What makes your stay at St. Regis so special? Not the architecture or the décor, not the high tech rooms or even the pedigree lineage of the name behind the hotel; and certainly not the fact that they are refusing to offer free Wi-Fi to their guests. Yeah, the last factor might even cause you turn your attention to one of the hundreds of hotels scattered throughout the city. But some of the amenities the St. Regis offers might make you pause and reconsider your decision several times over.

To begin with, if you are a horse lover, or rather you enjoy watching horses run like mad to make money for you, you’d better head straight for St. Regis. It has one of the best possible views of the grounds of the Royal Bangkok Sports Club, which is well known for the horse races it organizes every other Sunday. Why bother going to the dusty, muddy, and noisy race tracks when you can easily tune into the excitement from your air-conditioned room on the 12^th floor?

Someone once said that the most harrowing part of a journey was the packing, unpacking, and re-packing that one had to do so many times, especially if you were off on a longer trip. However, with professional packers at St. Regis hotel, you may never have to worry about how to cram those two dozen knick knacks you bought for your family into an “already-overflowing-and-very-close-to-bursting” suitcase.

These trained butlers are experts at handling all kinds of potential packing disasters and they are even willing to impart some of their skills to you so you have a trouble-free and wrinkle-free journey wherever you are. And all those ladies who are going pink in their faces thinking about a guy going through their err…lingerie and other delicate apparels, worry not. There are female butlers as well. How very thoughtful of them.

Which brings me to the next great facility this hotel is offering. In keeping with their amazing butler services, something Regis is famed for worldwide, you are free to call on the butler at any given time of the day. They work round the clock to make sure all your whims are met, be it something as small as shining your shoes or bringing you coffee to arranging for transport and helping you check in and out.

Ask anyone about the most distinctive thing about St. Regis hotels and they are all most likely to answer – Bloody Mary. After having invented the very first version of a drink that took the entire world by storm in St. Regis New York, it has become something of a tradition to devise interesting variations of this drink at other St. Regis properties. At Bangkok, they’ve concocted something they choose to call “Siam Mary”. It’s made from tomato juice (duh!), Thai chili (huh?), lemon and coriander. A word of advice before you tip the glass – it’s spicy, so go easy on it.

Although it is a rather recent addition, which started back in 2007, there is yet another thing that St. Regis is popular for – their “Aficionados” packages. These are specially designed for the guests of the hotel, and it allows them access to certain prestigious and “hard-to-get-tickets-to” attractions and events. In Bangkok, they’ve introduced something known as the “Caroline Astor’s Expedition on the E&O”. This package, named after the founder of St. Regis, offers a journey on the much hyped Eastern and Oriental luxury train and includes stays at St. Regis hotel in Singapore and Bangkok.

I think the last offer kind of does it for me. Now the next time I head to Bangkok, I am not even going to look in the direction of any other hotel. As long as interesting Aficionado packages like are offered, it will always be St. Regis Bangkok forever!

Whether our future will be anything as mechanized as the one that is outlined in various science fiction novels and movies is anybody’s guess, but we have here an opportunity to peep into one aspect of it. Whether you like what you see, or in this case read, is yet again anybody’s guess.

According to a hotel study sponsored by Travelodge and conducted by futurologist Ian Pearson, hotels in 2030 are going to go far beyond the fancy bathroom set up, the fully stocked mini bar, indoor swimming pool, and a plush four poster bed. If technology continues making giant strides, hotels two decades from now will be able to offer services like dream control and virtual lovemaking.

If Ian Pearson is to be believed, we will have the power to choose the dream we want to see, connect with our friend or family member to have a shared dream experience, and make love to our partner, even in their absence, by linking into a virtual dream world.

How does it happen? With the help of lenses. These lenses are worn like any other – under the eyelids – and they project the images directly onto the wearer’s retina. Giving you greater control over your virtual lovemaking session is yet another unique feature of this technology. The lenses allow you to change your partner’s appearance to something more favorable or sex-citing so that you can maximize the intimate you are experience you are sharing with them.

