KI-NRT

Sorry for not stating things coherently. I meant to say that there is still no world-class property in Seoul. FS might be the best, but that's not saying much. I find it to be merely adequate, and it's certainly not on the same level as some of the finer FS properties around the world.

Jermyn

We booked a royal suite 65m2 and were upgraded to a Grand Suite 75m2 which we were very happy with. The suites are all at least partially circular as they occupy an entire slice of one of the fort's turrets, the resulting views are spectacular.

I say partially circular as in addition to the circular lounging area the suites expand out into the rest of the building, so that the bathroom and living room are still rectangular and don't suffer from dead space.


The GM was away during our visit and I get the impression that her deputy was looking to impress by driving up revenues in her absence.

When we visited Amanoi the GM was away but Joy lived up to her name and ensured that the experience was perfect. The fact that Bagh suffered so much in the absence of its leader points to a deeper dysfunction...

Aventine

Totally agree with you on that. There's probably never going to a world class luxury property in Seoul. Not even the rumored Rosewood or RC.

troyb

Reading through this thread made me realize I've had quite a year myself! Until the past few years, I tended to gravitate towards properties that were part of loyalty programs, but earning lifetime status and the continual devaluation of hotel points has led me to stay at properties I would have never considered in the past.

St Regis Deer Valley (Superior Room)
Spent a few nights here alone to ski early this year. Driving up to the entrance at the base of the funicular was a little embarrassing - despite making it all the way from SLC in a snowstorm, I got stuck for about 5 minutes trying to make my way up the driveway. No one from the hotel came out to lend a hand, which would have been nice. My base room would have been a little small for more than one person, especially with ski equipment. Breakfast was mediocre, dinner at the bar was a little better but also left room for improvement. However, with the exception of when the bottom of my skis got scraped up from when they laid them against a rock wall and they fell over, the ski concierge was great. More importantly, the smores situation they have every evening is out of control and I still can't get over that they i) have peanut butter cups and ii) will have someone assemble the smore for you. Can't wait to return next month.

Park Hyatt Zurich (King Room)
Just a work trip where I spent more time in the office than anywhere else. Staff was efficient, but cold. Rooms seem to be the same as they were on my last stay about 10 years ago - could probably use some refreshing soon. Would stay again, but that's more a factor of how bad my other work options are there (i.e., Marriott Zurich, blah).

Four Seasons Abu Dhabi (Executive Suite)
Just a quick one night layover to start our honeymoon, so we weren't able to build much of an opinion. However, they blew us away with the welcome amenity - an overwhelming selection of chocolates including several large pieces that had photos from our wedding printed on them, recently held at a Four Seasons in the US. Would definitely return if I wanted to be in a city hotel in Abu Dhabi.

St Regis Maldives (St. Regis Suite)
This was our first trip to the Maldives and to be honest, I didn't think I'd like the Maldives in general or the property (we did this one on points). F&B was a highlight. We had also raised some questions to the hotel in advance regarding mosquitos and the property's treatment protocols. Based on the absurd amount of bug spray they left in the room and fogging they did during our outdoor dining, it was clear they took our questions/concerns seriously. Room fittings were top notch. My new wife also got a little sick on this trip and while we haven't had to ask for a doctor on any of our prior stays elsewhere, I couldn't imagine a more professional resort-based doctor (continuously on-site). Would definitely return and don't feel the need to try anywhere else in the Maldives.

Four Seasons Golden Triangle Tented Camp (Superior River View Tent)
We hemmed and hawed about whether to book the Four Seasons or the Anantara next door for half the price. Ultimately, we decided we didn't want to compromise for this stay and went for the FS, in large part due to the property thread from this forum. Couldn't have been happier with our choice. Similar to the St Regis Maldives, we had raised some questions about mosquitos in advance and almost cancelled our trip last minute. The property graciously offered to let us rebook our non-refundable stay for another time, and even though we decided to keep it as-is, I really appreciated that and it set the tone for the upcoming stay. Walking into the tent and seeing a photo from our wedding (similar to what they did in Abu Dhabi) was very special. The various elephant experiences were fantastic and I was pleasantly surprised that every activity was private, with the same guide throughout. F&B was also excellent - not too fancy, not too low-key - just right for the resort. We tried very hard to think of ways the stay could have been better and the only thing we could come up with was how nice it would have been if they customized and/or let you keep the mahout outfits (I know they'll sell them to you but that's not the point).

Four Seasons Bali Sayan (One Bedroom Villa)
We had a difficult time choosing between this property and Amanusa, and I was a little disappointed with our choice. Sure, the entrance with the lily pond is fantastic, but once you're inside, it just didn't seem as special. I regretted not going for the river river villa - perhaps that would have made a difference. We only had a few meals at the hotel, but found them to be just average, especially breakfast. On a more positive note, being able to do the white water rafting right back to the hotel was pretty cool. Would try another property before returning.

