Staying at a hotel is no longer just about a good bed, marble bathrooms, rainforest showers and high thread count sheets.
Even things like bath butlers and pillow concierges are no longer notable in their own right.
Bernard de Villele has been running luxury hotels for two decades, and is now in charge of the long-awaited St. Regis Mauritius, he says it’s all about “un grand moment”.
He says the hectic global lifestyle of today’s elite travelers means children come on vacation craving to reconnect with their busy parents, and busy parent are longing to get to know better their overscheduled offspring.
Putting fun into luxury, the hotel has developed ‘pet amenities’. That is actually amenities for stuffed animal pets. For a rabbit, a lifelike marzipan carrot, for a stuffed cat – a mouse.
Or, for fans of Iron Chef, guests can order up an Inspiration Dinner where the hotel’s kitchen becomes the ‘kitchen of the guest’. A chef comes to your room or suite in early afternoon, and you order up whatever you want be it something your grandmother cooked for you when you were young or an elaborate banquet. Five hours later the St. Regis chef will serve your custom dinner to you and your party at a special chef’s table.
The big moments have been big hits. Even though the property just opened in November, St. Regis Mauritius was picked by German travel company Hideaways as one of its top resorts at its annual awards during the ITB in Berlin.
www.stregismauritius.com