damon88

Kagehitokiri

agree this can be good topic

2017 Luxury Hotel Highs and Lows = india & wine country (2015 = gorillas)

for me, issue (rating "hotel") is not high expectations, but experiences changing perception

livefromtuscany

Thanks bhrubin, nice idea to reflect on the year gone by...

Amazing
Villa Feltrinelli, Lake Garda, Italy - it's super expensive, but absolutely worth it. Perfect service, ambiance, food, location...
The Datai Langkawi - I was hesitant to go so soon after the (re)opening, but loved it. Great location, service, F&B, rooms.

Highs
Vila Joya, Algarve, Portugal - after 15 years, I still love this place. Service better than ever.
Amanjena, Marrakech - 3rd visit, keeps getting better each time, one of the best Aman GMs.
The Connaught, London - another place that keeps getting better. Had a problem with the room and they did everything possible to make us happy.
Palazzo Margherita, Basilicata, Italy - positively surprised by Coppola's southern Italian gem. Loved the rooms, and the spirit to open a property like this in a remote unremarkable village.
Palazzo Seneca, Norcia, Italy - charming little hotel in the center of Norcia (hit hard by an earthquake)
San Luis Lodges, Alto Adige, Italy - very very good hard product - if they put a little more effort on the service, this place could be perfect.
Four Seasons Seoul - amazing property and the only good FS experience this year.
Amanemu, Ise-Shima, Japan - despite some minor shortcomings a very nice resort, loved the rooms and the food.

OK
Aman Tokyo - a very nice property, but did not live up to our expectations. Too many service failures, far from the usual Aman perfection. No follow-up from Aman to my comments.
Hotel Schloss Fuschl, Salzburg, Austria - charming Austrian lakeside resort, great F&B, but rooms starting to look a bit tired
Four Seasons DIFC Dubai - nice for a stopover, but terrible experience with pushy front desk trying to up-sell bazaar-style late in the evening (instead of providing FSPP upgrade on availability).
Grand Ferdinand Vienna - billed as a 5*, it's not even close. Good price point though, and great location.

Lows
Four Seasons Kuala Lumpur - massive service issues from start to finish, dirty windows, shabby rooms although brand-new
Four Seasons Langkawi - did not like the rooms, strange guests (too many bling-bling Russians), no ambiance, felt like a 4* resort not like a FS.

damon88

livefromtuscany

jcp3rd

I second Camp Denali. With each cabin and even each outhouse having a full view of Mt. Denali, excellent food (given the setting) and staff catering to many interests and all abilities, it is as close to rustic luxury as you will get.

damon88

kaizen7

2018
Most of my stays are with SPG/Marriott although there are some Accor and other random hotels added to the mix.

Great

Suiran Kyoto ... Hard to beat for hard and soft product.
The Prince Gallery Tokyo .... Will be staying there again in 3 weeks time
Al Maha Dubai .... Unique hotel and experience
The Ritz Carlton Ras Al Khaimah Al Hamra .... The staff are amazing
St Regis San Francisco .... bhrubin's favourite ... and I agree it was amazing
St Regis Osaka .... the Japanese version of St Regis SF

Good
Fairmont Jakarta ... this property is actually borderline between great and good ... and since there are already 6 great properties ... then I put this in good instead
The Athenee Bangkok .... Quite similar to the Fairmont ... anazing properties but hard to match those great properties
Keraton Jakarta ... stay here few times and like St Regis Sg, the service level can vary depends on your luck
Westin Jakarta and Singapore (not sure if you can count these as luxury hotel though)
Sofitel SO Singapore ... common area is abit too small but good service nonetheless
St Regis Singapore ... my go to hotel is Singapore, service level can be hit or miss here even for regulars
W Sentosa Singapore .... their location is quite ..... annoying

Fair
Four Season Jakarta ... surprising entry for fair ... but to be honest I find the staff are a quite disorganised to the point it become annoyance. It does have good hard product though
St Regis Tianjin .... older St Regis with cleanliness, maintenance issues and staff language barriers... quite expected from a hotel in China
Kempinski Xiamen ... Somehow the hotel looks very dated but it does have great staff (again language barriers issue for me)
US Grant ...
Sofitel Nusa Dua Bali
Westin Mina Seyahi Dubai

About the Four Seasons Jakarta ....it was my first time stay at a Four Seasons hotel and I just finished a one night stay there yesterday.

The overall experience really kind of underwhelming and disappointing
I even think that Keraton Jakarta gives much better service overall (and cheaper)

The lobby area is quite small. The check in process is delayed due to only 1 receptionist available and there are 3 groups waiting.
The staff also failed to manage the queue so the receptionist didnt know which group arrive first and pretty much leave it to the guest to sort out themself.
It was good if you in Japan or other countries that people did queue in orderly fashion, but not in Jakarta where people just jump queue even if there are proper queue.

The staff also didnt explain the club benefit and have to be asked for each benefit details. (they actually dont have a proper club lounge so the so called club benefit is similar to St Regis platinum hours in St Regis Sg .. served in the hotels bar)
Quite disappointing experience.

SanDiego1K

We do a lot of travel for the destination and not the hotel. Thus, we end up in the best of what there is but not ones to recommend here. My list is going to be relatively short.

