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Luxury is different for everyone, but service is essential
By: Suzanne Aaronson
It is not just room size and great restaurants and well-stocked minibars and comfortable beds with highest thread counts. All these things are taken for granted.
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I feel that the consistency bell that sounds for luxury is to be able to relax and know that you are in the hands of good service staff, people who can find the right place for dinner, who can switch a massage appointment by 30 minutes and things like that. This is the hotel industry's greatest challenge.
If you are in a Four Seasons - and increasingly a Mandarin Oriental - you can be sure, thanks to continuous behind-the-scenes training, that service is down to the tee, but in general it remains a big challenge. Owners should realize that investment in hiring and training staff is the surest way to make the best returns.
There are a few who say they are not big on service, and they really do not mind if anyone is looking after them or not, but in general as top-level consumers move from their 30s to their 40s, and switch from single-status to family, they want more. They are sick of boutiques (been there, done that) and switch to hospitality concepts that will look after them. More and more are renting villas, either with outstanding staff already in place or they bring their own.
People are quick to let me, and others, know when they feel let down by price (in terms of value) or by overall experience. They do not return to those places, and others do not go for the first time. If a place works, however, they similarly pass on information, and word-of-mouth is the most important marketing tool.
The word luxury is different for everybody. For some it might be highly-ornate Venetian palace, for others it can be a solitary white beach hut right by the sea. If the feeling is not right, however, nothing will make either experience memorable.
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For me personally, luxury is overall vibe. There are a lot of intangibles. You need energy, a combination of design and situation, both geographically and naturally. It is also the kind of people who are managing the place, and how friendly and helpful they are (I happen not to veer towards incredible formality but I do want a level of professionalism). I think there is nothing like a safari in Africa for a trip that takes you out of the world you live in, and introduces you to a lot of fun, new colors and experiences, in a sexy and exhilarating way. To be at one with nature is the ultimate.
If you like something, you go back again - and perhaps again. You find a little place in Megève and you return year after year. You may also want to try new places. Current hotspots, I think, include Biarritz, Lisbon and Valencia, the last pushed by the America's Cup. I would also list Essaouira, coming to the forefront in Morocco, and Portugal's islands, the Azores (which now has a daily flight from London) and Madeira. Frankly, flying is such a headache that it is not worth flying long haul unless you have the time for a minimum seven-day trip.
For shorter holidays, I am seeing more and more people simply staying in their own country - in England, where I live, some admirable new places have opened in the last few years.
THE AUTHORSuzanne Aaronson is CEO of Suzanne's Files, www.suzannesfiles.com.
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