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Your 2019 Luxury Hotel Year in Review

Your 2019 Luxury Hotel Year in Review

Old Dec 27, 2019, 7:59 pm
  #76  
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 104
Originally Posted by KI-NRT
Just curious. Were you aware of Kabalebo in Suriname? It's widely considered the absolute best jungle lodge in the entire Guiana Shield region (save, perhaps, for Iwokrama River Lodge.) I'm planning to visit there within the next few years, so I'm wondering if there is a better option that I'm not aware of. Thanks.
Yes, I know it. Totally different experience - I have been to the Amazon quite a few times, and was particularly interested in visiting Maroon villages. Kabalebo is, afaik, in a basically unpopulated region. And yes, would love to do Iwokrama lodge and Karanambu in Guyana!
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Old Dec 28, 2019, 5:38 am
  #77  
 
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luxury boutique, even BB and the dismissal of big properties

2019 was one more year confirming my increasing love for small high end, but not standardized properties with two big dinosaur properties definitely "dead" without glorious funeral, but just to be forgotten with the utmost disdain.

But first the nice surprises:

Bogot: The Orchids (85 %), less than ten rooms in a very noble old house, very elegant, very boutique. Just facing the famous block with many free museums (not only Botero). Ask for one of the two suites, they are ecclectic.
And have dinner at Leonora Espinosa's restaurant, for some crawling species from the Amazon on a two Michelin star level.

Santiago: Skip the big brands and stay in a Pavillon room at The Aubrey (85 %) and have dinner at top Borag for the cuisine of the future. Outside of this world.

Puerto Varas (near Puerto Montt) Patagonia on the shores of the Lake with volcano view, fireplace and Relais&Chteaux service: Awa (90 %) (not yet member)

Salzburg: For people enjoying festivals the Blaue Gans (90 %) is a fantastic location and lives up to the reputation of "art hotel". The concierge Mr. Dietmar Knig is a star.

In Scotland The Torridon (95%) and Cromlix (90%) house are safe bets after the deserved "crashing out" of Inverlochy castle from the Michelin stars and Relais&Chteaux.

In France two big classics, three Michelin stars and nice rooms are always up to date. Georges Blanc 76 years (99%) and Michel Gurard 86 years (100 %). And yes, both men are present and lovely!

Dresden: Stay at the Taschenbergpalais (90%) (aka as Kempinski) one of the few "brand" places I still patronize. Even their Kastenmeiers seafood restaurant is good and the rooms are palatial.

Margaret River (Western Australia), the Cape Lodge (85 %) is still a big classic and a must for wine lovers with the lakefront restaurant and an excellent management, another property which should be Relais&Chteaux, but the Australians think they do not need it:-(.

Finally the "gourmet discovery" of the year: Brae (95%) in Birregurra (Victoria), would say it is the Borag / Michel Bras of Australia. Next generation cuisine, sustainable and organic much vegetable based. 6 fantastic rooms.


And now the two cadavers in the cellar:

Rio: If you like guests and staff competing for arrogance, total lack of service and respect go to Belmond (wonder what the heck is "bel") Copacabana Palace. You may be much more comfortable and better treated at the Mama Ruisa luxury guesthouse (85 %). I can not stop from thinking that at the Copacabana palace they hate gays. Been there four times, this time it was the last. But please have dinner at Lasai (the most friendly fine dining place of the year) and Oro when in Rio.

Sydney: The Observatory now infamously Langham has become a destination for Asian tourist masses inundating the new buffet formula of the restaurant and an air conditioning in the room that can not be fixed for three days. This said forget Australia altogether at least when there is fire risk, a good moment was as always dinner at Tetsuya's. Sadly noticed also a sharp decline of service standards in the country.

(Other properties in the "luxury dump" to forget forever: Beau Rivage Palace Lausanne, Riffelalp Resort Zermatt, Vier Jahreszeiten Hamburg, Grandhotel Giessbach, Brienz to name just a few)

I strongly believe that it is also the clientele that "make" a place and what can please to some, may repulse others.

Happy New Year to all FTalkers!

