15 Surprising Things About Five Star Luxury Hotels

The five-star hotels we stayed in included lots of extra amenities, like free car rentals and hiking gear.

I’ve found that the luxury of five-star hotels often extends far beyond my hotel room.

At the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, my friend and I went to the concierge desk to ask for hiking recommendations. While there, a staff member let us know that we could rent microspikes for free, which are useful for snow hiking.

I took two pairs and left. The hotel also served free fireside s’mores every night, operated its own ski rental shop, and had an indoor pool.

In Aspen, both The Little Nell and The St. Regis Aspen advertised free car rentals for guests. Although I didn’t take advantage, I could have saved money on my trip to the ski town by not bringing the car. Guests here also had access to a babysitter, a charging station for electric vehicles and a shoe shine.

The Little Nell also offered amenities such as oxygen rentals to combat altitude sickness, local newspaper delivery, unpacking services and an on-call doctor.

At the Britomart Hotel in Auckland, we spent an afternoon exploring by bike, which was provided free of charge by the hotel.

And when I went to the gym at The Darling in Sydney, I saw free luxury perks like bottles of ice-cold water, a bowl of fruit, towels, newspapers and spare headphones – all free for guests. After running a quick 5K, I made sure to take advantage by grabbing an apple and a newspaper on the way out.

While the services and facilities felt “free”, I was of course paying for them. Many hotels have mandatory resort fees on top of expensive nightly rates. For example, at The Little Nell, I paid a $42 resort fee on top of the cost of my $719 room.