And to make sure that you don’t end up hurting your partner’s feelings or paving a way to a divorce suit, your partner/lover will never know what you are looking at. Which means…while you are swapping your girlfriend’s body for Megan Fox’s hot-pants clad looong legs, she might be making love to a swimming trunk clad Daniel Craig, with your face on it, of course!

The entire concept seems to be inspired by Christopher Nolan’s movie Inception. Those who are selling this entire idea claim it will enhance your sleeping experience. But, I believe sleep is essential for one purpose alone – rest and recuperation. By meddling with the fine distinction between dreams and reality, I only hope they don’t hurt the restorative powers of a good night’s rest.

But, who am I talking to anyway? I don’t think anybody is listening to me. they are all scrambling over themselves to get Travelodge reservations for 2030!

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In times like this, it is a wonder that such a list as the one I am making right now can still be compiled – of the most expensive pens in the world. “Pen” is hardly the word you can use to describe these magnificent & extravagant creations, so I am going to go with “writing instruments.”

The existence of these writing instruments is wondrous but the fact that someone actually paid a hefty price to acquire them is even more so. I would suppose that these opulent pens, forgive me, writing instruments could hardly be used to take down notes in a business meeting; I am guessing signing papers for multi-billion takeovers and making out checks for obscene amounts are some of the job responsibilities entrusted to them. Apart from glittering fashionably and mesmerizing others, of course!

Now, take for instance the Aurora Diamante, a pen that could easily blind you on a bright sunny day. Why, you ask? Well it’s made from diamonds and De Beers diamonds no less. While this humble soul lusts for one carat of such brilliance, this marvel boasts of 30 carats of shine and glow culminating from almost 2000 4C diamonds. The Diamante is topped with a polished diamond cabochon and has an 18kt gold nib. Only one such pen is made each year and considering the effort that goes into making this pen, one understands why. Keep guessing the price, it’s only available on request but estimates put it at 1.8 million!

Aurora Diamante

Another formidable warrior in this field is the La Modernista Diamonds from Swiss Company Caran d’Ache. Made in 1999 as homage to Antonio Gaudi, one of the most famous Modernist architects, La Modernista Diamonds has been crafted from rhodium-coated solid silver components.

Each writing instrument has a whopping collection of diamonds – 5072 pieces of Top Wesselton VS diamonds weighing 20 carats and let’s not forget the 96 rubies on the cap. Even the nib is 18-carat rhodium-coated gold. The workmanship of this pen is credited to master jeweler Robert Perron who took about six months complete this exemplary tribute to the written word. The La Modernista Diamonds was sold in Harrods, London, for $265,000 making it the most expensive pen in Guinness World Records in 2001.

La Modernista Diamonds from Caran d’Ache Company

Next in line is the Limited Edition Mystery Masterpiece, a joint creation between Van Cleef & Arpels and Montblanc to commemorate their centenary in 2006. Only nine such pens were made in this year and each pen had 840 carats of diamonds and 20 carats of gemstones. It stakes claim to being the most expensive writing instrument in the world. And, when you see the price tag it comes with – $730,000 – one is inclined to take their word for it.

Limited Edition Mystery Masterpiece by Van Cleef & Arpels and Montblanc

Before signing off, I’d like to draw your attention to one more masterpiece the Marte from Omas Fountain Pen. Although it’s a pretty meek soul as compared to some of the other writing instruments we’ve discussed here with a price tag of just $43,000, the Marte (Italian for Mars) intrigues me.

The Marte from Omas Fountain Pen

This rose gold instrument represents the pink-red hue of the planet Mars. The barrel of the pen features deserts, craters and mountains and it is encrusted with four rubies that mark the points where the American and Russian probes landed. The cap is studded with 2K of small diamonds reminding you fo the polar ice caps and even the rose gold nib has an engraving of the Greek God Mars! Now that’s what I call a work of art!

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Take a look at these 3 foods that the world has come to love so much. Had it not been for a certain mistake made in each case, they may never have found a form or existence. It’s such a good thing that we all make mistakes. I can’t imagine the world without these foods.

