scented

We all love luxury hotels and resorts and their countless ways to personalize our stays and interact with us to deliver a rewarding and special experience. Though some properties are known to go the 'extra mile' and have special ambassadors in place, who help them achieve just that. What were your favorites? Which properties go beyond Guest Relations and what are their structures?

Would love any contribution as it would help create a list of special hotels -- so when we travel to a destination we know exactly what to expect in terms of service delivery. Who made your stay special? I would not limit this thread to just butlers, but also include city hotels -- some are somewhat better. This also helps to better understand operational structures at any given hotel/resort and figure out which ones are the best.

I'll start with a few favorites...

Four Seasons Hotel Des Bergues, Geneva
"Guest personal assistant" -- for every floor, not particular to suites, dedicated manager for suites. Only hotel in Geneva to feature this concept.

Cheval Blanc, Randheli
All guests: "Majordomes" and "Alchemists" -- Butlers and Concierges, dedicated to several villas.

The Siam, Bangkok
Butlers -- Each villa has own butler, who tends to several suites but is readily available. Two shifts/two butlers: available from early morning until around 10 PM. Also act as Concierge, can organize about every aspect of your stay. Also take time to serve your in-room dining and in restaurant. Available for every guest, irrespective of category.

Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong
Guest Relations Ambassadors & Managers for suites & VIPs
Executive Club staff received favorable comments in the past, especially Exec Club Manager Ms Phoebe Ma.
Executive Club access crucial at this hotel, available for every category at a charge
Also: Guest Experience Department, lead by a Guest Experience Manager

Four Seasons Hotel George V, Paris
Suite guests and VIPs get own Ambassador, Guest Relations Manager
From Deluxe Suite ++

Aman-i-Khas
Each tent assigned full time butler (lives on property) and is on duty to take care of you 24 hours a day. Received favorable comments from many regulars here

Amanpulo
Guest Assistants available for every category, act as Concierge, Front Desk etc.
Villas get live-in butler, plus chef

Would love to get a better understanding of your favorite properties for this... mods can merge if there is already a list?

Also interesting would be highest end resorts (think North Island, Laucala, etc) -- some here could add, you know who you are!

MikeFromTokyo

Soneva and Gili Lankanfushi, Mr./Ms. Friday^

scented

Excellent, could make this a wiki probably. From what I gather Maldives resorts all have quite unique concepts.

MikeFromTokyo

Yes, absolutely. And of course in Thailand the same concept is perfected with Thai hospitality at Soneva Kiri.

MilaidhooMaldives

Yes. Almost all the luxury resorts in the Maldives have a butler/host/GEM/Friday/Thakkuru (the name varies per brand) - and it's often for guests staying in regular villas, not just suites.

Kat

Kagehitokiri

good idea for comparison, and identifying which accommodations

bhrubin

Mods: Im not sure this thread is distinct enough or should be merged with

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/luxur...-recovery.html

I honestly fail to see how listing properties with great service delivery "positions" or "programs" is particularly helpful...since there is no guarantee that those people or programs execute well. I find the thread above a better way to gauge service delivery, to be honest.

Every St. Regis has butler service...but not every StR delivers butlers service as well as another. Just another example of why this thread is curious to me...

Kagehitokiri

this thread has zero to do with service recovery

dont think OP listed examples where they had bad service
OP said "your favorites" and "Who"
in other words most consistent/etc (as opposed to not)

so for example, which st regis are most consistent/etc
(and this thread is not limited to just butler service)

MikeFromTokyo

Exactly. As I understand it, this thread is about hotels and resorts that offer a somewhat unique and very personalized level of service.

Highly responsive, intuitive "butler" service or smilar. The best resorts have such a high level of service that enables guests to just "switch off" and leave everything to the butler/dedicated guest relations people.

Recovery is of course very important, but to me this thread is not about how hotels recover from service failures. That is a separate, but equally important issue.

bhrubin

I couldn't disagree more, but to each, their own. I don't believe I've ever run afoul of an entire thread topic before, but I really am now!

Spend as much time as people like identifying which properties provide the best service--but not service recovery. Uh huh. I do believe this thread is nothing but confirmation bias run amok, however.

bhrubin

Wow, do we really not agree! Yikes, this is twice in a row for us...and before we seemed to so often agree. Sigh...

Kagehitokiri

bhrubin, if your argument is that there should only be 1 thread discussing service, and that thread should be titled : "recovery" i do not see that as a good argument

again thread said "favorites"

in the case of topics such as "favorite hotels" clearly service recovery is not the only possible factor in such a personal choice/opinion

also for example, identifying accommodations with extra services, which may sometimes explain differing service experiences

offerendum

Indeed!

In the end every GOOD luxury hotel should qualify for this list. Many "special concepts" are chi chi in my eyes, did stay in some of this hotels and often didn't really mention a difference.

Kagehitokiri

"many" but not necessarily all

when it is just part of normal hotel service, sometimes there are behind the scenes operational details. sometimes staff (who?) reach out to all guests before arrival. sometimes there are staff who have no face to face interaction, but are in an office at the hotel, who communicate via phone/computer. i dont think any luxury really do this with call center staff, with exception of loyalty programs.

MacMyDay's reports include pretty detailed comparisons of dedicated staff (good and bad)

KatW

This seems to be representing a factotum in charge of service delivery. Mostly, I am entertained by the various grand titles ascribed to this role. For the rest, a good concierge is the best, butlers can be helpful. Yet, the very best is when you don't have to acknowledge ... whatever it is just happens, or follows mild nudges/prompts.

Which happens here:
Le Bristol in Paris
Lad Alamandas in Mexico
Casa Que Canta in Mecico
Four Seasons at Santa Fe
Twin Farms, Vermont