Virtuoso Life - May/June 2008 - (Page 36) LUXE REPORT ASK THE EXPERTS How do I best use a hotel concierge? In each issue VIRTUOSO LIFE’s editorial advisory board, a dozen of the most celebrated travel advisors in the industry, gives tips on how to get the most from your vacation. » Concierges are excellent resources, but tours often aren’t their strength; plan tours and transfers with your travel advisor beforehand. » Have your travel advisor make contact with the concierge as soon as you finalize your plans. A week or two ahead of time is often too late for seats at popular shows and restaurants. » Find out who the head concierge is and introduce yourself on arrival; developing a relationship is everything. » Always make new requests in person; don’t just call from your room. » Be candid about what you want and what you’ll pay: If a concierge works three hours to clear orchestra seats and you want the least expensive option, you’ve abused them. » Concierges are typically excellent for recommending a city’s newest and best restaurants, but beware of those who suggest options without first asking about your tastes. » Don’t ask for room upgrades; they don’t control that. » Always give feedback; it helps them make future recommendations for you and other hotel guests. » Tip. Have a question for our panel? Send it to VLeditors@virtuosolife.com. The Chef’s Room. PRIX FIXE ROOM AND BOARD At The Chef’s Room, the new 20-seat restaurant fashioned from the 1925 vintage library at Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek in Dallas, John Tesar brings the Continent closer to Texas. Meals start European-style in the salon with canapés (king crab BLTs, tomato concassé with pesto) and end, in American spirit, with homemade candies (marshmallows, toffees, lollipops) presented on a silver tray and bagged as a parting gift. The seven-course seafood tasting menu starts at $145. HIGH STYLE Kit Cachet To complement the sleep suits, slippers, and white duvets handed out in first class on , Emirates, the Dubai-based airline introduces Bulgari leather amenity kits loaded with the line’s Red Tea aftershave and body lotion for him, and face cream and perfume for her. Business-class flyers receive similarly stocked fabric bags, also by Bulgari. 36 V I RT U O S O L I F E
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