Potato Chips

What happens when an annoyed chef seeks revenge on one of his customers? Potato chips are born! The year was 1853 and George Crum was one harassed chef. A particular customer wasn’t very impressed with the quality of his fried potatoes. He kept sending them back saying “they were too thick and soggy.”

In order to teach him a lesson, and probably to vent some of his frustration, Crum sliced the potatoes really fine; stir fried them, added some extra salt and sent them across. Thankfully for him, the customer didn’t barge into the kitchen and demand his head on a platter. Instead, he praised Crum for this innovative take on the potato fries. The popularity of the “Saratoga Chips” (as Crum called them) grew in leaps and bounds and the rest, as you know it, is history.

Popsicle

What would the world be without popsicles? Half our childhood is spent cramming one into our mouths and letting it drip slowly and surely onto our clothes. I bet you each child has at least a few T-shirts and shorts to show with Popsicle stains on it. Bless Frank Epperson, the 11 year old genius, who made this wonderful invention, even if it was by mistake.

Here’s how it happened. In 1905, Frank Epperson, the kid, forgot a mixture of water and powdered soda on his porch with his stirring stick in it. As luck would have it, San Francisco’s recorded an all time low temperature that night. When Epperson woke up the next morning, he found a frozen delight on his stick, which he called the Epsicle. However, his creation was only made public 18 years later at which point he renamed it the Popsicle.

The Sandwich

The oh-so-commonly eaten snack that we are capable of putting together even if we are sleepwalking is credited to John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich. Get the connection? Earl of Sandwich making sandwich?

John Montagu felt like combining proteins and carbohydrates one fine day and ordered his valet to bring him meat between two pieces of bread. And since people wished to copy the Earl and eat what he was eating, they would go about ordering “the same as Sandwich!” As you can imagine, it was eventually shortened to just sandwich. Good for us, I say. Keep it up Earl of Sandwich!

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However for those looking to spice things up a bit, here are some unique hotels that warrant a special trip planned exclusively around them. Their appeal doesn’t lie in their beauty or location or even their heritage. They are adorable because they are so refreshingly weird and zany!

In Nantes, France you can experience life in a hamster cage at the La Villa Hamster. Literally! The rooms in this hotel are designed like cages, complete with wrought iron along the walls, a working hamster wheel and tubes to drink water out of. Though it may sound a little rudimentary, the owners have not overlooked a single element of comfort for their guests. Little wonder then, they have almost never had a free room since they opened in 2009.

How far can you go for a really good beer experience? If your answer is ‘anywhere’, pack your bags and get to Lake Skanderborg, Denmark. However, make sure you plan well in advance because the best time to visit this place is limited to just one month – August! Fans come from far and wide for the music festival held here in August and to drink from and sleep in beer cans. Yup, you heard right and I am not drunk – they do sleep in beer cans!

This resort (?) known as Can Sleep is a cluster of 121 aluminum Royal Unibrew beer cans that you can check into. Standing in packs of six, each is 12 feet high with a loft where you sleep. The living room at the bottom is well furnished, the highlight being the minibar which is always full of…you guessed right – Royal Unibrew products.

Want to add a bit of salt to your experience? Head straight to Palacio de Sal in Bolivia. As the name suggests, this is a palace made entirely of salt, the walls, floors, ceilings, beds, chairs- its salt everywhere. And yeah, don’t think you can get away from it if you step out, the hotel stands on the vast salt flats of Bolivia. So long as you don’t have high blood pressure, go on and enjoy the place and the menu, which is also almost all salty!

Like to be airborne? Book yourself one of the Free Spirit Spheres in Vancouver Island, Canada. These are tree houses with a twirl. Called Eve, Eryn and Melody they are handcrafted from spruce, cedar and fiberglass. A web of ropes holds them up swinging gently in the breeze. Steps spiral their way up around trees where inside comfort and modernity take over. And what’s more, if you really like it you can actually buy bits or an entire sphere for your home!

If you’ve always been fascinated by the Northern Lights you can combine that spectacular experience with a stay in igloos. This is possible at the Hotel Kakslauttanen, Finland. The rooms here are actually glass igloos built in a manner that when it’s minus 30 degrees outside, you are snug and toasty inside, enjoying vodka and watching the dance of the polar lights!

