A register written from the pillow up

The itch that started it

Write-ups of big casino resorts tend to dwell on carpets, chandeliers and card rooms, then squeeze the bedroom into a closing sentence. icerinkchampions turns that habit inside out. Ten resorts are looked at here strictly as somewhere to sleep, eat breakfast and set out from each morning, so neighbourhoods, buildings, bedrooms and excursions take up the space, while the casino gets none of the verdict.

Three things icerinkchampions refuses to become

• A games site. Nowhere on these pages will you find a stake, a spin, a sweepstake or a prize draw.
• A reservations counter. icerinkchampions has zero rooms to sell and pockets zero when somebody reserves one.
• Anyone's partner. No featured resort, owner or brand has a contract, sponsorship or commercial link with this register.

Where the reviews come from

Each entry starts with what the resort says about itself, gets cross-read against reporting on its design and its district, and is then checked on a map against the sights a visitor would actually go out for. Entries stay deliberately compact and end with a sketch of the guest most likely to leave happy. The full reasoning sits on How we rank.

Hotels change their coats

Brands get swapped, towers shut and restaurants take new names surprisingly often; the first hotel on this page, until recently a Sheraton, proves the point. If an entry has drifted out of date, a note via the contact page is welcome. Every tip is held up against the hotel's own published material, and the text is amended once the change checks out.