Great
Andaz Papagayo, Costa Rica - had a beautiful huge suite. There were interesting activities, some free, some paid.
Lima Limo Lodge, Simien Mountains, Ethiopia - beautiful setting overlooking the Simien Mountains with an occasional gelada monkey stopping by.
Juvet Landscape, Norway - stunning setting, a truly unique property. You are in the landscape.
Waldorf Astoria Ras al Kaimah - upgrade to a beautiful huge junior suite. Great treatment.
Chinzombo Lodge, Zambia - beautiful lodge at the entrance to Luangwa National Park
Lion Camp, Zambia - furthest camp inside Luangwa National Park, freshly rebuilt and beautiful
Anabezi, Zambia - had the feel of an old African camp. Very comfortable.
Marriott Skopje, Former Republic of Macedonia - paid 1/10 the price of the Aman where we spent the prior night. Service at the Marriott far outstripped the Aman.
Saffire, Tasmania, Australia - wow, just wow. Fantastic in every way.
Hong Kong Intercontinental - I know I'm an outlier, but I'm going to own that I loved our December stay. We book a specific category of junior suite and get an outstanding view over the harbor. Service was impeccable, both at the hotel and delivery to and from the airport.

Good
Storfjord, Alesund, Norway - solid property
Sofia Intercontinental, Bulgaria - upgraded to a beautiful suite

Disappointing
Aman Sveti Stefan, Montenegro- service was deplorable. We had to ask repeatedly for anything. We were at the end of the season and most employees there seemed to be short term college students. And yet, Saffire managed to take a team of transient employees and deliver extraordinary service.
Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills - service was sound but the room was bland. I expected something more interesting at the price point.

kaizen7

Interesting to see Aman Sveti Stefan is on disappointing list

Pufnstuf

We had a lot of travel this year. Between a big trip to celebrate a round birthday and getting in more SPG stays to requalify status it had us at a lot more properties than usual. We have a daughter so places that cater to her for welcome amenities, F&B, and kids’ clubs are popular. Accordingly we tend to look at FS first — getting a cute plush toy, and providing a robe and slippers in her size, do a lot to win our loyalty.

There weren’t any disasters with our stays, so I feel lucky in that regards. But at the same time some properties were fine sampling just once. And that’s why FS Las Vegas rates “higher” than Amandari; if we’re in Vegas again I’d happily return to FS. But if we make it back to Bali I feel no need to revisit Amandari.

An Amazing Time
* Amanpulo. Even though the weather was off-and-on they took wonderful care of us here. Loved the diving and the picture they got of the whole family underwater, though they did not have the vision-corrected masks we’d requested. Loved the beach BBQ. Got tired of the breakfasts fairly quickly with the exception of the iced coffee — everyone should include a scoop of vanilla ice cream in theirs!. Great kids’ club. One charge on our bill we didn’t feel had been sufficiently disclosed, which they immediately removed.
* Four Seasons Koh Samui. Had a great time with the cocktail class and rum tasting. The steak night was fine, but getting rained out and having to dine under cover dampened the experience. Excellent kids’ club — our daughter still talks about the ball pit. Their Sunday brunch was one of the best meals we’ve had at a resort. They were completely full during our stay — the only place we didn’t get an upgrade.
* Four Seasons Chiang Mai. It’s one of our favorite FS properties. A beautiful (manufactured) rice paddy view. Very peaceful. Borrow a bike to visit one of the local temples. Loved the cooking class. One of the weaker kids’ clubs, though our daughter was perfectly happy. This place feels like a bargain.

Excellent Places
* Amankila. The satay dinner and the morning cruise were great, and had a good time with the self-guided bike tour. I still dream about the food, especially the honeycomb banana pancakes, though service was a bit slow. Not a fan of the oil tankers on view. Our afternoon excursion with a driver was mixed — nice tour of rice paddies, but our request to shop textiles ended up being a bust.
* St. Regis Bali. We needed an overnight near the airport for an early flight, and with Amanusa out of the picture this won out. They really made us feel special. From multiple goodies in our room to a short foot massage for all of us as a platinum benefit we loved it here. Our daughter just needed to hear “chocolate fountain” and she was sold on joining us for afternoon tea.
* San Francisco Palace. This is our staycation hotel, and we love the convenient public transit location and the gorgeous Garden Court space. We tried St. Regis last year, and while preferred that room we liked the Palace’s pool much better…and I’m a sucker for a buffet breakfast.

Solidly Good
* St. Regis Mexico City. Comfortable room, good breakfast, good kids’ club — our daughter wanted to take the ride-on mini Tesla home.
* Four Seasons Singapore. Won my daughter over by providing a stuffed lion at check-in. Won me over by somehow finding out I loved mangosteens, and offering them up as a dinner dessert option and preemptively bringing some over at breakfast when they weren’t even at the buffet.
* Four Seasons Las Vegas. Appreciated the upgrade to strip view, even if you’re at the end of the strip. Surprisingly good weekend buffet breakfast.

Merely Fine
* Hacienda San Jose. You know things are rural when you find a scorpion in your room. Gorgeous grounds and a sweet dawn chorus to greet the morning, but the food got monotonous and poolside service was poor.
* St. Regis Singapore. Not a fan of the room decor at all and the buffet was weaker than FS. Our request for a “grilled cheese” for our daughter somehow got lost in translation, but even after remaking I wasn’t a fan of the SGD $30 (!) charge.
* Amandari. I loved the grounds and the room but the food wasn’t as memorable as Amankila.

Kagehitokiri

two here who posted re problems at sveti both got great service recovery

aman veteran GM (husband & wife) was latest departure in a long list

the best (like saffire, which is independent for a reason) were never intended to be profitable, while most/many luxury chains including aman have changed ownership in past few years

the best restaurants in world also get applications for unpaid transient positions

there are those, and then there are hotels !

exclusive-use does make big difference (sometimes low occupancy does too)
ol jogi exclusive-use only, but 4 guests is same price as north island 2 guests