The great hotels have wonderful employees and it makes staying somewhere really nice.
The Connaught Hotel in London is like that, The Resort at Pelican Hill in southern California, One & Only Palmilla in Los Cabos Mexico, Glenmere Mansion in the lower Hudson Valley of New York, Blantyre in Lenox Massachusetts, and Ballyfin in Ireland is supposed to be like that too.
You can have beautiful rooms, great food, fun activities, a good location – and yet great service is ALSO a necessary component of your experience.
Everything works together to create a seamless visit.
I think it is the owner and then upper management who drives this, and makes sure that their employees are well taken care of and treated with thoughtfulness, warmth and respect.
In return then, an expertly trained and rewarded staff wants guests to have everything they want or need in terms of a concierge (making restaurant reservations or getting tickets to the latest shows or knowing when the local museum or zoo is open, and what parts of town to go see and what parts are best to avoid after dark, etc., etc) , making sure housekeeping has everything in spotless tip-top shape, and a willing, welcoming, helpful attitude by all members of staff from the front of the house to the back of the house towards answering questions and fulfilling requests, be it (for example) answering how to operate the television or light controls to making sure turn-down is when it is requested.
Someone asked me once what I condered imporant criteria when evaluating hotels – and I responded “everything”.
Where have YOU stayed where you’ve gotten great service? What did they do that made such a good impression on you?
It feels like God is here in these Cathedrals. If I didn't already believe - and I do - these would effortlessly convert me.
To see heaven in 3d is to visit a lovingly tended garden :)
Spend a few hours and enjoy all the different treasures inside!
The Westin in Florance, Italy and The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, Canada – I can’t get those two places out of my mind.
Will definitely check those two out, Lauren, thank you!
One of my other blog friends had also recommended the Fairmont in Lake Louise for the views as well:)
Thirty miles away from Lake Louise is the Fairmont Banff Springs. The Willow Stream Spa is wonderful and takes advantage of the nearby mineral hot springs. Dessert at The Bison restaurant in Banff was the best homemade s’more ever with lavender marshmallow cream
Lavender Marshmallow Cream? Did anyone get the recipe?
On second thought, I may need to go request it for myself, eh?
The Peabody in Orlando! Wonderful staff, attention to detail, genuine friendliness, etc.
That’s great MaryAnne – thank you for the recommendation!
This doesn’t answer your question. But, I had to tell you I thought of you and your blog this past weekend. We made a quick trip to San Francisco. For a few minutes, I found myself day-dreaming I was in one of your luxury hotels. It wasn’t a bad few minutes- it just made me smile. I thought I’d let you know. Thanks for the posts! It’s wonderful to see these amazing places.
Jane Anne,
Thank you. It’s nice to know that reading here is a pleasure:)
What she said!
As a military spouse, luxury travel isn’t exactly on our horizon at the moment, but a girl can dream, can’t she?
But in the meantime, I’ll just live vicariously through Cinderella!
You can definitely dream, Shari.
I always have them, and occasionally they come true!
And thank you:)
The Trump Hotel, two days after my precious daughter passed. It was to be her last wish trip. When we showed up without her – they did everything and then some more for us.
Thta was very classy of them, Won.
The Wentworth Mansion in Charleston SC really made us feel special when we stayed there after our wedding. They really went above and beyond with the little touches and service when they knew we had just been married. Sometimes it’s those extra things that makes it so memorable and makes you want to go back.
Good Friday evening to you Stephanie,
I stayed there for one night and also found the service very nice.
But if you ever retrurn to the area, I found the service even better at The Governor’s House Inn, and preferred the rooms more there as well, specifically the Middleton Suite.
Well i was thinking real hard about that, and i can’t think of one venue. basically because i haven’t stayed in that many nice (fancy) hotels. I normally stayed in hostels, motels, friends or family.
We stayed in a pretty fancy hotel in Cincinnati once and that was nice but nothing special.
Oh now i come to think of it in Australia we had a pretty nice hotel with really got service and in Tennessee at our bed and breakfast everything was just fabulous, but that was just because the people were soooo sweet.
Big hugs from Indiana
Leontien
((Big Hugs back dear Leontien))
Can’t think of one at the moment, but I have had some very nice luxury on cruise ships!
Got a lot of catching up to do.
Hugs…
Welcome Home Sandy!
Hey, Could you please share the address of one of these hotels, I am going to New York next week of this month. I would like to recommend one of these hotel. Thanks in advance.
Peter,
Glenmere Mansion is located at 634 Pine Hill Road
Chester, NY 10918-1814
(845) 469-1900
It is a 90 minute drive from New York City.
My recent favorite is the Peabody hotel in Orlando. Those ducks are just so cute! Better than that, everything is always “just so.” The staff is attentive, appreciative, and generous. The rooms are luscious. Those little duck soaps are so CUTE! I really love the outdoor pool that is over the portico. Great staff out there, too! I might be a little prejudiced on this one, as Greg & I stayed there together, which made it especially nice! I do remember, though, that there was a miscommunication in the restaurant, and it was handled very professionally. Those details are important to me.
Years ago, I had a fantastic stay at Fiesta Americana Coral Beach, Cancun. Our room was meticulous, the pool lovely, the service stellar, and the beach right there. The food wasn’t bad, either (massive understatement!) I still RAVE over the Carmelized Goat’s Milk Flan!
Loew’s Ventana in Tucson had lovely, well-appointed rooms, and the setting was serenely beautiful, but I remember the staff was not friendly.
I think you are right. The attitude of the staff definitely spreads from the top, down. People who perceive they are treated well do tend to treat others well. I make that caveat because there are those who are not happy inside, so no matter how much good treatment they get, they don’t exude the “service” attitude.
Blessings & a Happy Thanksgiving to you, Beautiful Soul!
For me, the standout was a famous department store which used to exist here. The store was famous for treating its customers well, and people traveled here from other states to experience shopping there. It also had several wonderful restaurants inside. Its Christmas display, with a live Santa on hand, was legendary.
One day I was dressed as a hobo for a costume party at work, and I looked really awful. I walked into that department store dressed that way, and guess what? I was treated the same as every other customer. Each customer was treated like gold – it was a matter of policy.
Another time I mistakenly thought that a luggage set was being sold at a higher price than what I thought I had seen in an ad. Even though I realized when I got home that I was mistaken, that store gave me the luggage for the price I said I had seen in an ad! (And it was 50% lower than the price they intended to sell it for!)
I cried when that store closed its doors for the last time and Macy’s took it over. In fact, many people cried.
Hugs,
Betty