Luxury Travel Advisor - September 2007 - (Page 91) LEADERS SPEAK Stephen Alden Chief Executive Officer Maybourne Hotel Group Stephen Alden is no stranger to the world of luxury. Prior to joining Maybourne Hotel Group (www.maybourne.com), which includes The Berkeley, Claridge’s and The Connaught, all in London, he served as senior vice president of the St. Regis and The Luxury Collection brands at Starwood Hotels & Resorts. In this role, Alden was directly responsible for the global strategic development, operations coordination and marketing of St. Regis Hotels & Resorts and The Luxury Collection. At Maybourne, Alden is spearheading a program of continual enhancement of the existing portfolio of hotels in London while focusing on the expansion of the group with iconic hotels in key global gateway cities. What’s your best travel memory? Long weekends in Ravello, a beautiful town on the hillside overlooking the magnificent Amalfi Coast. What was your first, most luxurious experience in a hotel? One of the most striking memories I have is the first time I ordered a cappuccino at the Caffé Doney on the Via Veneto in Rome. The crisp, white-jacketed waiter and the energy of the Via Veneto epitomized café society, and I was wide-eyed and delighted at being part of it. Define luxury service for us. Intuitive service is the next level of service. It is the most personalized and the most difficult type of service to duplicate if it is not inherent in a hotel’s culture. Delivering it requires a long tradition of experience in super luxury hospitality and a progressive management style. Hotel associates know instinctively how to recognize guests, what style of service to adopt in a particular situation and what a guest’s next request might be. What’s the affluent traveler in London looking for these days? Art, real estate, fashion, bespoke tailoring, auctions at Christie’s and Royal Ascot. How can a hotel serve as an entertainment venue for a guest? A hotel is almost like a small village—it offers a warm welcome, art, a rich display of interior design and a range of gastronomic experiences. You can sense the pulse of a hotel from the energy you feel in its public spaces. That in itself is sheer entertainment. What’s your favorite non-Maybourne Hotel Group property? Having moved to London just a year ago, my family and I have enjoyed exploring the English countryside. The retreat which we find ourselves returning to is the Four Seasons Hampshire, located in a Georgian manor house in the spectacular English countryside. The rolling hills and historical gardens make it an ideal setting. STEPHEN ALDEN, CEO of Maybourne Hotel Group, in the lobby of Claridge’s. Are you seeing growth in multigenerational travel? How are your hotels accommodating it? Absolutely…this is one of the growing trends we see across our industry. The restoration of The Connaught is a great example of how Maybourne is addressing this particular trend. Our plans call for more family-friendly guest rooms and suites with connectivity, comfortable dining space in the suites, bespoke children’s programs and pre-arrival consultations arranged by our concierges to help plan itineraries. Will Maybourne expand? Yes, that is one of our priorities at the moment. We are focused on building on our position as the mar- ket leader in managing and operating ultra-luxury hotels. We see the next Maybourne properties being located in major gateway cities. Is there any other news about your hotel company our readers should know about? Maybourne’s view is strategic and focused on long-term sustainability. Very few people will know that when we closed The Connaught in April we maintained every one of our staff on a full-time basis through to our opening in December. This has been a bold and much-respected decision, and we have never looked back. Besides the iconic buildings, it is our people that bring out the true personality of the hotel. www.luxuryta.com September 2007 | LUXURY TRAVEL ADVISOR 91 http://www.maybourne.com http://www.luxuryta.com
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