This was a wonderful article. I just joined and have really just started digging into what this app offers.
I am the GM for a private membership club without an amenity like a golf course attached. Hospitality is the only service we truly serve. I look forward to reading more by you and expand my knowledge base of the industry!
Thank you for reading John, so happy that you found your way to Substack! Your hospitality-first approach sounds great. I recently wrote a piece on private members’ clubs, would love to hear your thoughts on that one, too.
A beautiful read and Agneta sounded so lovely. I loved what she said at the end that’s it up to the front of house to pass on that interpersonal boost to others. A really compassionate perspective! 🤍
Your account of Hotell S:t Clemens is a useful counterexample to the idea that a better guest experience comes from making everything more formal. The staff know the place, notice the person in front of them, and pass the good moments back through the team. SOPs can support consistency, as you say, but they cannot manufacture the unhurried attention that makes the hotel feel like home. I am still thinking about where the boundary sits: which parts should be remembered and shared, and which should be left to the person who is actually there?
What I find most interesting is that the “luxury” here comes from attention rather than excess. Presence, memory and genuine human warmth are difficult to scale precisely because they lose something when they become a checklist. Being in Stockholm, this really resonated with me because the city does beautiful design and atmosphere incredibly well, but genuine warmth and attentiveness can often feel like the missing layer. Hopefully more hotels here take note: the most memorable hospitality is often the simplest. I love your work so much!
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts!! And I’ve noticed the same - I went to Stockholm straight from Gotland and stayed at Nobis which is my go-to in the city, but the change in how genuine service was was so noticeable :’) I’m so glad you enjoy it here at tPH <3
A truly lovely read, Emma! To answer your question, “where in the world you have felt most welcome” — I was in London staying at St James Court by Taj, it isn’t a boutique property but the personalised service from their FOH staff and their concierge felt so delightful. What happened was this: We reached the hotel super early (around 8:30 AM) after a red-eye flight from India. Ofcourse a room wasn’t available at that time because it was several hours before check-in time. Instead of sending us out in the wild to “explore the city in the meantime” they pointed out that nothing meaningful would be open that early and promptly escorted us to their breakfast buffet and seated us in a quaintly hidden courtyard. Later, their concierge suggested we move our Bicester Village shopping day on our itinerary forward since it was a Friday, the crowds would be less, and if we took the morning train out to Bicester Village we’d reach there by 11 AM when stores would just be opening. Fantastic reasoning tbh. He even mapped the route, stations etc. for us. Overall, it ended up being a veryyy good use of our time!
Thank you so much for reading Sharuya! I’ve heard great things about Taj hotels and this makes me want to stay at one even more. Thank you for sharing, sounds like lovely service <3
This was a wonderful article. I just joined and have really just started digging into what this app offers.
I am the GM for a private membership club without an amenity like a golf course attached. Hospitality is the only service we truly serve. I look forward to reading more by you and expand my knowledge base of the industry!
Thank you for reading John, so happy that you found your way to Substack! Your hospitality-first approach sounds great. I recently wrote a piece on private members’ clubs, would love to hear your thoughts on that one, too.
Like the best things in life, this just can't be bought. It's cultural. It's a mindset. Well written :)
It’s very rare to come across something this crystal clear! And thank you so much Jeffrey :)
A beautiful read and Agneta sounded so lovely. I loved what she said at the end that’s it up to the front of house to pass on that interpersonal boost to others. A really compassionate perspective! 🤍
Thank you for reading Blake, and she was such a gem! She was hospitality on legs
Your account of Hotell S:t Clemens is a useful counterexample to the idea that a better guest experience comes from making everything more formal. The staff know the place, notice the person in front of them, and pass the good moments back through the team. SOPs can support consistency, as you say, but they cannot manufacture the unhurried attention that makes the hotel feel like home. I am still thinking about where the boundary sits: which parts should be remembered and shared, and which should be left to the person who is actually there?
What I find most interesting is that the “luxury” here comes from attention rather than excess. Presence, memory and genuine human warmth are difficult to scale precisely because they lose something when they become a checklist. Being in Stockholm, this really resonated with me because the city does beautiful design and atmosphere incredibly well, but genuine warmth and attentiveness can often feel like the missing layer. Hopefully more hotels here take note: the most memorable hospitality is often the simplest. I love your work so much!
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts!! And I’ve noticed the same - I went to Stockholm straight from Gotland and stayed at Nobis which is my go-to in the city, but the change in how genuine service was was so noticeable :’) I’m so glad you enjoy it here at tPH <3
Time to plan another Sweden trip
You and me both my friend
A great read!
Thank you for being here Brandon!
A truly lovely read, Emma! To answer your question, “where in the world you have felt most welcome” — I was in London staying at St James Court by Taj, it isn’t a boutique property but the personalised service from their FOH staff and their concierge felt so delightful. What happened was this: We reached the hotel super early (around 8:30 AM) after a red-eye flight from India. Ofcourse a room wasn’t available at that time because it was several hours before check-in time. Instead of sending us out in the wild to “explore the city in the meantime” they pointed out that nothing meaningful would be open that early and promptly escorted us to their breakfast buffet and seated us in a quaintly hidden courtyard. Later, their concierge suggested we move our Bicester Village shopping day on our itinerary forward since it was a Friday, the crowds would be less, and if we took the morning train out to Bicester Village we’d reach there by 11 AM when stores would just be opening. Fantastic reasoning tbh. He even mapped the route, stations etc. for us. Overall, it ended up being a veryyy good use of our time!
Thank you so much for reading Sharuya! I’ve heard great things about Taj hotels and this makes me want to stay at one even more. Thank you for sharing, sounds like lovely service <3