The Society is currently running a series where we’re studying and reviewing the best of the best in luxury accommodations and discovering what they have to offer.

Loews Hotels are a luxury hotel organization focused on providing comfort for every member of the family. These renowned hotels are located throughout the United States and always stay consistent in their offerings, making every experience luxurious and familiar.
Loews stands apart in the hotel industry by offering an assortment of amenities and gifts to provide an easy and relaxing family vacation. The hotel prides itself off the motto, “the family that stays together, plays together,” and it stands by its word. For the young tots, the hotel provides Fisher-Price welcome gifts and delicious and healthy children’s menus, while teenagers can receive hotel backpacks and access to a special closet jam-packed with DVDs and Gameboys.
Finally, it wouldn’t be a real family vacation without beloved Fido, which is why Loews accepts dogs and cats with open arms. Your pet will be greeted with a treat and a bowl, while beds, leashes and collars are also available at your leisure. Additionally, each hotel will provide information on the best trails and routes to take your pet for a leisurely walk.
Loews Hotels go above and beyond to provide the ultimate hotel experience for the entire family.

The Society is currently running a series where we’re studying and reviewing the best of the best in luxury accommodations and discovering what they have to offer.

In a recent article featured on hopitality.net Leora Lanz, the Director of Marketing at HVS (an international hospitality services firm), points out the often overlooked, but relatively obvious: it’s becoming harder and harder (for independent hotels) to compete with branded properties that benefit from sales and marketing opportunities offered by franchises. The vacation rental industry can relate right?

After all, each property managerment company is given the task to provide a full service experience with a quarter of the staff and often times a tenth of the budget. It appears the independent hotels have experienced the same thing. So what can we learn?

1. Economies of Scale

For our first example let’s use Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH). They have “an unsurpassed collection of over 440 hotels spanning more than 70 countries, which together offer an infinite variety of experiences tailored especially to you.” By aggregating these hotels they have been able to partner with some very large distribution networks such as American Express travel, the Financial Times, not to mention they’ve received rewards from publications from like Travel + Leisure. These types of activities are very difficult to obtain as an independent. In fact, nearly impossible, but by participating under one brand it has brought global recognition to 100s of properties.

2. Differentiation

The Society is currently running a series where we’re studying and reviewing the best of the best in luxury accommodations and discovering what they have to offer.

The W Hotel group is known for their creative luxury and all around exquisite concierge service that is dedicated to your every need. Their innovative amenities and attention to detail make each stay at this hotel a memorable experience.

The W Hotel groups focuses on the little aspects of luxury that provide supreme comfort for its guests. One of the most creative aspects of the hotel is the W2GO, which offers a gourmet meal to go for travelers who have flights to catch. Not only does it provide a delicious meal, but it also includes “W in-flight entertainment”—a fun game or trinket to keep travelers busy on their flights.
The Sweet Dreams Pillow Menu is another feature of the W Hotels that is bound to not only cause a smile on traveler’s faces, but provide a delightful amount of comfort as well. Guests can chose from a body pillow, neck roll, firm foam PrimaLoft pillow or 100% goose down feather pillow. As their website quotes, “Think of it as sweet dreams delivered right to your door.”
Finally, there is the whatever/whenever promise, meaning that no matter what your request, the hotel will deliver. As their website proclaims, “Whatever you want. Whenever you want it (as long as it’s legal).”

In The Society’s efforts to provide world class luxury experiences while staying in vacation rentals, we study many of the leaders in various luxury travel industries. Destination Clubs are most definitely one of those categories and they are leading the way in providing ultimate experiences. Most recently one of the leaders in the industry, Exclusive Resorts, has been recognized as an “icon and innovator” in the January 2008 Robb Report. The company has over 3,000 members, 350 residences and 125 more in development.

The Helium Report offers many articles and evaluations of various Destination Clubs, Residence Clubs and Condo Hotels around the globe. There are obvious advantages to these clubs. To name a few:

• Travelers have access to a wide variety of luxurious residences
• They have eliminated the headache of owning a second home
• They are leaders in service – many times offering 24 concierge services and privileged access to private beaches, golf courses, and more

Destination Clubs are standardizing the experience and luxury travelers are buying into these clubs just for that promise. No longer does a luxury traveler have to wonder if their vacation home will have a concierge or a chef or a butler. They have it all together in one package. Very compelling eh?

Would more people choose to travel via luxury vacation rentals if they were guaranteed to have consistent world-class service? Would more homeowners rent out their second homes if they had trusted property managers providing superb management services?

In The Society’s quest for delivering the highest quality vacation rental experience, we are publishing a series entitled: “Success Leaves a Crumb Trail”. Over the next several months, The Society will feature organizations that consistently distinguish themselves as leaders in luxury.

Mandarin Oriental Hotels are known throughout the world as being committed to exceptional service and the utmost in luxury accommodations. They are located in 23 countries, and stands by their goal of becoming “widely recognized as the best luxury hotel group in the world.”

The San Francisco Mandarin Oriental is one of the top hotels in San Francisco and boasts spectacular views of both the Golden Gate Bridge and the dazzling Bay area. Its top accommodation is the Taipan Suite, which boasts incredible city views, a private terrace, and a Swarovski telescope for your viewing pleasure. The suite is just over 2000 square feet and represents the finest in technology with flat panel televisions, high-speed Internet and International Direct Dial telephones. Additionally, the Mandarin offers Frette Egyptian cotton sheets, binoculars and an in-room personal safe.

Hotels have historically led the way in diamond standard luxury, but The Society is committed to creating a marketplace where consumers can experience the same luxuries of a hotel, all within the privacy of a vacation rental.

In The Society’s quest for delivering the highest quality vacation rental experience, we are publishing a series entitled: “Success Leaves a Crumb Trail”. Over the next several months, The Society will feature organizations that consistently distinguish themselves as leaders in luxury.

The St. Regis Hotel is undoubtedly one of the most luxurious hotels in the world and is committed to the utmost in hospitality and excellence. Located throughout the world, the hotels are renowned for their impeccable personal service that is both discreet and “flawlessly delivered.”

It is the extremely dedicated concierge service though, which makes this hotel a force to be reckoned with. The St. Regis makes a point to remember any personal requests, even personal likes and dislikes, in order to better serve their guests in the future. No request is taboo in this hotel, as the staff is ready to serve each and every need of their residents. The luxury amenities include 24-hour room service, twice daily housekeeping, safe deposit boxes, baby-sitting and even an overnight shoeshine service.

Transportation will also never be a problem for guests at these luxurious hotels. At the St. Regis Aspen, for example, guests are met at the Sardy Field airport and then transferred quickly to the hotel, compliments of the St. Regis. Additionally, as Lexus is the ‘Preferred Vehicle’ of the St. Regis Resort, the vehicles are available for any guest’s transportation.