I wonder how many of you follow GMs when they move to new properties and also if it matters to you who the GM is.

Would we, for instance, feel the same about Trisara if Anthony Lark was not GM there? Was Amandari ever the same after Henry & Char Gray left? Did O&O Reethi Rah maintain its excellence after Michael Luible left? And will FS Landaa Giraavaru be as good now that Royal Rowe has left and Armando Kraenzlin, who opened FS Mumbai, takes over?

The short answer to this (at least for me) is that it can make a great deal of difference. I honestly think that one can have an excellent experience at a hotel without an exceptional GM, but in order to have an exceptional experience, the GM must also be of the same caliber.

I have been to the O&O while Mr. Luible was there and the experience was exceptional - visited after he left and the experience was very good, but not quite the same (service levels had fallen quite a bit).

I have followed Mr. Rowe from Bali to Langkawi to The Maldives (twice). Every experience I've had at a resort while he was there was extraordinary. I visited Langkawi after he left and while it was still excellent, but service levels had fallen slightly and I think the place just missed his energy. I once told him (and meant it) that I would visit any resort where he was GM without question. BTW, do you know where he has gone?

I completely agree with you about this. Royal had a heart bi-pass a while back and although he is well, the stress of running Landaa Giraavaru got to him, as he puts 150% into everything he does, as you know, so he and his wife are taking a 9-month sabbatical, from what I hear. He will be sorely missed at Landaa and I hope he will find the strength to return to FS next year as there are few like him.

Only at Four Seasons Tented Camp did I genuinely feel that Jason made a real difference to how much I enjoyed the trip. If you generally stay at sub-top suite level (I am happiest in a big open plan junior suite) then you are substantially off the GM's radar. Despite having stayed at many FS over the last five years, and probably spending £15-20k with FS in that time, I have only knowingly spoken to a FS GM once and that was Chiang Rai.

Does it matter who the GM is? It really shouldn't, at a group like FS with corporate standards and substantial cross-pollination of staff. I'd say it matters more at top independent places where a GM from outside can, if given the freedom, really drive a property forward.

Having now visited through the tenure of three different GM's at my favorite Tokyo hotel, the Park Hyatt, I can definitely notice the effect of their different styles. But I am not so sure that I would have readily recognized the differences were I not a regular guest.

For a hotel where I am less regular, one key factor is whether the GM will hide in the unlikely event that I feel I need to talk to him or her. My view is that a GM who hides from a customer wanting to talk has a reason for hiding, and it isn't likely to be positive.

Which leads to the most inportant reason why the GM makes a difference: tone at the top. Can anyone look at the results of actions by customer-inaccessible airline top management and NOT say that tone at the top makes a difference? Hotels are no different.

I am happy to go to any hotel or resort the Henry & Char Gray are in charge of. I am looking forward to a visit to Thailand in the next few months to see how Soneva Resorts are with Henry being area manger for the Thai properties. Hacienda de San Antonio was perfect with the Grays in charge and Udaivilas was just amazing with site seeing advice and shopping tips from Mrs Gray who was not working with Mr. Gray on property.

9 times out of 10, the hotel is not up to par if I ever see/hear/know of the GM. The only exception is a hand written note with a welcome gift.

They are like officials in a sporting event...all things being equal they should be invisible.

I get the feeling that some people like to be "in-the-know" and feel that if they know the GM, then they're special...or something to that effect. To each his/her own I suppose, but I'm not interested in making friends with anyone except the customer-facing staff that I need to see on a daily basis.

If I really like a hotel I then try to find out the GM and then track their movements. I tend to do the same for Hotel Managers who move around or are promoted.

The GM certainly leaves their mark either positively or negatively on any given property. Kurt Wachveitl has disappointed me enough in the past that I refuse to return to the Oriental whenever in Bangkok; on the other hand I really liked the Four Seasons under then GM Patrick Ghielmeti that the FS is now my choice in Bangkok.

Of course it matters!

I know several GM's in Ritz-Carlton, Kempinski, MO, and Park Hyatt and follow them as they move around. They are key to making my stays special!

There is nothing like having the GM waiting at the front door as you arrive! Everything is smooth sailing from there on!