Every line below is quoted as published, with its source. Lines from the two earlier books are the speaker's own words from their first person profile; lines from The Luxury of Attention are as the book records them.
Hospitality is the craft of knowing in advance what guests need and want, and at the heart of this anticipation is the notion of an unforgettable relationship between our colleagues and our guests.
Luc Delafosse, then Managing Director of Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills (United States)
The definition the new book builds its ninth chapter on.
Anticipating the needs of guests is the best way to demonstrate excellent service and to make guests feel cared for.
Axel Bethke, then General Manager of Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort by Anantara (Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates)
The general manager of Qasr Al Sarab on what anticipation does.
Conversation is the best way to understand our guests and their preferences. This is why we emphasize this topic so much when we're coaching our staff.
Axel Bethke, then General Manager of Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort by Anantara (Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates)
On where the information actually comes from.
One of the dangers of personalization is that a guest history only tells you a snapshot of time. It doesn't tell you where they are today, so you have to regularly validate certain information that you have about your guest.
Philip Barnes, then General Manager of The Savoy (London, United Kingdom)
The Savoy's general manager on the limit of the guest profile.
Every luxury brand invests in, and creates, mechanisms to track the preferences of their guests, but what sets each of them apart is how that information is used.
Amit Majumder, then General Manager of Jumeirah Vittaveli (Maldives)
On the difference between a record and a gesture.
Knowing the newspaper, beverage, bed, and other room preferences allows you to set a better stage for each guest's experience.
Pedro Dias, then General Manager of The Surrey (New York, United States)
On the small facts that set the stage.
Personalized luxury hospitality has always been about knowing a guest's preferred food or drinks, preparing the minibar, bathroom, temperature, and lighting to their liking, and noting their preferred seat at a restaurant.
Alexander Pichel, then General Manager of Hotel Indonesia Kempinski Jakarta (Indonesia)
On what personalization has always meant in practice.
In addition, extracting and documenting a guest's preferences, likes, and dislikes can only be done through authentic conversations held by well-informed frontline associates and other staff at every level of the hotel.
Taljinder Singh, then General Manager of The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai (India)
On why preferences cannot be gathered by a form.
Taking special note of a guest's preferences before and during their stay is one of the hallmarks of this industry.
Graham Ledger, then General Manager of Singita, across South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Tanzania
On the habit that defines the trade.
Giving guests a sense of privacy while still being sensitive to their needs is a fine balance because, after all, no guest wants to feel abandoned, however private they are.
Mariano Silvestri, then General Manager of Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa (Maldives)
On the line between attentive and intrusive.
Our colleagues call most of our guests by name, going the extra mile to seek out their preferences in order to provide more personalized services.
Christian A. Hassing, then General Manager of Mandarin Oriental, Singapore
On Mandarin Oriental, Singapore.
Guests should be made to feel welcomed, appreciated, and acknowledged.
Pinar Kartal Timer, then General Manager of Pera Palace Hotel, Jumeirah (Istanbul, Turkey)
The general manager of Pera Palace on the three feelings that matter.
It's the personalized attention, service, and genuine care that makes all the difference.
Gerrit Graef, then General Manager of The Ritz-Carlton, Riyadh (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia)
On what separates a luxury hotel from a hotel.
This would allow their emotional intelligence and intuition to shine so that they can engage with guests and are able to personalize the experience by turning the mundane into the memorable.
Nicholas Yarnell, then General Manager of Six Senses Douro Valley (Portugal)
On why he keeps procedures light.
Today, we can teach someone to shake the perfect martini or to read a profit and loss statement, but what we cannot teach is the human touch, and being a people person.
Aaron Kaupp, then General Manager of Le Royal Monceau, Raffles Paris (France)
The sentence the new book's eighth chapter is built around.
We're not in the business of saving lives, nor are we trying to put a man on the moon. We're trying to look after guests in the best possible way, and the one thing we can't teach is the right attitude.
Philip Barnes, then General Manager of The Savoy (London, United Kingdom)
On what a hotel is for, and what cannot be taught.
Never underestimate the power of a genuinely caring, curious and kind human interaction.
Christian A. Hassing, then General Manager of Mandarin Oriental, Singapore
On what no technology replaces.
On each visit there needs to be a fresh surprise for the guest.
Patrick O’Connell, The Inn at Little Washington (Washington, Virginia, United States)
The chef of the Inn at Little Washington on the returning guest.
On some level, the work we do is personal and creative, but we also must remember that we are in the business of hospitality, where the experience and opinions of guests also deserve a voice.
Niki Nakayama, n/naka (Los Angeles, California, United States)
The chef of n/naka on the guest's place in a creative kitchen.
In a competitive market like Dubai, it is our colleagues, the service they deliver, and the emotional bonds they develop with our guests that differentiate us from the competition.
Ayman Gharib, then General Manager of Raffles Dubai and Sofitel Dubai Wafi (United Arab Emirates)
Raffles Dubai's general manager on what competes.
When a luxury experience goes wrong, you need to correct it, and compensate without question.
Anneke Brown, then General Manager of COMO The Treasury (Perth, Australia)
On the moment the guest is let down.
Take the time to genuinely hear a complaint, and empathize with that frustration. Listening is half the battle.
Alexander Pichel, then General Manager of Hotel Indonesia Kempinski Jakarta (Indonesia)
On the first step of every recovery.