Pascale Le Draoulec, Forbes.com
A massage in your private suite? Been there, done that.
How about getting a hot stone treatment in your own private gazebo, that's perched on a cliff, while watching breaching whales behind crashing Atlantic rollers?
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The stakes are high in the luxury travel world: Hotels at the top tier are opening at rapid-fire pace, and, according to Jan Freitag, a consultant at Smith Travel Research, luxe resorts like the above-mentioned whale-friendly Twelve Apostles Hotel and Spa, near Capetown, South Africa, are "in a constant arms race" to woo rich, jaded travelers.
Knowing this, the architect-owner of the Jade Mountain resort on St. Lucia decided to one-up the "room with a view" concept by doing away with the fourth wall in select suites, thereby offering guests a dramatic viewing of the island's twin Pitons. The rooms quite literally open up on to the bay, while still allowing for complete privacy.
These are the kinds of unique experiences today's premiere traveler is seeking, says Matthew Brace, author of Heaven's Gate: Confessions of a Luxury Hotel Addict.
"They want something that's personal, authentic and, the more remote, the better," he says. "The travel herd moves on very quickly, and yesterday's beautiful paradise could become tomorrow's mass-market travel destination."
Expert Opinion Brace, a travel writer, is one of many luxury travel experts we tapped to draw up a list of the 11 Most Exclusive Hotels in the world. Our picks were deemed exclusive by virtue of their price point, their uniqueness and/or remoteness.
We also sought input from the Leading Hotels of the World, Ltd., a global grouping of 450 hotels cherry-picked for the discerning traveler (three of the groups properties made this list). The 81-year-old organization seeks out iconic getaways that offer travelers a peerless, authentic and elegant experience and where value trumps gimmickry.
Few hotels are more iconic than longtime member The Ritz, in Paris. For more than a century, the Ritz, designed by the architect of the Versailles Palace, has dazzled guests--from Marcel Proust to Coco Chanel--with its legendary service (three staff members for every lucky guest), and with such finery as rococo solid gold faucets in its opulent bathrooms.
Brian Stacey, director of Tauck World Discovery, which specializes in luxury escorted travel, says while gold faucets may appeal to one kind of luxury traveler, another type of luxury traveler "wants to blend into the environment. They want a hotel to appeal to all their senses."
Mission accomplished at the Clayoquot Wilderness Camp & Spa in Tofino, B.C.--a remote wilderness destination that offers all the pampering luxuries of a five-star urban hotel in the middle of, well, bear country. Ultra-chic white canvas tents boast ample fireplaces, Persian rugs and four-poster beds with feather duvets--all perfect for relaxing after a day of river kayaking and surfing.
Service Sells Whether they are in Paris or Punta Mita, what these premiere hotels have in common, says Brace, is that they are returning to "a golden age of service."
Many first-class hotels are realizing that where they can make a difference is not with larger plunge pools, but by increasing the staff-to-guest ratio. At the The Oberoi Udaivilas in Udaipur, India, for example, suite guests have their own personal butler.
"The best butlers are the ones who know how to advance and retreat like the tide," says Brace, who has encountered quite a few in his travels. "They let you know that everything you could possibly desire is just a phone call away, but they are not in your face."
Many heavy hitters keep returning to Curtain Bluff in Antigua, an intimate all-inclusive, precisely for its personal touch: The resort has been owned by the same couple for over 45 years. Though Howard Mulford passed away earlier this year, his wife, Michelle, carries on the couple's tradition of inviting all resort guests up to her bluff-top terrace for cocktails on Friday nights. Most of the staff have been there for decades.
It feels like family and, for many well-heeled guests, that personal touch means more than Vichy jets.
Source:http://in.news.yahoo.com
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