Peninsula Bangkok (Grande Deluxe Room)
Loved the location and hotel transport from the airport (looked into the chopper but couldn't justify the current cost). Dinner at Thiptara was one of the best meals we had in Bangkok and breakfast on the water every morning was awesome. Rooms are definitely showing their age but even with all of the other great properties in Bangkok, as long as the location and package made sense for my stay, I would return.

Four Seasons Scottsdale (Jerome Suite/Premier Casita)
We've stayed here a number of times and its one of our favorite hotels. Rooms have recently been refreshed. F&B at Proof continues to be fantastic, especially breakfast. I also borrowed one of the house cars for the first time (MB S63 Cab), which was a nice treat. Can't wait to return, although rates seems to be creeping up rapidly year over year.

St Regis Florence (Arno River Junior Suite)
Not sure what all the fuss about this place is. Our junior suite was large and had a small balcony, but was really just one large room. Normally that would be fine for a junior suite, but the website photos were not representative of what we got. Breakfast was underwhelming, although we did like the setting looking down into the restaurant/bar below. Would try to avoid returning unless there was no other reasonable option.

St Regis Rome (Metropolitan Suite)
Loved everything about this place. This was our first stay, so I don't have a point of comparison, but the renovation seems amazing. The lobby is beautiful. Our suite was small, but very comfortable, with well-utilized space. Funny enough, one of the things that stuck out the most was the hallway off the elevator - I couldn't recall seeing a wider hallway or one with taller ceilings anywhere else. Really added to the grand feeling of the place. Would love to return.

Ritz Carlton Al Bustan Palace Muscat (Mountain View Room)
Very nice check-in experience in the impressive lobby. We did not have breakfast included in our rate but the agent offered to comp it, which was nice but not needed. On the other hand, they also upsold us to a dinner package which ended up creating a lot of confusion at check out. Base room was very, very small and I wouldn't want to stay in one again. Would return but only in a different room category.

Alila Jabal Akhdar Oman (Ridge View Room)
Underwhelming arrival experience after a two hour drive up the mountains. No doormen, had to walk in and ask if someone could help us check in. Check in was a little unpolished and took a really long time. We had planned to do some hiking but got some bad personal news almost the moment we arrived so ended up mostly just in our room and in the restaurant for meals. The setting is incredible and meals outside are special. I'd consider visiting again but would need to think through an itinerary with enough to keep us busy with.

Al Maha Dubai
This property, along with the FS Tented Camp, was a highlight of our year. I actually had relatively low expectations given the expected high occupancy level and fact that I booked on points, but couldn't have been more wrong. The service here was top notch - everyone addressed us by name, tons of little gifts, spotless room (which admittedly was showing its age). F&B was better than expected but has room for improvement. Had a hard time finding any other reasonable areas for improvement. Would definitely return and in fact was browsing for our next reservation before we even left.

St. Regis Abu Dhabi (Superior Room)
Lobby is obviously a bit over the top in St Regis extreme style but it is impressive nonetheless. I was pretty disappointed with the lack of upgrade (I am lifetime titanium and it wasn't my first stay here), but they made up for it by proactively offering to comp us dinner one night. The beach club was packed every day but we were always able to get seats we liked. Breakfast buffet was probably the best of ay of the hotels on this list. Would return.

Prince de Galls Paris (Mosaic Suite)
Really liked this hotel - much better service, both in-advance and on-site, than expected (e.g., helped us book a last minute dinner reservation for NYE). Art deco style was right up our alley and since we were there over NYE, I actually liked that our room faced the interior courtyard so that it would be a bit more quiet. Breakfast was very enjoyable - small but very high quality (similar to many European Park Hyatts). Considered booking the FS Georges V next door but was glad I didn't spend the $ after we tried to get a drink there and were kicked out (told the hotel was too busy so they were only allowing guests).

Pausanias

Methinks for 2020 you might venture beyond the predictable chains?

Mickidon

Seriously, making this one snarky remark was worth the time it took you to cull a list of 15 properties from an interesting, content full post?

That aside, this is one of my all time favorite threads, with details and commentary providing a lot of ideas and head nodding. Thanks to all who did/will take the time to participate.

Smiley90

Not to mention that Al Maha is just about as far as possible from a "chain hotel". It's an extremely unique property. The fact that it's bookable with points instead of Cash as part of an overarching group just makes it better, not worse.

Similar to how I'd never call e.g. Suiran a chain hotel despite being under the Marriott group umbrella. It's a a unique, amazing hotel.

Fliar

Couldn't agree more, with BOTH points.

troyb

Nope, most of my stays in 2020 will probably continue to be at predictable chains. I know, so predictable.

