag, but it beats having to listen to a digitized track in stereo. The horror. 

City: Mayo, Ireland
Address: Cong, Co. Mayo
Website: ashford.ie
Coolest perk: Owl ringbearer

Cue the Harry Potter theme music. At the illustrious Ashford Castle in Ireland, you can hire a gorgeous owl to help you pop the question to your love or be the ring bearer at your wedding. The wedding package with Dingle the owl includes a three night stay, champagne, a massage, and rose petal turn down service. Dingle will be like your own personal Hedwig. If someone turns down a proposal by Dingle, zap that Muggle with your magic wand. They weren't the ones for you, anyway. 

City: Jumeirah, Abu Dhabi
Address: Jumeirah
Website: jumeirah.com
Coolest perk: Gold iPad

Hello. Welcome to Burj Al Arab. You're probably the richest person in the world, so to make you even richer, we'll provide you with a 24k gold 16gb iPad. The "world's most luxurious hotel" offers the iPad as a sort of virtual concierge. Sadly, unless the client shells over $10,000 for the solid gold shell, taking the iPads home are not an option. If $10,000 is too much, you can also get a gold-plated Blackberry for cheaper. But, if you're staying at the Burj Al Arab, chances are ten grand is mere pocket change. 

City: New Orleans
Address: 921 Canal St.
Website: ritzcarlton.com
Coolest perk: Hangover concierge

Need the drunken demon of last night past exorcised out of you? Well, of course New Orleans would have just the magic to crack your mind-altering hangover. At the Ritz Carlton in New Orleans, they have people who's purpose is to be your hangover recovery concierge. Part of the recovery includes a "hair of the dog" bloody mary, or a Kir Royal, a spa treatment to detoxify, and fresh fruit. There's also water, snacks, and, of course, aspirin for those mornings when a post-Mardi Gras cocktail feels extra disgusting. 

City: All locations
Website: rosewoodhotels.com
Coolest perk: Fragrance butler

With all the flight rules, traveling with perfume or cologne can be tricky. You have to buy a smaller bottle, or an atomizer, and when you're a rush, thinking about how to pack you scent can be the last thing on your mind. Rosewood Hotels have you covered--in whatever scent you please off their scent menu. The hotels have a fragrance butler, who comes to your room donning a shimmery tray of spendy perfumes for the guests to choose from. Each hotel has a different fragrance menu and while you can't keep the bottle with you, you can have the fragrance butler in your room an unlimited amount of time. 

City: Austin
Address: 13500 Farm to Market Road 2769
Website: travaasa.com
Coolest perk: Mechanical bull

The kind of "riding" that usually happens in hotel rooms can be scandalous at best, but Travaasa in Austin has a different way for guests to work their core and and thigh muscles. The hotel offers clients a mechanical bull workout class. A Texas-sized mechanical bull is situated in the gym where an instructor goes through tips on how to ride the beast nicknamed Brutus. Guests can also take a two-step class and other "experimental" exercise classes, but why dance when you sneak downstairs at night and put on your own naked rodeo? 

City: London
Address: 10 Wardour St.
Website: starwoodhotels.com
Coolest perk: Sex toys

Let's get physical. It's a struggle to leave home without your favorite plaything, especially if you know you're in for a sexy weekend, but traveling with all your buzzy goodies can be a struggle, especially if you're going through airport security. The W Hotel in Leicester Square has you, shall we say, taken care of. They offer an "intimacy kits" with condoms, lube, and such, plus a few vibrators to choose from at the mini-bar. Once you use them, they're yours and you'll have a sexy little souvenir to take home from your travels. 

City: London
Address: 75 Sloane St.
Website: cadogan.com
Coolest perk: Oscar Wilde smoking jacket

Oscar Wilde was a fan of temptation and dcadence and it was at the Cadogan Hotel that he was arrested in 1895 for "gross acts of indecency." You can reinact your own acts of indencency in a suite dedicated to the provocative British author with the 'Green Carnation' package. You'll get to sleep in Wilde's suite, drink his favorote pink champagne, and don a remarkable facsimile of his favorite smoking jacket. There's also a menu with Victorian goodies like absinthe and sponge cake. 

City: New York
Address: 20 E 76th St.
Website: thesurrey.com
Coolest perk: In-room mixologist

For the same price as a bottle of booze (which is expensive in a hotel setting, but still), you can have an in-room mixologist at The Surrey. Mixing 4 to 5 cocktails, the mixologist comes up with his cart of goodies and shakes up boozy goodness in your room. Drink options range between seasonal, vodka cocktails, gin cocktails, and probably so much more. Day drunk yourself into a stupor? The Surrey also provides free gourmet picnic baskets for their guests to go munch out somewhere green. 

