Lavish Luxury for A-List Hotel Guests

May 17, 2007 — -- When you're a somebody, it's no fun being mistaken for a nobody. So if the luxury hotel you're checking into fails to connect the dots, it's unlikely that you'll be returning anytime soon.

Avoiding such situations is one of the main reasons why top hotels are able to maintain their appeal to the desirable of society.

Whether they're millionaire bankers or pop's newest starlets, chances are the hotel has its eyes on them as soon as they disembark the airplane.

"We have our limo drivers call 10 minutes out so we make sure we're ready to escort high-profile arrivals to the check-in desk," said Cory Ray, one of three guest relation managers at the Beverly Wilshire in Beverly Hills.

"We'll also give them a call three days prior to arrival to make any last minute arrangements and learn their kids' or pets' names," said Ray, whose job it is to ensure that VIPs and high-paying guests feel the benefit of their social standing.

The Beverly Wilshire sits along Wilshire Boulevard at the south end of Rodeo Drive. Immortalized by the 1990 film "Pretty Woman," it's one of the city's most upscale hotels in an exclusive part of town. The valet area is awash with Bentleys and Rolls Royces. President Bush stayed in the penthouse last year. Larry King visits the hotel gym every morning. It's that kind of place.

"We have to be everything to everyone, and with guests whose profile and demographic varies so massively we need to be able to adapt," said Radha Arora, regional vice president and general manager of the hotel. "Our staff are hired on their savvy not their industry experience."

Setting a Fashion Standard

First impressions, said Arora, are what make the difference. Impeccably dressed, Arora makes a good one. A tailor-made gray Zegna suit, offset with a blue checked shirt and bright orange Hermes tie. He sets the standard by which his staff aspire to match and explains that his experience working three years in the "aloha culture" of Hawaii is the reason he promotes an atmosphere where evidence of staff members' individual personalities is encouraged rather than suppressed.

Each morning, the staff gather for a meeting at which the day's incoming guests are discussed. To qualify for mention at one of these meetings, the guest needs to be famous, gloriously rich or a recurring fixture at the hotel. Attention is drawn to so-called high expectation guests to ensure that staff members are particularly vigilant and do not fluff their lines.

"We had a well-known singer who wasn't feeling well, so we covered her four poster bed with plastic sheets and placed a humidifier inside," said Katherine Petty, who handles the hotel's public relations.

Surely, the star must have been overcome with gratitude at receiving such special attention?

"Well, she comes back," said Petty with a wry smile.

Luxury hotels all have their own way of reminding special guests of the esteem in which they are held. A recent Wall Street Journal story reported the Peninsula Beverly Hills' tendency to lavish preferred customers with extravagant gifts -- ranging from made-to-order suits worth thousands of dollars to pillowcases embossed with the guest's initials. The managing director of the Peninsula, Ali Kasikci, reportedly casts his eye over guests and judges their status through what they wear and how they wear it. The Beverly Wilshire operates rather differently.

"We aim not to be too judgmental and encroach on the personal being," said Arora while gesticulating with a left arm clad with a Jaeger LeCoultre watch so sturdy it could be used to anchor a ship. "Sometimes the wealthiest of guests will be the most understated."

Getting Personal With Thoughtful Gifts

Adding the personal touch to a person's visit is the objective. Arora says that he is always wary of avoiding the impression that the hotel is bidding for guests and prefers thoughtful gifts to overtlyexpensive ones.

On Oscar night, the staff makes sure they know which awards the stars staying at the hotel are nominated for and, if successful, the star will find a signed card and champagne waiting in their room. If a notable guest's visit extends over his or her birthday, then Arora's staff will see that the occasion is not forgotten. It is the small details that makes people come back, Arora said.

The likes and dislikes of the hotel's regulars are kept on file, and the staff do their best to tap into the way particular guests think. If all of this sounds rather clandestine, Arora was keen to point out that these files are compiled from each guest's stay at the hotel rather than other sources.

"We get to know them face to face and don't do behind-the-scenes research," said Arora, who periodically travels to sister hotels to both gather new techniques and share his expertise. "That would be spooky."

But there are some perks that, no matter how unusual, apply to many of the hotel's VIP guests.

Visiting oil magnates from Saudi Arabia are provided with prayer mats, a copy of the Koran and a compass so they feel at home in the Western world. A secret elevator is on hand to whisk celebrities away from the prying eyes of paparazzi who gather on the curb outside. If the bed's too soft, then bed boards will be added.

According to Petty, one regular finds the bathroom tiles too cold so that person insists that the floor is covered with bathmats prior to arrival. It seems rational thinking and wealth do not necessarily go hand in hand.

"We have one gentleman with a pet parakeet," said Petty. "It just sits on his shoulder from when he checks in until when he checks out."

On one recent morning, like every other, the Beverly Wilshire was awash with activity. As new arrivals pull up in their Mercedes Benzes, staff were on hand to assist. Whether they were discussed at the morning meeting is not clear, and it is the hotel's aim that their preplanning is never perceptible.

Throughout all the hullabaloo, Arora remained as unruffled as the designer handkerchief protruding from his breast pocket.

"He's an iconic personality in an iconic property," said Petty, as Arora left to catch the 4 p.m. flight to Paris.