Road Warriors share their favorite hotel-room views

ByABC News
November 7, 2011, 5:54 PM

— -- It might be one of the few perks of life on the road.

In between meetings and sales calls, corporate trekkers are sometimes able to take a moment to enjoy a beautiful view, whether it's from a hotel balcony, a plane or the window of a rental car heading to the next appointment.

"I really appreciate and love watching the land and the country move below my airplane," says Dale Molski, a business consultant who lives in Seattle. "I have traveled for 20 years in business, and I still appreciate the landscape and the vast differences across the country. That is my special view that makes business travel all worthwhile."

For travelers wanting a room with a particular vista, an online service launched last month is aiming to make the search a bit easier. Travelers who click on TheMostPerfectView.com can book a luxury room overlooking some of the world's most sublime sights.

Founder Paulo Palha says that he was inspired to start the service by what he looks for in his own travels.

"For me, it makes a lot of sense," says Palha, who worked as a bank marketing director before launching the hospitality site. "If I want to go to Paris, I would like to open the windows and see the beautiful Eiffel Tower. … I think it's a very important part of the experience."

The site features about 150 hotels, Palha says. Travelers can search for a room based on the views they want, of an iconic landmark, for instance, or by destination. If you want to set your watch by Big Ben, you might reserve the Claude Monet Suite at London's Savoy. The Hotel De Larache in San Pedro De Atacama boasts a view of Chile's volcanic mountains. And you can gaze at the Taj Mahal from a room at India's Oberoi Amarvilas in Agra.

Small, but valued

USA TODAY's Road Warriors, who rack up millions of miles a year, count some of the world's most famous landmarks among their favorite sights. But they also appreciate lesser-known or more subtle scenes as they crisscross the globe.

"My favorite view is from a high room in the" Marriott San Diego Marquis & Marina says Scott Morris, who works for a computer company and lives in Austin. "From there, you can see all of Coronado Island. … But the best part of all is all the Navy and civilian water traffic coming right behind the hotel into port. Not just boats, but helicopters, aircraft and SEAL Teams training."

For Colby Reeves, a construction firm executive from Knoxville, Tenn., it's "the lights on thousands of small fishing boats in the sea off the coast of South Korea on a night flight from Tokyo to Seoul."

Charles Tatelbaum, an attorney who lives in Fort Lauderdale, says his favorite view is from the concierge lounge on the ninth floor of the Istanbul Hilton. "One can look up and down the Bosporus, have a complete view of the European and Asian sides of Istanbul, a view of some major mosques and an unobstructed view for 10 or more miles."

Brian Kujala, a sales manager who lives in Grand Rapids, Mich., has several favorites. In Maui, it's "sitting on a lounge chair at the Four Seasons or Marriott … staring out over the Pacific with the volcano in the background." In Brussels, it's relaxing at a bar in the area surrounding the Grand Place town square, "at dusk, when the lights come on at the courthouse."