Last edited by behuman; Dec 28, 2019 at 5:57 am Reason: typo
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Old Dec 28, 2019, 5:49 pm
  #78  
 
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Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac - A+

I will start by saying that I'm a bit biased with this one as I'm staying here +/- 20 nights per month - Amazing Fairmont Gold team with solid hard product (except the size of the bathrooms, but that's what you get in an old castle). Being there so often, everyone knows me, they prepare my room (always the same one) the way I like and keep my luggage between stays and clean my clothes in the meantime. Every time I go to the lounge, I get a glass of lemon water without asking (part of my diet). IMO, Fairmont Gold at the Chateau is the best place you can stay in Quebec City.

Fairmont Chateau Laurier - B+

Renovated rooms on Gold are very comfortable as you would expect of that product in an old castle but the lounge is small and boring and the service is just okay. Strangely enough, there isn't much competition around in Ottawa (even being the Capital), so I will return next time I'm in the region but I don't except to be amazed by it.

Ritz-Carlton Toronto - B-

Regular rooms need to be renovated, they do have a nice large bathroom but their beds are just horrible. I've visited a few times and every single time I had to request a room change because I had a broken bed. Service is great but not mind-blowing. Will go back to try the new renovated club rooms which looks quite nice on photos, but will not stay in their regular rooms until they renovate.

The Phoenician Residences - A

This is pure vacation for us. Having your own private pool outside a large villa where you can park right in front is what we are looking for when we are on vacation. Even when the resort was full, we did not notice it as we had all we needed in our villa and we did not need to go to the public spaces. The villa is in a near great shape but will need to be renovated in a few years. Service was great.


Ritz-Carlton Dove Mountain - A

Their new room renovations are really nice and is up to the RC standards. The service is okay but not as dedicated as RC should be. We had a two-bedroom casita suite, which was very private and quite as we had the whole "bungalow". The resort is away from everything but that's what makes its charm. We are here every year so we will most probably come back.

Four Seasons Rancho Encantado - A

Very nice resort. We bought their largest suite (sunset suite) but was the smallest largest suite we've ever stayed in (1100 sqft). Hard product was very comfortable as you expect from a Four Seasons and the large bathroom was very nice. We had an issue with the floor heater and the service recovery was much better than we expected. The service was good but a bit too friendly. We won't be back as we found Santa Fe boring.

Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne - F

Horrible renovations. It feels like they renovated a Courtyard. The carpet is low-quality as well as the bathroom (which was mearly touched). This is unacceptable for a RC at 1057$USD/night. We booked 2 connecting rooms over Christmas and when we got in, there was a humidity smell in one of the room and the carpet was wet. We got moved to a no-view rooms on the 3rd floor, the last connecting available. The carpet around the bed was crusty, looks like something was dropped on it and dried there. When we arrived to our new rooms, they were supposed to have been inspected but yet one room door was left open by the latch and one of the TV was turned facing one of the bed on the two-bed room. This shows they clean their rooms very quickly and there is no quality check. At night, I could hear the freight elevator and what seemed like a metal bin beeing moved, randomly throughout the night, which kept me awake. The adult pool was cold while it was pretty warm the year before. One of the restaurant was closed because it was windy (lol). There is nearly no beach left compared to last year and to top it off, it had many Portuguese Man-of-War laying around, which is one thing you do not want to come into contact with. Shame on the owner to have renovated this hotel at low-cost, thinking we wouldn't notice. Marriott should remove its RC name. After the first night we decided to check out and we won't be back.

Ritz-Carlton Orlando - A-

Great resort and while the rooms are not renovated, the hard product is of very high quality and it is still in very good condition. One of the most comfortable beds I've slept in. The huge TVs (65 inches if not more) were very great and should be the norm at any luxury hotels. The Grande Lakes is a peaceful oasis in a horribly busy Orlando. The reason I'm giving A- is because of the Florida service level (or lack of). They really do not know how to properly serve. In what world is it acceptable for a valet to come from behind, put his arm around my shoulders to point my car and ask if it was the right one? RC valet should always be in front of their guest while addressing them and say: Is this your car Sir? no excuses here but other than the blah service, the rest was great.
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Old Dec 28, 2019, 8:50 pm
  #79  
 
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Originally Posted by Anlun
Amanpulo- Amazing time and the team really worked to hard to secure us our private excursion to Palawan
JW Marriott Hanoi- A bit farther out that other options, and food/amenities are nothing special, but room was spacious and price point was too good to pass up
Four Seasons Hoi An- Villa and property were beautiful but service was mixed
Amanoi- Wonderful property, room was incredible, and Joy was fantastic. Only issue is we weren't told about a large wedding in advance, which resulted in some initial service issues. Very unique and special over all.
Park Hyatt Siam Reap- very centrally located, rooms might have been too large, but all around good hotel for exploring the city.
The Connaught- Incredible property, amazing room, and wonderful service. My wife and I are still debating whether this beats our Aman Tokyo as our favorite city hotel. For now I think Aman wins, but we definitely want to return.

