sUMMER 2010
celebratedliving.com
50
T
Thebesthotelsof theworld looknothing
alike.Buteachcangetyouroom-serviceeggs
—hot—within15minutesandhavestaffers
pronounceyourname—correctly—before
you’vespoken it.Howdoweknow?Weasked.
Theeditorsof
CelebratedLiving
asked
you, our readers, to listyour favoritehotels
worldwide.Wecategorized themby location
from theU.s. toAsia.Weconsidered themby
function: frombusiness to family—even lux-
urygaming.Weheard from thousandsof
you, and in thecomposite results therewasa
common thread:Excellence ispersonal.
Thedefinitionof luxury isn’tfixed. For
some, luxury isaprivatecookingclasswith
thechef at
THE DORCHESTER
inLondon followed
byameal in thenewlycreatedKrugcham-
pagnesalon, agold-platedexperience. For
others, it’s thesurpriseoffindinga family
picture in the roomat
LAS VENTANAS AL PARAÍSO
inMexico. Ineverycase, it involvespersonal
connection— from thechef to thebutler—
thatmakesastayspecial.
“Normal isnot standardanymore,”
notesAlbertHerrera, vicepresident of
hotels and resorts forVirtuoso, the luxury
networkof 6,000 travel agents and 1,000
travel providers. “You’vegot to surprise
anddelight your guests.”
In this, ourchampionsset thestandard.
When itcomes todefiningwhatmakesahotel
great,Dr.Chekitans.Dev,who teachesmar-
ketingandbrandmanagementatCornell
University’sschool ofHotelAdministration,
says that excellence requires threekeyele-
ments, startingwith“averyclear ideaof
whatamenitiesguestsvaluemost.”Next is
“service that is intuitive, proactive, anticipa-
tory, subtle, and intenselypersonal.”And,
finally, of course, ahotel needs location,
l
hotels
Hotel Del Coronado
CelebratedLiving
readershave spoken. These fine
propertiesaround theworldhavebeendeclared
thebest of thebest, andwithgood reason.
BY ELAINE GLUSAC
