Originally Posted by
Gomac
For us it is the constant feeling of being looked after and the attention to detail with the simple things that most hotels get wrong. We have stayed 10 nights in total this year over a few stays (and have 3 more nights booked) and here are a few examples:
- Request a house car to take us to a dinner reservation we made a few weeks earlier on Opentable at the Ivy. Unbeknown to us they had called the Ivy and when we arrived we were treated like VIPs with the best table the house (told we could have any table we wanted) and comp extras. (We got seated beside a lovely woman who was a regular and asked why we declined the best table when it was offered)
- Head down to the bar for some cocktails, the first questions the barman asks is if we like Manhattens, we say sure and he says here you go these are on me.
- We are sitting by the pool and decide it would be nice to have that bottle of champagne we bought cheap as chips in duty free at LHR so send a quick text requesting some ice be delivered to the room and get a cheerful confirmation a minute later. When we get back to the room they had taken to initiative to see the bottle of champagne on the bar and put it in the ice bucket, along with laying out some glasses, napkins and some treats. Again sounds simple I know but the reason I give this example is when I sent exactly the same request to our butler at the St Regis New York (same price category) I got a message saying there would be a tray charge of $60!!! $60 for some ice! Needless to say we won’t be staying there again.
- Head to the rooftop for some lunch, it’s obviously packed and i’m not sure we will get seated. Walked up to the desk and ask if they have any tables and get an immediate response, Mr Gomac you are our guest, we will always have a table here for you (immediately taken to a table with a great view). Still not sure how she knew who I was, never seen her before!
So all in all we genuinely look forward to every stay, the rooms are immaculate and are a lovely place to spend time and nothing is ever too much trouble. It isn’t cheap (we use a combination of sometimes points, sometimes higher rates than I would pay elsewhere and sometime BRG rates which the 25% discount work out great value for us) but we have stayed at hotels for a few hundred dollars that have been a complete waste of money in our eyes.
That is certainly understandable and a perfectly good answer. For an older couple who flies into LA from overseas, and wants a high end experience with a prestigious logo and detail oriented service as you described, more power to you.
My stay was not so detail oriented as they assigned me the wrong room type at check-in. Obviously people are going to like certain properties for different reasons. If you like this property for a specific reason that suits you, then that’s great.
But speaking in a more general term for everybody since were in a community forum is what I meant by overrated. I think its important to share your experience, but also keep in mind what the public will experience. The bottom line, (and my point) is they don’t offer anything for elite members that’s of substance, they don’t offer upgrades, and they don’t really care if you’re Honors elite or not. For many of us who are road warriors and mostly stay in hotels all over these kinds of things matter.