Still finishing up some travel in 2019, but will be in
Prince Gallery Tokyo- We've done the RC , Aman, and Capitol so will be interesting to compare
The Suiren Kyoto- Aman Kyoto is tempting with it just didn't seem that special (for the price) with the amount of options in Kyoto. May tour it just to see.
Wanosato Ryokan
Fufu Kawaguchiko- Relatively new property in Fuji Five lakes area. Should be interesting.

would love to hear your stay at wanosato! please report back!
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Old Dec 29, 2019, 9:49 am
  #80  
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Wow, typing this up I realize the list is much longer than expected my mind must have stored away the not-so-great ones.

Sofitel, Frankfurt C - brand-new and located in the middle of the city, but the hotel has zero atmosphere, bad design and several service issues. Back to Villa Kennedy next time.

TOP Hotel Hochgurgl, Austria B+ I only go skiing once a year, so I want ski-in/ski-out and snow guaranteed, and a hot outside pool. They delivered, and F&B was surprisingly good, but sadly the rooms and bathrooms really need updating.

Mandarin-Oriental, HKG A There might be newer and more modern options, but this property just has so much character, so I keep returning. Staff is constantly great.

Amanoi, Vietnam, A+ Second visit, and so much better than the first one. Nothing to fault, perfect pavilions, great F&B, excellent service, great management.

Amanjena, Marrakech A+ Third visit, another Aman gem with excellent service, F&B and my all-time favourite GM and constant inspiration.

Eden, Rome A- Great rooms and hardware after the renovation, sadly a few service lapses like forgotten turndown service. Would return for lack of alternatives.

Ritz-Carlton, Vienna A Still best value for money in the 5-star segment in Vienna, but unfortunately rooms are beginning to show their age and carpets, curtains are due a refresh. F&B very good, I like the new lobby bar/restaurant concept.

Kempinski, Vienna C Wanted to try something different, but ugh. Did not like the rooms at all, so dreary and depressing. Tour groups and loud Easter European guests made the breakfast feel like at a Holiday Inn.

Amankila, Bali A+ Second visit, another Aman gem with a great GM. Cant fault anything, and that iconic pool will always hold a special place in my heart.

Grand Hotel Fasano, Lake Garda B- Needed something close to the open-air concert location, so this was more a choice out of convenience. Great location on the lake, but too big, and public areas cant cope with the number of guests.

The Langham, Chicago A Have to say, I like this hotel a lot. Very good staff, beautiful rooms and nice views. Be sure to get river view, I had booked a suite and downgraded because the side view goes to a parking deck.

Vila Joya, Portugal A+ Same procedure as every year, and I still love this place. Its small (20 rooms), right on the ocean and has just amazing F&B. One of my favorite hotels in the world.

The Fontenay, Hamburg A New, beautiful hotel, in a quiet area near the Alster. No expense was spared in construction and FF&Es. Not perfectly my style - a bit too sleek and modern.

Amanzoe, Greece A- First visit after reading so many rave reviews, and again it confirms that the Aman philosophy doesnt work that well in Europe. Too many service lapses, annoying little things really, and I really found the car shuttle to the beach tedious.

Glenapp Castle, Scotland A+ One of the highlights of our Scotland trip, just as I had imagined staying in a castle. Excellent food, beautiful homely ambiance, and an eccentric Austrian blue-blooded hunting party wearing black-tie made for perfect entertainment.

Cromlix House, Scotland B While we did like the hotel and the F&B in the restaurant, we found the atmosphere in the restaurant more resembling a company cafeteria than a Michelin starred restaurant. And it was cold in there.

