CHARLES Reed knows hotels well because, apart from being a frequent traveller spending about 180 nights a year in hotels around the world, he is chief executive officer of interTouch, a Japanese company that provides broadband connectivity services to hotels and serviced apartments worldwide.

The company, which recently moved its global headquarters to Singapore, services more than 400 hotels in 45 countries.

The 41-year-old Briton has had encounters of the unusual kind in his travels, including a creepy apparition in a hotel room in Kuwait.

Reed, who has been living here for 18 months, is married to a housewife. They have a two-year-old son and a five-year-old daughter.

What are the three best hotels you've stayed in?

For historical and sentimental reasons, it would be the Four Seasons Hotel in Bali, where I got married in 1996. It's a lovely resort hotel. The villas open out into a verandah and have their own private plunge pools. This hotel relies on natural air circulation and the breeze. You can just sit in your shorts and relax by the pool.

The Meridien in Kuala Lumpur is also a favourite because the staff there give the best service I have ever come across. They are very helpful without being intrusive. The rooms are also affordable at RM360 (S$160) each.

I like the Sofitel Hotel in Hanoi because of its history. It's an old French colonial building and some of the staff speak in French to enhance that old-style feel.

What hotel facility can't you do without?

I practically live off my computer, so if I can't have access to my e-mail and documents, my business trip is worthless. Therefore, I need a hotel that has good and reliable Internet access.

For personal trips, comfort is of utmost importance. I can do without a swimming pool or a gym because I can go for a jog along the streets, but a really nice bed is irreplaceable.

I like big beds, and I'm into king-sized beds with sheets that have a thread count of over 700, like Egyptian cotton, lots of pillows and white creamy sheets. There's something very inviting about them - they're clean, pristine and crisp.

Ever had any interesting encounters in a hotel?

Once, in a hotel in Europe about 10 years ago, I heard a woman screaming next door and thought she was under attack. So I went and banged on the door. I was in my underwear. It was a domestic quarrel and the man who opened the door told me to mind my own business.

But I had forgotten my keys, so there I was standing in the corridor in my underwear, without my room keys. I had to knock on his door again and ask him to help me call for someone to help open my door.

Any scary encounters then?

About 25 years ago, in a hotel in Kuwait, I saw a ghostly figure of a little boy sitting on the sofa in my room. I'm not one to believe in such things, so I wanted to touch it to make sure it was real. As I reached out, the apparition disappeared.

The mysterious thing was, I met the boy - whom I did not know - in the streets the next day. I later found out that he had just arrived in Kuwait, the day after I saw the apparition.

What's the best hotel restaurant you've eaten in?

The Lobster Bar and Grill in Shangri-la Hotel, Hong Kong Island. The ambience is fantastic and the food is fresh, exquisite and well-prepared, though prices are on the high side.

As for the best breakfast, it's got to be the two-Michelin star Le Cinq in George V hotel in Paris. That hotel is possibly the nicest one in the middle of Paris. The tables are in the courtyard so you get the sounds of birds accompanying your breakfast instead of the city sounds. I had omelette, croissants and pastries, and the croissants were so perfectly made they just melted in your mouth.

Be honest. Do you cart home hotel freebies?

Yes, all the time. I really like the branded ones like Bulgari, and I always take home shampoos, body lotions and, sometimes, the soaps. I clear them all out.

Sometimes, I'll take them on the first day so they'll replace another set the next day. Let's just say I don't go to the shops to buy shampoo anymore.

frankiec@sph.com.sg