So, rather than vanity or glory, one may argue that the reasons for constructing the tallest structure, the highest swimming pool, the highest observation deck or the tallest Ferris Wheel in the world may be pure economics. It may well be a fail-safe guarantee to success. Well, whatever the reasons, let’s leave the analysis aside for a while, and partake of the thrills!

The Highest Manmade Structure

It is no surprise that the list begins with Dubai. Knowing the Emirate kingdom’s insatiable appetite for glory, it may own every ‘highest’ of the world in a few years. Presently, the most significant record on this list is safely in its grasp. The Burj Khalifa, extending a yawning 828 meters into the sky, has no parallel anywhere in the world.

The tower opened in January 2010 as Burj Dubai, ironically amidst a local economic crisis brought on by the bankruptcy of the city’s biggest (state-owned) development company. It was renamed shortly after Sheikh Khalifa, the president of the UAE, bailed the city out with a $10 billion ‘gift’. Thanks to the massive tower, Dubai owns a slew of other records, including the highest restaurant in the world and the longest elevator travel distance in the world.

The Highest Swimming Pool

This is one that Dubai doesn’t have. The International Commerce Center in Hong Kong owns the distinction with a pool positioned 490 meters above the ground. So, if it is a hot day, not only do you have a pleasant swim in store, but half a kilometer up in the sky the air will be a full 3 degrees Celsius cooler than down below.

The Highest Observation Deck

If you are in Shanghai, the observation deck at the World Financial Center (the 3^rd tallest building in the world) is probably the most irresistible attraction. It is the highest deck in the world, and from its top-most point, a screaming 474 meters above the ground, what you get is a stunning bird’s eye view of the entire city. Apart from the height itself, you are sure to get a real thrill by standing against the angled glass walls, which will make you feel as though you are leaning over the vast city half a kilometer below your feet.

The Tallest Ferris Wheel

No, it is not the famous London Eye. The distinction is owned by the Singapore Flyer, which at 164 meters is a full 30 meters higher than the London Eye. It is even a whisker higher (5 m) than China’s Star of Nanchang, which is the second highest Ferris Wheel.

A spin in one of the Flyer’s 28-seater air-conditioned capsules will cost you a mere $25, but bear in mind that it has broken down four times before. Once, passengers were stranded in there for six hours without any air-conditioning.

So, if you are planning a trip to one of these mega-cities, remember to keep your feet firmly off the ground!

Forget about questions like “why, in the name of God, would you want to buy that?” or “what on earth were they thinking?” or even “why would they want to waste all that money?” Concentrate only on one fact – they can and therefore they will. Let’s find out how the insanely rich spend their money. You are going to love this…or maybe not!

The Golden iPad2

For the Scrooge McDucks of the world, technology itself takes on a golden hue and appears in the form of the golden iPad designed by British jewelry maker Stuart Hughes. Scoffing at the mortal price of only $800+ for the ordinary iPad, Hughes has given people with heavy purses something worth their time and money.

2000 grams of 24-carat gold and more than 50 precious gems (including diamonds) combine to give you an iPad that glistens and shines in your hands – that too for a princely sum of $189,125. And when you are tired of surfing the net on this 3G iPad, you could consider doing weight-training workouts with it since it weighs nearly four and a half pounds. So…that’s what they mean when they say the rich have a lot of weight?

The 24k Pencil

Never again will the world take the ordinary pencil for granted again for it has been lifted to the level of extraordinary by Korean designer Daisung Kim. These very special pencils have a thin layer of 24k gold plating on them on they come to you in a very jazzy box shaped like gold bars. Yes, very creative I must say!

Next time you want to scribble a figure with several zeros in it on your check book, lay aside your fancy pens and flash this golden pencil. If you are really happy with the bank’s customer service, you could even give away pencil shavings as a tip. Better still save them up for a rainy day and cash them in when you run out of the gold in your vault!

The Golden Loo

The rich even go to the toilet in style! For them nothing less than a golden pot would do to receive their bodily waste and drain it to the murky lower world in panache! After all, what poop can boast of such a see-off?