The Torridon, Scotland A- Stunning setting in what feels like the most remote point of Scotland. Loved hiking around Loch Torridon, to come back for afternoon tea by a roaring fire. Excellent meals, and amazing cute little bar. Some minus points for the outdated bathrooms and the Home Depot shower stall.

The Fife Arms, Braemar, Scotland A- Loved the style of this hotel and the rooms. Completely renovated by Swiss art gallery owners, the places combines traditional Scotland with modern art. Minus points only for the lack of variety in the restaurant (small menu, same every day).

The Dunstane Houses, Edinburgh, Scotland C While we love boutique hotels, this was too much of it. When we checked in, there was 1 (!) staff member to handle check-in, luggage and service in the bar/restaurant. Poor girl. And while the website suggested this being in a quiet residential neighborhood, there is a very busy road outside, which in combination with the historic old windows made for very noisy nights.

Baur Au Lac, Zurich A- Very nice now with the renovations complete. Bright, comfortable rooms, although some can be very noisy. Excellent service at breakfast. Did not care for the new french-style Baurs restaurant, food underwhelming. I still prefer it over the Dolder, its just so much better located. Will try the new La Reserve Eden Au Lac next time.

There would be some more to list in Tuscany, but as these were mainly to research the competition, I prefer not to feature them here
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Old Dec 29, 2019, 9:51 am
  #81  
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Originally Posted by FlyerEC
The AMANs
A + Kila
A + AmanCGV
A + Nemu
A+ Puri
A+ Lupaia , Tuscany , Italy
Wow, right up there with the Amans! (blush)
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Old Dec 29, 2019, 12:42 pm
  #82  
 
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My small list of 2019

MO Tokyo A- Quick less than 24hr overnight stay at MO Tokyo. Concierge was wonderful with all the transportation/restaurant bookings pre-arrival. Service top notch from arrival till we get on the cab. Breakfast was ok. Want to try Aman Tokyo next time when we stay longer in Tokyo, but highly recommend MO Tokyo.

Hotel Nikko Kanazawa B- Not really any luxury choice in Kanazawa, but Hotel Nikko is conveniently located across from JR station. I did enjoy breakfast buffet there (lol guilty pleasure?), nothing else special about the hotel, it's your typical 2.5/3 star hotel. Asked concierge for direction to explore areas around Kanazawa, but they were not helpful at all. I got better and faster answer from Google.

Kayutei B+ I wanted to stay in a traditional ryokan in Ishikawa. Chose Kayutei over Beniya Mukayu because I wanted something more traditional. Had to say I was a bit disappointed with the hotel grounds and room at Kayutei. Enjoyed the in-room onsen very much, service was good but nothing exceptional. We had a lot of good meals before our stay at Kayutei so I was a bit underwhelmed with F&B at Kayutei.

Amangani A- This is my second stay at Amangani, long after my first visit though. Rooms need an update, but this is still my favorite mountain view hotel in the US. Food was average but better than I remembered from my first stay. Good service but nothing exceptional. I personally just love the location and the view. We did a Grand Teton tour and really enjoyed the trip.

Four Seasons Jackson Hole B+ Hard to rate the hotel since it was a quick overnight stay during shoulder season. I stayed here before during winter and loved the ski in/out location. Had dinner during our stay there, food was average.

Wickaninnish Inn A This is probably my favorite stay this year. Very friendly and helpful hotel staffs, and enjoyed conversation with several hotel guests as well. Easy beach access. Very dog friendly. Love everything about Tofino, I'm planning to go back next summer. The only thing is room a bit dark and small, can use an update. Had dinner there one night, not impressed. There's a lot of good food around though so it does not bother me much.

The Little Nell B+ Lost count how many times I've stayed here. I come here everytime when I have family/friends in town and need a quick weekend getaway. This is my go-to for Aspen.

Waldorf Vegas C I'm very upset that MO turned into a Waldorf. Everything just went downhill. No one greeted me or offered to help with luggage upon arrival. Breakfast was a sh*t show. Front desk/concierge was friendly & helpful. I haven't been back to this hotel for a while and was very upset to see how it is now. Need to look for another casino-free alternative, will probably stay at FS next time even though it's further out from everything else.
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Old Jan 1, 2020, 3:17 pm
  #83  
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Three late additions from my last trip

Conrad Bangkok: B. Location is not the best for day time touring (too far from public transit) but lots around it for nighttime activities. Good service, decent lounge though they charge you for cocktails during "cocktail hour" which irked me. Decent rooms though the design is odd, you can look right into the bathroom from the bed unless you lower a curtain.

Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur: A. Excellent service from everyone at the hotel. Nice welcome gifts for being a MO Fan and booking FHR. Great location. Excellent breakfast buffet, one of the best I've had at a hotel in fact and a very nice room.

JW Marriott Phuket: B-. Good hotel but spotty service. I had arranged transportation to the hotel through them so they knew my arrival time and I still had to wait an hour and a half for my room to be ready. Rooms are nice but lack any technology (too few outlets, no USB ports etc.), decent beach, very good pools, dining is okay but it's too expensive. Excellent breakfast buffet though.
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Old Jan 2, 2020, 6:44 am
  #84  
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It's been an even busier year than I remembered!
I must say I didn't think that an Aman would be near the bottom of the list but I guess the brand's decline has been something of a cause celebre around these parts for a while...
Waldorf Astoria in my experience should not be considered a luxury brand.

Silvan Safari A+
Hardware, Service and Food all completely flawless. Swarovski binoculars on our private game drives. 20+ gins. Saw the big 5 within 3 drives.

Hotel de Berri A+
Beautiful room hardware and very stylish public spaces. Central location but all rooms are quiet since they back onto a small private park. (excellent) Room service breakfast as standard. Staff uncharacteristically charming and friendly for a Parisian hotel.

FS San Francisco A+
Fantastic proactive service. Beautiful public spaces. Recently renovated rooms. Great F&B.

RC Kyoto A+
Incredible service hardware and F&B. Japanese breakfast is utterly sensational. Second visit and will keep returning.

Matetsi Victoria Falls A+
Service better than any Aman. All staff were utterly on top of everything. Room hardware is exceptional as is F&B.

Oberoi Udaivilas A+
Like no other hotel in the world. Spectacular grounds, very polished staff. Room hardware excellent as was housekeeping.


Oberoi New Delhi A
Unexpectedly superb. Hotel is frequented by locals and the restaurants and bars have a real buzz to them. Rooms are brand new.
Pool not as spectacular as other Oberois but still great for a city hotel. Extremely good service throughout.

Conrad Tokyo A
My 11th stay here. Location ideal for HND, views of Tokyo Bay are beautiful, club lounge staff very proactive.

Oberoi Amarvilas A
Location and grounds are absolutely incredible. Rooms and public spaces are in need of a refresh though. Food not the best.

Alila Fort Bishnagarh A
Incredible location and service. Food is top notch. The pool is too small though and there are no changing rooms.

Al Maha A
F&B and service flawless throughout. Bed is enormous and very comfortable. Overall design of rooms and public spaces feels dated though. Quite boring after 3 nights.

Umaid Bhawan A
The most incredible arrival experience of any hotel ever. Room hardware is excellent and the building itself is probably the most extravagant of any hotel on earth. Service a little hit and miss. Caviar and truffle omelettes for breakfast. Peacocks roaming around the grounds. Outdoor pool service not good, towels not always cleared. Menus not offered etc.



StR Florence B+
Great service but standard rooms are small and don’t have a coffee machine. Also lots of rooms have shower/bath combo. Breakfast is ok but nothing special. Good if you have elite status but otherwise doesn’t feel like you get a lot for what you pay here.

Leela Udaipur B+
Upgraded to the presidential suite which was astonishing. Butler service was perfect. Public spaces and F&B feel more mid-range than luxury though.

Intercontinental Amsterdam B
Beautiful old style hotel with excellent breakfast. Rooms are small though and location is a little out of the way. Nothing exciting or memorable here.

WA Berlin B-
Absolute debacle at breakfast and housekeeping inconsistent. Room hardware needs a refresh. Saved from a C by management who were very engaging and concerned when issues were raised.


Amanbagh C

Constant sales pitch from staff pushing for ‘special’ dinners on almost every interaction. No coffee machine in room. Air con points straight at your face in bed. Gaps around doors let mosquitoes in, electrical socket came out of the wall when unplugging a device. Air con barely functional in the gym. Best F&B of any hotel we encountered in India and a beautiful pool are not enough to justify the price or service/hardware failings.


