Launch anything new these days, and all that people give two hoots about is what makes it 'special'. A USP ('Unique Selling Point', for both of you who escaped being beaten with the media stick) used to be the conceptual cherry in the metaphorical Manhattan of a business. Now's it's the cherry, the glass, and the whole bottle of whisky.

Take the spanking new One&Only in South Africa, for example. Not only is this luxury hotel bringing Africa its first Nobu and its first Maze, but did I mention the state-of-the-art, one-of-a-kind, three floor wine library? Then there's MiNiBar, the Amsterdam style bar where each table gets its own private, well, minibar. Sort of like an honesty bar. But with set prices. And a key.

Yet these pale beside Blow Up Hall - Poland's latest designer hotel - where, based on the electronic art of Lozano Hemmer, 2400 virtual cameras turn the hotel's guests into reflexive, living pieces of art. Upon arrival, they're also guided to their un-numbered suites by an iPhone, which unlocks the key-less doors using magic ingenious recognition software.