Brainchild of Hong Kong-based jeweler Hang Fung Gold Technology, this royal loo is made from 24k solid gold and weighs well over a metric tonne. It’s even found a place for itself in the Guiness Book of World record as the most expensive toilet in the world. But, of course!

The Gold Coffin

It seems the rich prefer to set themselves apart even in death. Not content with the modest and regular arrangements for their final resting place, they sought out something more glamorous and ritzy – like this 24k gold coffin designed by Art Funeral, Italy.

Having made a debut last year in a show for “Billionaires only” this $400,000 coffin comes with, believe it or not, a built in cell phone! In the event they get a bit too restless on the other side of the world and wish to call up and chat with their loved ones here, perhaps? Ah, the mysterious ways in which the rich and dead work.

It is well known that Bangkok is a city built on soft soil, and it lies only 1.5 meters above sea level, dangerously close to the ocean. This combination of factors already makes it susceptible to floods. Besides, the ground level in the city is sinking by 1.5 – 5 cm every year. To make matters worse, coastal erosion takes off 3 – 4 cm every year. As a result, some parts of the city are already below sea level, and places like the suburb at Samut Prakan harbor remain flooded during certain months of the year.

A report published recently by the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank and the Japan International Cooperation Agency has acknowledged that Bangkok is one of the cities most immediately threatened by climate change. However, the trouble is that there is no consensus amongst experts in the region as to what exactly is causing the city to sink, and how to arrest the process.

Bangkok is likely to sink completely by the year 2100, much like a modern day ‘Atlantis’

Smith Dharmasaroja, a celebrated meteorologist who correctly forecast the 2004 tsunami years before it struck, believes that Bangkok is likely to sink completely by the year 2100, much like a modern day ‘Atlantis’, especially if the government refuses to wake up to the challenge. He believes the entire city could be flooded as soon as 2030. The solution he proposes is the building of a series of sea walls along the Siam Gulf to keep the sea out and prevent coastal erosion, a project that would cost in the range of 2 billion euros.

Anond Snidyongs, an oceanographer who specializes in regional climate change, is not as alarmed. He says that it is impossible to predict exactly when the rising sea level will threaten Bangkok, and what form this development will take. Furthermore, he believes that sea walls won’t prevent coastal erosion. The better answer, according to him, is ‘better management of urban building land’.

The suburb at Samut Prakan harbor remain flooded during certain months of the year

Rapid urban development without serious concern for the environment has certainly been a problem in Bangkok. According to Niramon Kulsrisombat, a town planner, architect and teacher, most of the urban development projects have swallowed up lands that used to drain out the flood waters. As a result, the flood situation has only worsened. It also seems that the ground level in Bangkok is buckling under the weight of the ever-expanding skyscrapers.

The government has taken no serious stand on the matter, and is being blamed from all quarters. However, with so much disagreement among the experts, it is hard to predict in which direction they will finally choose to act. Whatever that choice, the future of Bangkok and its millions of people depends on it being the right one.

The customer satisfaction statistics released by the J.D. Power and Associates 2011 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Study are quite revealing. According to this survey, 18% of all customers this year have been dissatisfied with some aspect of their stay and hotel services. The most common problems have been unreliable internet connections and too much noise.

16% of all the hotel guests who took the survey said that they were disturbed by noise levels. Surprisingly, however, only 43% of customers that expressed dissatisfaction with hotel services reported it to the hotel authorities. Furthermore, 13% of the customers reported that they had trouble with their internet connection. Once again, though, 40% of these people did not report their problem.

Among the leading problems have been noisy rooms and poor Wi-fi connection

Guests reported various other problems too, and according to Stuart Greif, vice president at J.D. Power and Associates, this rising dissatisfaction with hotel services is no surprise. He explained that with the economy picking up, occupancy is rising, and guests are no longer getting the perks they got during the recession phase. The best rooms are not always available, the gym is fully occupied in the morning and the ambience is not as quiet as before.

