What is it about hotels, anyway? They do a pretty good job of keeping the rain off you while you sleep, which is nice, but there must be more to it than that — no sane person would spend a decade or more maintaining a website devoted to showcasing the world's most extraordinary tarps, tents, bivouacs and lean-tos. It's a question we here at Tablet have asked ourselves more than a few times over the years: just what is it about hotels that makes this obsession of ours seem relatively normal?
We'll be the first to admit they aren't literally the most important thing in the world. (Depending on how you rank things, they might come in as low as fourth or fifth place.) But the thing is, you don't just sleep in a hotel, you live there, for a night or two, at least. And while you're there you're not just getting used to a different pillow, but trying on a whole different life — inhabiting a new space, eating in a new restaurant, drinking in a new bar, checking out your traveling companion (or yourself) in different lighting, against a new interior-design backdrop.
In a typical beige, boring, bland old chain hotel the life that's on offer is not at all the kind of life you'd want to live if you had any choice in the matter — unless, that is to say, floral bedspreads, clingy shower curtains and industrial-grade synthetic carpeting are the sort of thing you go looking for. Which is why the ordinary travel experience, with its poky little minibars and flimsy plastic cups, can feel so lonely, and why, when you're in that sort of hotel, you want nothing more than to be back home again.
In the best hotels, though, the life you're offered is an upgrade from your everyday life, a fantasy you're only too happy to indulge. It's hard not to feel more glamorous than normal at the Bulgari in Milan or the Soho Hotel in London; it's hard not to feel like an aristocrat at the Savoy or the Plaza Athénée; it's hard not to feel like a rock star at Das Stue in Berlin or the Ace Hotel New York.
Tablet is everything you need for unforgettable travel experiences: all the hotels that matter, effortless online booking at the lowest available prices, and live, dependable customer service — you bring a hunger for experience and a taste for the unusual, and we'll take care of the rest.
We founded Tablet in 2000 in search of a cure for boring travel and an antidote to the internet's most common affliction: an overdose of options. Our users trust our taste — we do the hard work of selecting only the world's most extraordinary hotels, and we make booking them as painless as it can be. Tablet's purpose is to put the ease, the romance, the glamour back in travel, from inspiration to confirmation.
Hotels are anonymously visited and evaluated by our team of experts, and we'll only keep them on the site if they're making you happy. Only Tablet guests are allowed to submit reviews (verified stays), and we'll remove any hotel with a less-than-stellar rating. We'll also remove any hotel that fails to offer the lowest possible rates. Our online booking process is a snap, and if you've got a question or a special request our concierge-grade customer service team is always ready to help. Travel can be a headache, or it can make you feel alive — we know which one we'd prefer.
Interested in joining our team? Check out our Career Opportunities.
If you have questions, please contact us at customerservice@tablethotels.com.
Our Founders
CEO & Co-Founder
Our CEO, Laurent left his native France as soon as he began working full-time and has lived in seven countries and traveled to many more working with global corporate giants Michelin and News Corporation. His quest for the perfect hotel led to the creation of the Tablet concept. Proir to launching Tablet in New York City, Laurent also did a spell at the web agency Razorfish where he became General Manager and met Michael. Laurent is a graduate of Supélec (MSc from one of France's top Grandes Ecoles), Insead (MBA from Europe's top Business School) and is an HBS OPM45 Alumni. He recently launched his own Champagne label "Maison Vernhes" in the US to rave reviews from NYC's top sommeliers.
Chief Creative & Co-Founder
Michael oversees creative vision & execution of the Tablet brand. Prior to co-founding Tablet in 2000 with Laurent, Michael spent time as Design Director & General Manager of Razorfish, joining the company in its early stages, and many years as an editorial/fashion photographer before that. Michael is an alumnus of UCLA, Art Center College of Design and AIGA/Yale School of Management's Business Perspectives for Creative Leaders.
