Originally Posted by
Atlanticist
I'm surprised no-one's mentioned the Como Group here.
15 or 20 hotels worldwide, and those I've stayed in in London and Thailand are truly outstanding. The Group is owned by a Singaporean billionairesse apparently, so she's under zero pressure to sell up to a huge Group like Hilton or Marriott.
We’ve had many stays at the Halkin by COMO in London. We love the hotel, as long as we stayed in non entry level rooms. The top floor COMO Suites and even the Belgravia Suites are among our favorites in London, and we particularly love the quiet street location so close to the action and Tube access.
St Regis and RC sadly, still, for me, have the feel of the "chain" product that they are. Though I'm sure there are outliers in both cases where they manage to retain the bespoke boutique style of service on offer in places like the Connaught in London or the Royal Mansour in Marrakesh to give but two privately owned examples I've stayed at recently.
I understand. In Marrakech, we also plan to stay at Royal Mansour; even the Amanjena isn’t as unique and special like RM. In India, we stayed in Oberoi and Taj properties that were far more unique than the larger ITC Luxury Collection properties available in the legacy SPG portfolio. But in Mumbai, I’ll certainly consider the StR because I’m such a fan of the StR brand standard butler service.
Wherever there is a StR or top Luxury Collection hotel option (and now perhaps a Ritz Carlton, too), I’ll always measure the cost/benefit of my Ambassador status and elite perks there against the true luxury level and distinction of any other unique or standout luxury property, whether it’s from another luxury chain or independent. In Sydney, we stayed ar the Park Hyatt because it’s undeniaby the best hotel in town AND offered an amazing cost/benefit. In New Delhi, we stayed at the Lodhi because it was more modern and Aman-ish and worth the premium for us (and the ITC was too large for our tastes). In most locations, there are no Royal Mansour-like options...at least not to my mind. In Tokyo, I was very glad to enjoy the amazing cost/benefit and tremendous service of the Prince Gallery over the outrageous cost and subpar service record of the Aman Tokyo. In Kyoto, I was most happy at the Suiran Luxury Collection property on the outskirts of Arashiyama, even though we had an incredible cost/benefit stay at the RC Kyoto across town, too.
But I have high hope for Al Maha, which I'm staying at this coming winter, and is part of Starriott.
No doubt, unique properties like Al Maha, Suiran Kyoto, Imperial Vienna, etc offer wonderful chances for amazing luxury stays in unique environments. That’s one of the best things about Marriott’s Luxury Collection. There’s nothing else quite like it.