Sheraton Huzhou Hot Spring Resort

Starwood Hotels and Resorts is looking to grow its Sheraton brand aggressively during 2013, with 30 planned openings, predominantly in the Asia Pacific region. — Sheraton will open 15 new hotels across China over the next 12 months, including the striking Sheraton Huzhou Hot Spring Resort (pictured below), moving Starwood closer to its target of 80 properties in China by the end of 2015.


Expansion for the brand will also extend into Africa and The Middle East with the addition of four new hotels, including the Sheraton Medina Hotel in Saudi Arabia, Sheraton Dubai Mall of Emirates and the first in Tajikistan - Sheraton Dushanbe Hotel. Sheraton will also open two new hotels in Turkey, in the cities of Adana and Bursa.

In Latin America Sheraton will open its ninth property in Argentina with the Sheraton Tucuman Hotel. There will also be two openings in Brazil as it ramps up preparations for the 2014 FIFA World Cup and 2016 Summer Olympics, with the Sheraton da Bahia Hotel in Salvador and Sheraton Reserva do Paiva Hotel and Convention Center, located 30 minutes from Recife, opening in early 2014.

Hoyt Harper, global brand leader for Sheraton Hotels and Resorts said, "Sheraton is anticipating record-breaking growth, putting us on track to open our 500th hotel in 2015. The majority of our new hotel development is taking place in the world's fast-growing economies, while in North America, Sheraton remains one of the most sought-after brands for conversion opportunities." Images © MAD architects/Sheraton Huzhou.

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Toilet restaurent in Taiwan

Toilet restaurent in Taiwan

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Jail Turned Into Luxury Hotel — Hotel Het Arresthuis

Het Arresthuis is a 19th-century-prison turned luxury hotel in the Netherlands. The newly repurposed jailhouse has been completely redesigned with chic, spacious, modern motifs while maintaining its rich history as a former penitentiary. The building's new function invites visitors to take advantage of the hotel's unique Deluxe and Comfort suites while indulging in the venue's relaxing amenities—a sauna and a fitness center. Doing time never sounded so good!

The facility's 150 holding cells have be transformed into 36 luxurious rooms and 7 suites, including four special suites known as The Director, The Jailer, The Lawyer, and The Judge. These notable quarters are situated across the establishment's former warden chambers and sports area. Though they all offer similar perks like a comfy double bed, a rain shower, air conditioning, a flat screen TV, free WiFi, and even a personal coffee and tea machine, each suite is said to have its own character and style.

Additionally, the hotel has several communal areas that include a bar and restaurant. With a good sense of humor, the establishment jokingly assures visitors that they'll be offered a scrumptious menu that consists of more than just water and bread.

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The 10,000 Bedroom Nazi Hotel But Never Used

Stretching for over three miles along the white sandy beach on Germany's Baltic Sea island of Ruegen, lies the world’s biggest hotel with 10,000 bedrooms all facing the sea. But for 70 years since it was built, no holiday maker has ever stayed there. This is hotel Prora, a massive building complex built between 1936 and 1939 by the Nazis as part of their "Strength through Joy" ("Kraft durch Freude," KdF) programme. The aim was to provide leisure activities for German workers and spread Nazi propaganda. Locals call Prora the Colossus because of its monumental structure.

Prora lies on an extensive bay between the Sassnitz and Binz regions, known as the Prorer Wiek, on the narrow heath (the Prora) which separates the lagoon of the Großer Jasmunder Bodden from the Baltic Sea. The complex consist of eight identical buildings that extend over a length of 4.5 kilometres and are roughly 150 metres from the beach. A workforce of 9,000 took three years to build it, starting in 1936, and the Nazis had long-term plans for four identical resorts, all with cinema, festival halls, swimming pools and a jetty where Strength Through Joy cruise ships would dock.

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Hitler's plans for Prora were ambitious. He wanted a gigantic sea resort, the "most mighty and large one to ever have existed", holding 20,000 beds. All rooms were planned to overlook the sea, while corridors and sanitation are located on the land side. Each room of 5 by 2.5 metres was to have two beds, a wardrobe and a sink. There were communal toilets and showers and ballrooms on each floor. In the middle, a massive building was to be erected that could be converted into a military hospital in case of war.

War, indeed happened, before the building could be completed and Hitler’s priorities changed. He transferred the construction workers to build the V-Weapons plant at Peenemünde instead. During the Allied bombing campaign, many people from Hamburg took refuge in one of the housing blocks, and later refugees from the east of Germany were housed there. By the end of the war, these buildings housed female auxiliary personnel for the Luftwaffe. After the war, Prora was used as a military outpost for the East German army. After German reunification in 1990, part of it was used by the Military Technical School of the Bundeswehr and later to house asylum seekers from the Balkans.

Today, the whole place is still pretty much deserted except for a few blocks that has been repurposed for other uses. In 2011, one block was converted into a 400-bed youth hostel and the plan now is to turn Prora into a modern holiday resort with 300 beds that includes tennis courts and swimming pool and a small shopping center.

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Robot Restaurant in Harbin — China

They’re probably going to render us extinct one day, so we might as well enjoy their servitude, while it lasts. A unique restaurant, in Harbin, China’s Heilongjiang Province, has 18 different robots doing all kinds of jobs, from ushering in guests to waiting tables and cooking various dishes. All the robots were designed and created by the Harbin Haohai Robot Company. Chief Engineer Liu Hasheng, they invested around 5 million yuan ($790,000) in the restaurant, with each robot costing 200,000 to 300,000 yuan ($31,500 – $47,000). With an average cost per dinner of between $6 and $10, they won’t be recovering their investment anytime soon, but it is great advertisement for what the robot company can create. [Photo/Agencies]

So what happens at the Harbin robot-operated restaurant that makes it so special? As customers walk through the door, they are greeted by a robot usher that extends its right arm and says “Earth Person, Hello, Welcome to the Robot Restaurant,” with a robotic accent. After you’ve placed your order with one of the human waiters, the robots in the kitchen get cooking. There are dumpling-making robots, noodle experts and even robot chefs that get the foods right every time. Once the meals are ready, robot waiters bring guest their orders, following a set of tracks through the restaurant. All robots are equipped with sensors which allow them to move freely without bumping into anything or anyone. As human guests enjoy their robot-cooked food, a singing robot provides the entertainment.

A boy touches a robot that specialises in delivering drinks at a Robot Restaurant in Harbin, Heilongjiang province Jan 12, 2013.[Photo/Agencies]

According to China Daily, the 18 differently-colored robots range from 1.3meters to 1.6meters in height, can show more than 10 different facial expressions and speak simple Chinese. They are controlled by a human staff in the computer room, and can work for five straight hours after a 2-hour charge.

Chinese people must not enjoy working in restaurants, as they’ve had quite a few previous attempts to replace humans with robots. In 2010, they opened their first robot restaurant, in Jiang, but they’ve also invented robot cooks a couple of times.  If you like this kind of robot-operated joints, you should definitely visit the Hajime Restaurant, in Japan, where robot samurai have replaced human waiters.

A robot that specialises in delivering food holds a tray as a waiter puts dishes on it at a Robot Restaurant in Harbin, Heilongjiang province Jan 12, 2013.[Photo/Agencies]

Customers watch a robot cooking dishes at a Robot Restaurant in Harbin, Heilongjiang province Jan 12, 2013.[Photo/Agencies]

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