The Best Free Hotel Amenities: Tipples and Technology

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June 15, 2012 at 11:35 AM | by Chanize | Comments (2)

These days, amenities can make the difference between booking one hotel and kicking another to the curb. So, properties are upping their A-game. The latest trend? Wooing potential guests with two sure-fire hits: booze and technology. These hotels have got it right with these tasty and techy treats.

The Opus Vancouver goes a step beyond just offering in-room iPads. Guests are actually allowed to take those iPads anywhere off property, since the devices are equipped with GPS. Plus, customers will save money by avoiding international data charges if they forward their calls to the iPad and check emails there instead of on their smartphones. Genius!

Kimpton’s Hotel Monaco in Chicago has a new free wine and beer hour plus entertainment like cocktail making demos. So while you're sipping your Chardonnay, a magician may make it disappear (or you're just sipping too fast).

The Little Divas Suite at San Francisco's Hotel Diva is made for families and comes with a free Wii, karaoke machine, and Mac computer. Plus, there’s free sake served nightly in the lobby for the grown-ups looking to escape another round of Wii Sports.

Bangkok's tiny, six-room Seven Hotel issues free cell phones to guests who are nervous about getting lost in the big city. Each phone is pre-loaded with the hotel's contact info as well as recommended restaurants, bars and nightclubs.

Greenwich's new J House has in-room iPads that control everything from the solar-paneled shades to the room temperature. When you come in, it already has your name and a big welcome message,so they know who's got it.

New York's Gansevoort Park Avenue has Mophie juicepack chargers available in the minibar. For a $25 deposit, guests can borrow them during their stay and never have to worry about dead batteries while they explore the city.

Las Ventanas al Paraiso in Los Cabos has updated its popular poolside “Hot Type” service (new books on manuscript). The books are now on sleek iPads. It kinda takes away from that gleeful feeling of reading a hot-off-the-press tome, but we're not mad at anyone keeping up with the times. Plus, we're easily comforted by the free in-room bottle of tequila!