This is only part of the picture, however. The study also reveals that guests are happier than last year with the overall cost and fees associated with hotel stay, in spite of the fact that rates have gone up. This is not a big surprise either, considering that hotels have been very cautious about increasing prices. The changes have been marginal, unlike several other industries, especially the airline industry. As a result, currently a hotel stay costs less than what people would expect to pay.

On the brighter side guests are happier with the overall cost and fees associated with hotel stay

The bad news is that with customers more than satisfied with hotel prices, there is room for increase. A rise in rates seems to be round the corner. However, while this is likely to pinch customers in the coming year, hotels will be determined to provide better customer satisfaction. In fact, experts feel that customers should take some of the responsibility for their own satisfaction, by consistently reporting any problem with hotel services to the front office.

Experts feel that customers should take some of the responsibility for their own satisfaction

Mark Schwartz, who is the director of the global hospitality and travel practice at J.D. Power and Associates, emphasizes this point. He says that “hotel staff and management will usually try their best to resolve these issues, particularly since they understand that solving a problem can result in a happier, more loyal customer.” It is hard to argue with that. Very often, the road to improvement for any hotel is working on customer feedback. After all, keeping guests satisfied and comfortable is the ultimate aim of hotel services and hospitality.

Hotel management will try their best to resolve issues since it results in a happier, more loyal customer

Companies are fast beginning to realize the importance of offering impressive perks to their employees, and we are talking a lot more than your usual fully-equipped gym and swimming pool here. Organizations are thinking out of the box and are keeping their employees happy with a wide range of interesting as well as innovative perks and benefits.

Of course that is not to say that the usual perks like free drinks at the local pubs and flight benefits for frequent travelers hold no value in the system. They do, but things have gotten a lot bigger lately. For instance, Yelp has an exclusive 5 star pub for its employees while NuStar Energy in Texas allows employees to use their corporate jets in times of emergency.

Here are some of the more enviable perks that will have you wishing for a job change.

Chesapeake Energy

The 2^nd larger producer of natural gas in the nation places high premium on the physical well-being of their employees. That’s probably why they have a fitness facility that sprawls over 72,000 square feet, equipped with sunless tanning facilities and tanning beds. They also offer scuba certification free of cost to their workforce. But the cherry on the icing is their center for health and dental care that offers a host of dermatology treatments, including…Botox!

Chesapeake Energy have a fitness facility equipped with sunless tanning facilities

They also offer scuba certification free of cost to their workforce

Netflix

At Netflix – the popular movie streaming and rental service – it pays to be healthy – in the literal sense of the expression. Employees are allocated $10,000 every year to be used for health related expenditure. But, unlike other companies that forfeit the amount you don’t claim, at Netflix the remaining portion of this allowance comes right back to you. Neat, isn’t it?

Netflix allows its employees to claim health related allowance they haven't used up in a year.

Genentech

Genentech – the biotech industry based in San Francisco – roots for a casual work culture. It’s not an uncommon sight to see employees dressed in jeans and sneakers while technicians jive to rock and roll in the research labs. In addition, Genentech offers a wide (and may I add generous) variety of perks to its employees that includes legal advice, weekly car washes, free counseling, a childcare center, nursing rooms, tuition assistance, dog sitting, haircuts, a couple of libraries, and seasonal produce stands.

Among the many perks offered by the company are weekly car washes, a childcare center, and dog sitting,

But the best of them all is the month and a half long sabbatical that employees are allowed to take after every six years of faithful service to the company. And, we’re talking about a paid sabbatical here, dearies!

For every six years they complete at Genentech, employees are allowed to take a month and a half long sabbatical

Integrated Archive Systems (IAS)

Although it’s not common for huge corporations to provide subsidies to employees who wish to buy hybrid cars, the amount offered usually varies between $2,000 and $5,000. At California based Integrated Archive Systems, Founder and CEO Amy Rao takes things one notch higher. An environmentalist herself, Rao offers $10,000 subsidy to her employees as part of the company’s Eco-Responsibility initiative. Since its inception back in 2004, more than 50% of the IAS staff has taken advantage of this program.

As part of their Eco-Responsibility initiative, IAS offers $10,000 subsidy to its employees