All That Glitters IS Gold at the Burj Al Arab Jumeirah

From soft white sheets to marble lobbies adorned with the finest décor, luxury hotels make it a point to treat their guests like royalty. So at what point do hotels leave the world of luxury and enter the realm of insanity? Bvlgari Hotel in London offers its VIP guests private shopping trips. Guests staying in the Fenway Park Suite at Hotel Commonwealth are granted selfie ops with the World Series trophy. And at the Westin Austin Downtown, you’ll find rooftop guitar lessons. But, the “world’s most luxurious hotel” easily took the cake in 2013 for craziest guest amenity: 24-karat gold iPads.

Introducing…

The Burj Al Arab Jumeirah. After a quick scroll of their website, it should be no surprise that this famous Dubai hotel considers itself to be the world’s most luxurious hotel. Known for its iconic sail-shaped silhouette, this property is the epitome of high-end hospitality. Its sprawling terrace stretches out to sea with two glistening pools, meanwhile the spa offers only the best relaxation treatments. Guests have access to chauffeur-driven Rolls-Royces and, oh yeah, are given 24-karat gold plated iPads during their stay.

24 Karat Magic 

Since 2013, guests checking into a room at the Burj (with rates starting around $1,500 per night) receive a 24-karat gold iPad to use throughout their stay. The iPads are designed specifically for the hotel by a company called Gold & Co. London, and come engraved with the hotel’s logo, Apple logo and motto “Stay Different.” The iPads not only offer a new level of prestige, but they also provide guests with quick access to any hotel information they might need.

What Next?

Good question! How can other luxury hotels compete with iPad handouts and Rolls-Royce rides? Well, if you take a look at what young consumers now consider to be luxurious, they may not need to. A new white paper published by Highnobiety shows that many consumers care more about the values and messages of a company, rather than its luxurious products. Things like sustainable production and social responsibility play a major role in young consumer decision-making. So does that might mean more and more hotels will move closer towards ocean conservation projects and further away from free material goods? Only time will tell.

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