Beautiful Novelties: Ice Hotels

There are many different kinds of hotels, from little motels to live-in suites, from simple rooms to themed ones at amusement parks. One particularly novel type of hotel destination is the ice hotel, a type of building born in cold northern countries, marvels of temporary architecture.

An ice hotel is just that, a hotel that's made out of carved blocks of ice and snow into a winter dwelling.

If you're searching for a unique destination for your trip, a night spent in an ice hotel can give you unique memories of a stay in a winter wonderland.

It's the Location

Unsurprisingly, you won't find an ice hotel on a trip to Florida, but will have to travel to cold areas in order to enjoy one. In North America, your best bet is to head to Quebec, where the Duchesnay winter resort houses an ice hotel. The proprietors of this hotel do their best to create a memorable hotel, with more than just a cold bed to sleep on, but also a movie theater and wedding chapel. If you're looking for an interesting spot for your wedding or honeymoon, this is it!

Sweden is home of the first ice hotel, supposedly a result of guests using an exhibition hall for ice sculptures on night when a town was overcrowded. The hotel itself remains a fixture from December to April. Like many ice hotels, the owners use the melting of their building as an opportunity to change the architecture from year to year, so if you make a trip out to the ice hotel in Sweden, you're guaranteed to see a different work of beauty than anyone who went in previous years.

The Amenities

Don't be alarmed if you have a cool reception at an ice hotel; these hotels pride themselves on wonderful service with a chilly theme. Some hotels take the ice theme even further, serving drinks at the bar in ice glasses and food on ice plates. Since they've gone through the trouble of creating a building out of ice, many of these hotels take the theme further with such amenities.

One feature common to ice hotels is the use of beds that are also carved out of ice. If you think that means you're in for a cold night, rest assured that on top of your ice mattress, you'll be given warm furs to sleep on and a toasty sleeping bag to get into when it's bedtime. So if you're willing to spend your night bundled up, find your way to an ice hotel for a truly unique experience.

Continuing its aggressive growth here and abroad, Dubai World yesterday said it would invest Dh844.5 million (US$230 million) in eight tourism projects in Rwanda which include luxury hotels, a residential and golf course development and a national park.

Bird Group is spreading its wings by opening a pilot's training school and beginning construction of three of its planned eight five-star hotels.

All hotels in Malaysia will be asked to give priority to local entertainers, who have complained they were being shunned in favor of foreign performers, a Cabinet minister said Friday.

The diversified Rs.2.5 billion ($60 million) Bird Group that has a pan-Indian presence in the country's aviation space, is spreading its wings by opening a pilot's training school and beginning construction of three of its planned eight five-star hotels.

KUALA LUMPUR: All hotels in Malaysia will be asked to give priority to local entertainers, who have complained they were being shunned in favor of foreign performers, Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister Rais Yatim said on Friday.

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