WA Versailles F

An abomination. Barely functioning aircon in public spaces. Rude/ incompetent staff. Annexe building with wedding guests passed out on sofas and children screaming at all hours of day. Soundproofing completely inadequate. Beds not properly made by housekeeping. Kept waiting for 30mins at checkout since the hotel managed to lose our bags between our room and the car…
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Old Jan 2, 2020, 6:56 am
  #85  
 
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Originally Posted by Jermyn
It's been an even busier year than I remembered!
I must say I didn't think that an Aman would be near the bottom of the list but I guess the brand's decline has been something of a cause celebre around these parts for a while...
Waldorf Astoria in my experience should not be considered a luxury brand.

Silvan Safari A+
Hardware, Service and Food all completely flawless. Swarovski binoculars on our private game drives. 20+ gins. Saw the big 5 within 3 drives.

Hotel de Berri A+
Beautiful room hardware and very stylish public spaces. Central location but all rooms are quiet since they back onto a small private park. (excellent) Room service breakfast as standard. Staff uncharacteristically charming and friendly for a Parisian hotel.

FS San Francisco A+
Fantastic proactive service. Beautiful public spaces. Recently renovated rooms. Great F&B.

RC Kyoto A+
Incredible service hardware and F&B. Japanese breakfast is utterly sensational. Second visit and will keep returning.

Matetsi Victoria Falls A+
Service better than any Aman. All staff were utterly on top of everything. Room hardware is exceptional as is F&B.

Oberoi Udaivilas A+
Like no other hotel in the world. Spectacular grounds, very polished staff. Room hardware excellent as was housekeeping.


Oberoi New Delhi A
Unexpectedly superb. Hotel is frequented by locals and the restaurants and bars have a real buzz to them. Rooms are brand new.
Pool not as spectacular as other Oberois but still great for a city hotel. Extremely good service throughout.

Conrad Tokyo A
My 11th stay here. Location ideal for HND, views of Tokyo Bay are beautiful, club lounge staff very proactive.

Oberoi Amarvilas A
Location and grounds are absolutely incredible. Rooms and public spaces are in need of a refresh though. Food not the best.

Alila Fort Bishnagarh A
Incredible location and service. Food is top notch. The pool is too small though and there are no changing rooms.

Al Maha A
F&B and service flawless throughout. Bed is enormous and very comfortable. Overall design of rooms and public spaces feels dated though. Quite boring after 3 nights.

Umaid Bhawan A
The most incredible arrival experience of any hotel ever. Room hardware is excellent and the building itself is probably the most extravagant of any hotel on earth. Service a little hit and miss. Caviar and truffle omelettes for breakfast. Peacocks roaming around the grounds. Outdoor pool service not good, towels not always cleared. Menus not offered etc.



StR Florence B+
Great service but standard rooms are small and dont have a coffee machine. Also lots of rooms have shower/bath combo. Breakfast is ok but nothing special. Good if you have elite status but otherwise doesnt feel like you get a lot for what you pay here.

Leela Udaipur B+
Upgraded to the presidential suite which was astonishing. Butler service was perfect. Public spaces and F&B feel more mid-range than luxury though.

Intercontinental Amsterdam B
Beautiful old style hotel with excellent breakfast. Rooms are small though and location is a little out of the way. Nothing exciting or memorable here.

WA Berlin B-
Absolute debacle at breakfast and housekeeping inconsistent. Room hardware needs a refresh. Saved from a C by management who were very engaging and concerned when issues were raised.


Amanbagh C

Constant sales pitch from staff pushing for special dinners on almost every interaction. No coffee machine in room. Air con points straight at your face in bed. Gaps around doors let mosquitoes in, electrical socket came out of the wall when unplugging a device. Air con barely functional in the gym. Best F&B of any hotel we encountered in India and a beautiful pool are not enough to justify the price or service/hardware failings.


WA Versailles F

An abomination. Barely functioning aircon in public spaces. Rude/ incompetent staff. Annexe building with wedding guests passed out on sofas and children screaming at all hours of day. Soundproofing completely inadequate. Beds not properly made by housekeeping. Kept waiting for 30mins at checkout since the hotel managed to lose our bags between our room and the car
I think based on this Ill cancel amanbagh and do the alila instead.
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Old Jan 2, 2020, 10:01 am
  #86  
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Great idea.
Two different groups of friends just came back from Alila Bishangarh in the last month and they all loved it.

