By Monita Rajpa
I'm not fussy. Nor am I particularly demanding. But when it comes to
where I rest my head when I'm not home, there are certain basics that I
need before I can rest comfortably.
Hotels are a regular part of my living experience as my job takes me to various parts of the world. There are some hotels that make you feel so comfortable that you really don't want to leave. I had that experience while I was in India earlier this year. I spent two weeks in one hotel in New Delhi and it was fabulous. I've also had the opportunity to experience a so-called boutique hotel in Geneva, which was exquisite.
Right on Lake Geneva, the welcome we got was warm and while the room was
ultra-modern with dark, sleek furniture, I felt very comfortable.
Then there are Bed and Breakfasts. I actually really enjoy them. For me, they are the closest to feeling at home. There was one that I stayed at while working in the Orkney Islands in Scotland. It was attached to a local pub. It was very basic but very clean and they had their own little touches that made it quite comfortable. Homemade cookies were
placed in the room for the guests so that after a long day we could relax with a nice cup of tea and cookies. I love that! So for me, it's not about the bells and whistles of designer taps and sheets or a butler on standby. For me, it's about attention to the details of cleanliness, simplicity, and a feeling of being comfortable enough to relax because, even though it isn't your home, it shouldn't feel like a museum or, on the other side, a backpacker's hostel (no offence to the backpackers out there).
It is quite difficult to please everyone. Legendary hotelier Sol Kerzner's motto is to “blow away the customer.” For him, it's worth the expense to have fresh flowers in his hotels everyday along with the latest high tech gadgetry. Even with massive projects like the multi-thousand room Atlantis resort casino in the Bahamas – with rates
ranging from 500 USD to 5000 USD a night – it comes down to individual taste,
the purpose of your visit, and how you want to feel. But when you really
look at it, it really comes down to one thing: comfort. There are those who are comfortable with all the excess that money can buy and those that are just as happy with simplicity.
Arrigo Cipriani of Harry's Bar and Cipriani restaurants told me that there is a difference between service and taking care of your customer. He believes that taking care of the customer without imposing on them is the key to a successful business. He should know. His father, Giuseppe Cipriani believed that service is the most important value in one's life. Arrigo Cipriani told me that when his father still owned Hotel Cipriani in Venice, what set them apart was the feeling his guests would have when they stayed there. Giuseppe Sr told his son that when guests closed their eyes, they still could feel the room, the sheets, the mattress, and it was that feeling that stayed with them. It was he who began the Cipriani empire with the tiny 350 square foot Harry's Bar in
Venice. Today there are more than a dozen restaurants globally. Giuseppe's grandson (who shares his name) is taking the family back into the hospitality arena by launching luxury-serviced apartments in New York and Miami. They are not cheap (up to three million USD for an apartment) but again, the Ciprianis say what you're paying for isn't just the bricks or the bed you lie in, it's about that feeling of being looked after.
There are many in hospitality that will say that the core of their
business is service. And while that sounds elementary, not everyone has
perfected it. For me, service isn't about constant attention to me; it's about the attention to details, whether I'm at a five star hotel or at a little B&B in a small coastal town. For me, the mark of a truly great stay is just knowing that those that own and work at these places care for and take care of their establishment. That is a true measure of how much they will care for and take care of me.
Am I asking for too much?
Watch Monita on CNN’s Art of Life on the fourth weekend of every months. Log onto HYPERLINK "http://www.cnn.com/artoflife" www.cnn.com/artoflife for programme times.
