Feeling flush? You'll be wanting a shatafa | Travel
The ObserverTravel This article is more than 21 years oldFeeling flush? You'll be wanting a shatafa
This article is more than 21 years oldGuests staying at London's swish Landmark Hotel (020 7631 8000) are finding themselves confronted with an odd looking hose contraption with a metallic nozzle when they visit the toilet.
But before they start miming their best Robbie Williams impersonation in front of the bathroom mirror with the fake 'microphone', they might like to know what this implement is. It's a shatafa, or to put it bluntly, a bum cleaner, and is the latest weapon in the five-star hotel's battle to win more high-spending Middle Eastern customers.
Over 100 shatafas have been installed in the hotel's de luxe bedrooms this summer and, according to the hotel's general manager, Francis Green, they have been a big hit with Arab guests who, for religious reasons, favour the more direct approach to personal hygiene over the wishy-washy bidet. The Landmark is the only hotel in London offering shatafas and Green claims its Middle Eastern business is up this summer while most big hotels have seen a downturn from Arab countries. The hotel also offers seven Arab television channels and a specialist Arabic chef.
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