City: New Haven, Conn.
Address: 1157 Chapel St.
Website: studyatyale.com
Coolest perk: Books and reading glasses

Are you a dirty nerdy? Kick back in collegiate style at The Study at Yale. The hotel offers a literary lounge full of books by visiting authors. Guests can check out books to read in their rooms and even choose from a selection of reading glasses by Amy Sacks to that they don't have to strain their eyes. If you want to pretend you actually went to Yale, books written by the professors and alumni are offered in a retail kiosk. 

City: Dana Point, Calif.
Address: 1 Monarch Beach Resort
Website: stregismb.com
Coolest perk: Surf butler

Catch waves in style, bro. California is known for its killer waves, so it makes sense that this Dane Point resort would cater to the rich and righteous. These surf butlers are trained lifeguards that watch guests get on their boards, offering instruction, but also measurements for a custom-fit wetsuit and board. If you need tips on where to go if you want to catch bigger waves, these board masters will tip you off to the hottest places for a salty squeeze. 

City: Zighy Bay, Oman
Address: Musandam Peninsula, PO Box 212, Dibba-Musandam 800
Website: sixsenses.com
Coolest perk: Paraglide entrance

Six Senses Zighy Bay has a lot of dramatic entrances to their resort, including a James Bond-style helicopter landing, but the really adventurous can paraglide in. After landing in Dubai and driving in, you are the given the option to tandem paraglide off one of Oman's cliffs into the resort and over the Musandam Peninsula. By the time you get to the resort, your bags will be waiting for you at the bottom. 

City: Phuket, Thailand
Address: 33, 33/27 Moo 4, Srisoonthorn Road
Website: banyantree.com
Coolest perk: Private island sunrise breakfast

Always daydream about going to Paris just for lunch or New York just for a steak? The Banyan Tree Resort has figured out how to appeal to that sense of romance and whimsy with their sunrise breakfast adventure. Although you're already at one of the most beautiful places in the world, Banyan Tree resort will wisk you off to a private island via plane to relish in the sunrise as you eat a delicious gourmet picnic breakfast. When the sun's up, you'll be escorted back in a perfect state of bliss. Who said waking up wasn't fun? 

City: Boston
Address: 200 Stuart St.
Website: reverehotel.com
Coolest perk: Oxygen to go

Most people just grab a cup of coffee, but if you're one of those people who just aren't happy with the regular old oxygen the universe is pumping through the air, the Revere Hotel has grab-and-go oxygen options for the spoiled. For a mere $40, guests can 2.5 ounce personal oxygen device to keep their lungs fresh as they wander through the city. Apparently, the POD only has 40 pumps of breath in it, which breaks down to a dollar a breath. We're not sure how many breaths one takes per minute, but at that financial rate, we'd never want to breathe. 

City: St. Petersburg, Russia
Address: Михайловская ул., д.1/7
Website: grandhoteleurope.com
Coolest perk: Speedboat 

In old spy films, there's always a scene where the villian is chasing down the hero in a speedboat. As giant ships honk their horns with warning around them, the hero manages to weave in and out of dangerous vessels, leaving only a wake of water behind him or maybe a blown-up enemy boat or two. You can reenact that scene (in your mind, at least) on the gorgeous '40s speedboat that the Grand Hotel Europe offers to its guests. St. Petersburg is dubbed the "Venice of the North" and the speedboat is actually for guests to explore the ancient architecture and old canal routes, but pretending you're a Cold War era spy will make it a lot more fun. 

City: Nairobi, Kenya
Address: Duma Road
Website: giraffemanor.com
Coolest perk: Wild giraffes

Wild animal park or luxurious little boutique hotel? Kenya doesn't let you decide, because she already knows what you want: something to write home about that doesn't involve you dodging a lion or getting malaria. Instead, you can eat brunch with some of the universes more majestic creatures—the Rothschild giraffe. The giraffes can wander in and out at anytime, but they mostly just pop their head in while you're eating or to check you out before you get too sleepy.

City: Keswick, Va.
Address: 701 Club Drive
Website: keswick.com
Coolest perk: Baby butler

Baby on board? Keep your spoiled brat drooling with happiness by reserving a baby butler at the lush, 600-acre Keswick Hall. Set in the rolling Virignia hills, being a baby butler means you do what mommy doesn't want to do on her vacation. They warm bottles, serve gourmet baby food, and provide every single thing a baby might need including a personalized crib and some stylish miniature bathrobes. If you need to go sample the local watering holes, there are babysitters ready to take little Bobby off your hands. 