We still talk about the rooftop dinners there with the local musicians playing under a starry sky and views in all directions as far as the eye can see...
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Old Jan 2, 2020, 10:03 am
  #87  
 
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Originally Posted by Jermyn
Great idea.
Two different groups of friends just came back from Alila Bishangarh in the last month and they all loved it.

We still talk about the rooftop dinners there with the local musicians playing under a starry sky and views in all directions as far as the eye can see...
Yeah... I had my doubts and I feel like this is just confirming them. No trouble spending $1k a night but I get a bit salty if expectations arent met.

any particular room categories you recommend at alila?
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Old Jan 3, 2020, 1:02 am
  #88  
 
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Originally Posted by GetSetJetSet
Chicago Pen is great. If you thought the JW HKG was a 9, Chicago Pen will be a 12! I'd say the JW HKG is more of a "7." The location is nice, but the rooms are tired and mediocre. Have stayed there a number of times but consider it more of a utilitarian options than a luxury one.
Just returned from our stay on January 1st and I don't think I can agree with your assessment of the Peninsula Chicago. So so so many service issues throughout our stay. From suggesting children programming that ended days before we checked in, to not scheduling an activity that we asked to schedule, to room service taking over 2 hours, etc. Then there was an incident at the Lobby that sums up my experience - the host handed me menus and the waiter saw and told me those are the wrong menus and he had "holiday" menus to give me instead. I took photos of both menus - the only difference was the price. The "holiday" menus were more expensive. Nothing else was different!
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Old Jan 3, 2020, 1:34 am
  #89  
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 1,265
Originally Posted by Jermyn
Great idea.
Two different groups of friends just came back from Alila Bishangarh in the last month and they all loved it.

We still talk about the rooftop dinners there with the local musicians playing under a starry sky and views in all directions as far as the eye can see...
Similar report from a friend of mine regarding Alila Bishangarh.
Epicura is offline  
Old Jan 3, 2020, 5:10 am
  #90  
 
Join Date: Jan 2019
Posts: 6
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Greenwich Hotel New York - stayed during New York Fashion Week when the hotel was at its full capacity. Although I really like the style of the rooms, overall this hotel was not impressive. Service at bar was very slow and massage at the spa was just so so. One of the ceiling lights in the bathroom was broken on the second night but never got fixed.
Amangiri - I have mixed feelings about this hotel. Some things about it are excellent and probably unique in the world (the view and the facilities), but there are also some mistakes that should not happen to a hotel of this caliber (departure transfer was late for 30 minutes, one of the tour guides made a racist comment).
Nobu Ryokan Malibu - room and service are excellent, but way too overpriced (US$3k per night for a beach front room of only 50 sqm).
Palace Hotel Tokyo - my second favorite hotel in Tokyo, everything about it from room, service, dining options to spa is top notch. Location is great.
Aman Tokyo - second stay and even better than the first time. My favorite hotel in Tokyo. The sushi restaurant (Musashi) was a bit underwhelming though.
Mandarin Oriental Tokyo - rooms still feel a bit outdated after the refurbishment. Service is impeccable though (even better than Aman).
Ritz Carlton Kyoto - still a fantastic city hotel and one of the best in Kyoto. Location is also very convenient for sightseeing. However, I have stayed many times over the past few years but never got any recognition, so it is probably time to move on and try other newer hotels in Kyoto like PH and Aman.
Suiran Kyoto - not a big fan. The suite has a strange layout, and the open air bath on the terrace faces the hotel entrance which can get noisy.
Mandarin Oriental Beijing - my favorite hotel in Beijing, one of the most beautiful city hotels in the world.
Puxuan Hotel Beijing - room is nice but contrary to what is advertised on their website, you can hardly see the Forbidden City. There was no pool, I was told that it was because of the auction house downstairs and the owner of the building being afraid that a pool might affect the stability of the building.
Bulgari Beijing - one of my favorites in Beijing, excellent service and nice room.
W Taipei - not sure whether this qualifies as luxury in this forum. Have stayed once when it just opened and this is the second stay, everything has gone downhill.
Levinas is offline  

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