Pausanias

Well, I'll always avoid the chains unless it's unavoidable, just as I avoid McDonalds, KFC, Starbucks and all those other corporate things. I did welcome a chain hotel in Almaty in 2018 but of the thirty-odd hotels I stayed at in 2019 I'm proud to say that not one is affiliated to a big hotel group.

I have enjoyed this thread immensely . . .

sophialite

It’s difficult to make generalizations about hotels and hotel chains, and there are arguments for and against. Every city has a different best hotel, every chain has good hotels and bad hotels. On average, some chains are better than others.

I used to be a huge fan of boutiques and inactively avoided chains. But I found a lot of advantages that chains offer:
1) Boutiques tend to have poorer service. With a chain, there is some semblance of service levels that the brand *tries* to make consistent across all hotels. Every boutique is completely different from each other.
2) Lack of experience. When a chain opens a hotel, they’re leveraging decades of experience in putting this together and maintaining it. Boutiques often don’t have that advantage.
3) Boutiques rarely have all that I want in a hotel. Boutiques, on average, have fewer features. Ett Hem in Stockholm, for example, doesn’t have a swimming pool. I don’t think that’s a bad thing for them, but if you expect to stay at a hotel that has all the amenities, you will be disappointed.

Above is a generalization of course. I’ve stayed at boutiques that are out of this world. And I’ve stayed at chains that blow your mind. There are also hotels that are vice versa.

It’s worth mentioning that some specific chain properties were once themselves “boutiques” and acquired by said chain. And IME, they still tend to keep many of their unique traits. The Al Bustan, for instance, wasn’t always a Ritz (and locals don’t view it as a Ritz). The Crillon in Paris is now a Rosewood hotel, and if find that many people don’t realize it’s a Rosewood.

chweekueh

Wow, it looks incredible. Thanks for the heads up! I'm not familiar with the UK - would love to go around a bit more.

One more to add as we stayed at PH Kyoto over the new year's. Will echo what everyone says - gorgeous hardware, charming location, Kyoto bistro was surprisingly good and bar was lovely but some staffing issues. We were surprised to find from our interactions with the staff that most of the English-speaking staff are from Hong Kong and do not speak Japanese (we only found out when we tried to converse with them) - and outnumber the Japanese staff on hand. Staff are eager to help, housekeeping mostly non-Japanese as well. Crossed paths with GM more than a couple of times but he seemed more interested in attending to caucasian guests, including a particularly large family, which we found unfortunate. Would nevertheless return for the room & location.

Altocumulus

We have had a fairly quiet travel year in 2019 for various reasons but did enjoy some excellent stays nevertheless.

Selong Selo Lombok (not luxury by any stretch of the imagination)


GH HK (not up there with the top in HK but we stay often for work and they look after us very well)


Aya Niseko (extreme convenience, especially with kids, superior hardware to the other high end places in Upper Hirafu; looking forward to Aman Niseko etc raising the bar here)


Park Hyatt Zurich (adequate, unexciting)


Park Hotel Vitznau (lovely setting; rooms decor slightly odd; much prefer ambiance and dining at Villa Feltrinelli)


Langham London (work trip, not luxury but like the location)


Mandarin Oriental Doha (just opened, excellent hardware)


Singita Sabora (flawless tanzania migration experience across 4 Singita camps. Sabora was electric with game while we were there)


Singita Faru Faru (I love the more modern design here)


Singita Sasakwa impressive property; hill location grants spectacular views but at expense of not being right in the thick of the game as at the other Grumeti locations


Singita Mara River camp we saw several spectacular river crossings but if timing meant chances for crossings aren’t good I wouldn’t bother, because aside from the crossings the game (selection and experience (since it isn't a private reserve)) pales in comparison to Grumeti


Como The Treasury (repeat visit, really enjoy this property)


Nikoi Island (VERY rustic (which I normally detest but strangely enjoyed in this case), kids adored it


Park Hyatt Tokyo average, inconvenient location, really showing its age but do still love the bar


Intercontinental OR Tambo Johannesburg not luxury but adequate and extremely convenient


AndBeyond Phinda Mountain Lodge good option with kids (easily checked off the big 5, no malaria; we were looking for some variety having already done Madikwe & Tswalu). Neither hardware or dining were super luxe but both were fine. Guiding excellent, exceptional with our kids (we brought 2 of them on this trip).

behuman

The issue could not have been better resumed than you did ! Thank you.

Boutique and individual ownership is always a risk (which can be positive too) and a first time visit to an "unbranded" property is always and adventure especially if one is not familiar with a destination.

Second visits and familiar places make the individual properties an easier and safer bet. Returning visits to a specific property are then paradise on earth :-).

Cole Smith

I went to Charles H last December and this year January, I can't seem to recall whether they played music or not. I had no problem communicating with the bar manager and a receptionist while I was there. I could even clearly hear the conversations from a group sitting next to us. So they took your advice and turn the music down?