City: Beverly Hills, Calif.
Address: 300 S Doheny Drive
Website: fourseasons.com
Coolest perk: Lambourghini Gallardo

Are you ballin' hard in Beverly Hills? First of all, congratulations on having a life that most of us just idolize via bad reality television. Second, we recommend you hit up the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills to rent out a suite and get a sweet ride for your stay. Cars available include the Maserati, the Ferrari, and the often sung about but rarely driven Lambourghini Gallardo. If you don't get a big suite, Volvos and Mini Coopers are available, too. 

City: St. Barths, Caribbean
Address: Baie de Saint Jean, Saint Barthélemy
Website: edenrockhotel.com
Coolest perk: Rockstar recording studio

Imagine recording your album on a beautiful island in a gorgeous villa that doubles as a renowned recording studio. Now imagine recording on the same Neve music console that John Lennon recorded "Imagine" on. The Eden Rock hotel offers the experience of a lifetime for budding musicians—or even veteran ones who want to get away from stalkers and the paps. Other artists who have recorded there include Michael Jackson, Dr. Dre, and Paul McCartney. 

City: Doonbeg, Ireland
Address: Doonbeg Golf Club, Co. Clare, Doonbeg, Co. Clare
Website: doonbeglodge.1-hotel.net
Coolest perk: On-site geneologist

Do you have the luck of the Irish? Well, you can find out if that's a product of your whisky-loving liver or if your great-great-grandfather on your mother's side was as Irish as she claimed him to be. At The Lodge at Doonbeg, an on-site genelogist will help you run through an assesment of your Irish ancestry and if you want to do most of the hunting yourself, they'll provide all the tools to find your ancient family. If you feel too lazy to do that, the genelogist can do all the dirty work for you, so you can spend more time drinking. 

City: Rangali Island, Maldives
Address: Rangali, South Ari Atoll
Website: conradhotels3.hilton.com
Coolest perk: Underwater guestroom

Are you one of those freaky people with a fish fetish? Well, perv out in style with an underwater guestroom in the Maldives. For an undisclosed amount of money, the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island will rent out their underwater 12-seat resturaunt for a night so you can basically sleep in a plexiglass-encased aquarium after a gourmet meal and some champagne. Good luck trying to sleep in that thing though because it'll probably be the most beautiful thing you ever did—or the freakiest. 

City: South Beach, Fla.
Address: 1 Lincoln Road
Website: ritzcarlton.com
Coolest perk: Tanning butler

Gym, tan, laundry. We have a feeling that the Ritz-Carlton in South Beach offers all of these for their well-to-do clientele, but they take tanning to a whole new level. The Florida sun does a pretty good job of providing sweet cancer-causing, skin-darkening rays on its own, but the Ritz has a dude that wanders around the pool and beach and lathers people up with the sunblock of their choosing.  In their holsters, the model-hot tanning butlers even carry around a water mister and a sunglasses cleaner. You know, in case that steamy rubdown fogs up your glasses. 

City: Chicago
Address: 63 W Ontario St.
Website: hardrock.com
Coolest perk: Guitar lessons

Bring the groupies directly to your room for maximum rock star efficiency. At the Hard Rock Hotel in Chicago, you can "check in" and "rock out" with their free Gibson guitar rental program. A basic amenity for music lovers, guests can also access a 70-minute guitar tutorial with Rico Monaco on their televisions and are encouraged to keep their electric or acoustic guitar for the duration of their stay so they can practice their "Freebird" before grabbing some deep dish pizza. 

City: Portland
Address: 729 SW 15th Ave.
Website: hoteldeluxeportland.com
Coolest perk: Pet psychic

Life can be ruff for the pups and pussies that you love, especially if you travel tons and don't get to see your furry friends. Thankfully, fine establishments like Hotel Deluxe offer primo pet pampering and amenities including an entire third floor dedicated to doggies and their needs. And since it's Portland and they're keepin' it weird, Hotel Deluxe also offers a pet psychic for those that are having trouble communicating with their pets and need some hack to tell them their animal has basic mammalian yearnings for emotional satisfaction like food, shelter, and love. 

City: Culture Village, Abu Dhabi
Address: Palazzo Versace Dubai, Culture Village, Dubai Creek
Website: palazzoversace.ae
Coolest perk: Refrigerated beach  

Technically, Palazzo Versace isn't open just yet, despite being slotted for an opening four years ago, but the hotel is reportedly offering their uber-rich clientele a "refrigerated beach." The precious feet of well off people will be protected from the scorching hot earth of Abu Dhabi by a complex system of giant fans that will essentially suck the heat out of the sand. Debates rage on about the destructive carbon footprint of such an endeavour, but c'mon, it's Abu Dhabi. Compared to some of the other stuff that goes on, a chilled-out beach is pauper shit.