(CNN) -- From minibars to pillow menus to 24-hour butlers, today's hotels have turned every indulgence and convenience into a standard necessity.
Electric Xmas tree: Hotel del Coronado, San Diego
Currently
celebrating its 125th anniversary, this beautiful beachside resort made jaws
drop back in December 1904 when it presented the world's first electronically
lit, outdoor Christmas tree.
Back then,
candles were still commonly used to don yuletide trees and electric Christmas
lights were a rarity.
Hotel del
Coronado's extravagant holiday display amazed guests at the time and set the
stage for the lavish hotel light exhibitions we now see today.
In-room radios: Boston Park Plaza Hotel, Boston
When this
Boston property opened back in 1927, it was the first hotel to provide guest
radios in each room, a feature that had never been offered on such a wide scale
before.
To put
this in perspective, the radio in the late 1920s was extremely popular among
Americans and was bigger and bigger becoming a main source for news,
entertainment and music -- similar to what the TV and Internet would become for
later generations.
It wasn't
until 1933 that two-thirds of Americans would own a radio set at home, so to
have one available in one's hotel room in 1927 was quite a prospect.
Room service: The Waldorf Astoria, New York City
The iconic
Waldorf Astoria is renowned for many things including its Art Deco motifs,
Waldorf salad and a lot of celebrity guests.
But what
truly revolutionized the hospitality industry was its introduction of room
service in the early 1930s.
The
novelty of such a convenient 24-hour service was an instant hit amongst the
Waldorf's high-end guests and it wasn't long before other properties across the
globe begin following suit.
As a
result, lodgers everywhere can now comfortably chow down in their bathrobes
without having to do much more than push a button.
Air conditioning: Adolphus Hotel, Dallas
Dallas,
Texas can get quite hot and humid throughout the summer months, with
temperatures often grow into the high 90s.
So in 1950
when the Adolphus became the first hotel in the world to offer central air
conditioning, we can only imagine how thankful its sweaty guests must have
been.
In-room
air-conditioning for warm climate hotels has since become a commonplace
comfort.
Soap and shampoo: Four Seasons London at Park Lane, London
Forgot to
pack shampoo? Not to worry -- most hotels these days have
plenty of mini toiletry bottles on hand to keep you soppy throughout your stay.
Prior to
1970, however, hotel guests would have been out of luck.
It wasn't
until the Four Seasons London at Park Lane opened its doors that lodgers were
first introduced to the concept of bathroom services such as shampoo.
And even
then, the very first shampoo offerings at the Four Seasons Park Lane were
plastic little sachets that were difficult to rip open. Don't take those handy
little hotel bottles for granted again!
