Lessons in luxury
What to learn from New York City’s world-leading hotel industry
Amidst the urban jungle of New York City’s high-rise landscape exist some of the most famous and distinguished hotels in the world. The Fairmont’s Plaza, the Waldorf Astoria, the St Regis, the Four Seasons, the Ritz-Carlton, the Baccarat, the Langham – all gracefully jostle for position as global leaders in luxury and service.
The world in which they operate is ever changing. Definitions of ‘luxury’ are evolving; a new generation of guests is coming to the table; service expectations are rising all the time. But perhaps the most significant and transformative recent impact on the hotel industry has been that of Covid-19. So what does ‘luxury’ really mean in the hotel industry today?
We’re taking a tour through five key pointers inspired by a range of New York hotels – from the ultra-luxurious to the hyper-convenient. For this, we’re joined by the Regional Director of Sales and Marketing at the Langham Hotels and Resorts: Victoria Batten.
1. Make a statement
Despite there being over 700 hotels in New York, the most distinguished in the city are able to own a unique identity and selling point.
For the Baccarat, true to its name, this statement is one of grandiose opulence; every ceiling is adorned with an extravagant chandelier; every menu recommends caviar and champagne.
For CitizenM, meanwhile – a hotel on the ‘convenient’ end of the spectrum – the offering is very different. Just two blocks from Times Square, CitizenM can happily claim to be the most affordable hotel in the neighbourhood. Affordable, but never compromising on quality.
What does Victoria say?
“What we find at the Langham here in New York City is that location is everything. Our guests are interested in more than just the hotel, and the fact that we’re the only hotel with an entrance on Fifth Avenue is something to be celebrated.
“As part of the Langham brand, we also have a range of ‘signatures’ in each of our 25 hotels. One of these is making sure that every hotel has a landmark bar – bars that guests will travel for to visit, and seek to collect.”
2. Welcome new guests
In the world of luxury hotels, guest loyalty keeps business ticking over. However, this is an area that has been deeply disrupted by the Pandemic. Especially in the business hubs of Midtown Manhattan, hotels are seeing a change in their clientele away from business tourism, and towards leisure tourism.
Meanwhile, a fresh generation of travellers and luxury-seekers is coming to the table. The most successful hotel brands are responding to new needs and reaching out to new audiences.
What does Victoria say?
“At the Langham, we’ve seen our clientele change from being about a 50/50 split between business and leisure before the Pandemic, to about 20/80 now. So of course, we’re always open to building relationships with new guests.
“One of our best opportunities for this is in our food and drink services. When people come here for a meal, or maybe for our signature afternoon tea, that allows us to introduce them to the Langham. Perhaps next time, they’ll stay with us. But even if not, we hope to create a lasting impression.
“At the Langham, we don’t consider ourselves a ‘young brand’, so we’re not necessarily seeking to align with Gen Z trends. Everyone is welcome, of course. That said, we’re seeing new services and clubs pop up for the younger generation all the time in New York. There’s Soho House and DUMBO House, and there’s also the case of Equinox in Hudson Yards. Equinox is a luxury fitness club, but during the Pandemic they created a flagship Equinox Hotel that looks out over the Hudson. So businesses are definitely evolving in the city to accommodate new needs and combine new services.”
3. Bring the indulgence
Even among the lower cost hotels of New York, there is a general trend in the city of never cutting corners. In CitizenM’s Times Square location, for example, small room sizes are off-set by a signature rooftop bar, a generous ground-floor workspace, and an intuitive self-service check-in that is sold as a value-add (not a cost-cut). Even in areas where the brand has saved money, guests are never made to feel as though they’re compromising.
At the higher value end, New York’s luxury market seems to adhere to a safe policy of ‘the bigger the better’. Certainly this is true of the Baccarat Hotel, whose extravagant décor, formal service and obscene price-lists leave guests in no doubt that they are VIPs.
At all ends of the spectrum, the extra luxuries make the difference.
What does Victoria say?
“At the Langham New York, we’ve very recently opened our ‘Langham Club’ room. This is a space for a select few of our guests – those who are staying in certain rooms. Here, they can come and take their breakfast, a coffee or a cocktail in a more private space, away from the other guests. Even though we’ll never have more than 40 people in this room in a day, it’s worth running a full-time, full team here, because it ensures the experience is always special.”
4. Anticipate the need
American hospitality is famed the world over; the USA knows how to run services. This is particularly true of the luxury hotels of New York City, which – aside from their awe-inspiring views, spacious rooms and extravagant menus – prioritise customer service above all else. The essence of this seems to be in anticipating customers’ needs before they even arise.
What does Victoria say?
“One of the most important things that we do at the Langham is anticipate customers’ needs. In each room we provide guests with a fruit bowl every day, but if a guest hasn’t touched it for a few days, we might replace the bowl with a different gift. Or, if we have a solo guest who always sleeps on one side of the bed, we’ll make sure that we focus on that side during turn-down service.
“It’s important to offer these small gestures of personal service, even if the guests never notice them directly. To help us run a service of this standard, we have a central CRM book, in which we make a note of any relevant interests or preferences that the guests may have.
“In our most recent guest survey, we found that 81% of our guests said that they had a faultless stay with us, which is just great. For the remaining 19% who did encounter small difficulties, our staff are specifically trained to handle these situations. We have a ‘turning oops into wow’ training session to make sure we never miss an opportunity to delight our guests.”
5. Tell a story
New York is a city full of character, history and life – and the city’s luxury hotels are an important part of this social fabric. With their own histories to tell and statements to make, New York’s hotels are perhaps most talented at drawing out distinctive stories about their origins and values. These are more than just places to spend the night; they are places to socialise, learn, reflect, be inspired and be indulged.
Even the lower-budget hotel can be adept at doing this. CitizenM, for example, has cultivated a distinctive tone of voice – establishing a world in which all guests are ‘citizens’; active participants in the hotel experience of rest and rejuvenation.
More historic hotels like the Plaza, meanwhile, bring their stories to life by celebrating the distinguishing role they’ve played in the development of New York City.
What does Victoria say?
“Although there are 25 Langham Hotels around the world, we work to make each one distinctive and true to its place setting. Here in New York, we do a number of things to bring the city into the hotel. The artwork on our walls, for example, has all been created by local artists. In fact, we’ve created a QR audio tour for the artworks, so that guests can take themselves on a self-guided tour.
“The key is in telling a story that is specific to New York, but that also retains the Langham brand integrity. One of the gifts that we give here are little cookies, shaped like some of New York’s landmarks, but we always give them in pink, as this is the Langham’s core brand colour.
“The building that we have here is relatively new – it was only built ten years ago – so we’re respecting that by keeping our fixtures and fittings relatively contemporary. Above all, it’s important to retain the authenticity of place.”
In a city and industry that is leading the way in global luxury, the defining lessons are clear: make a statement, welcome new guests, bring the indulgence, anticipate the need, and tell a story. While these principles come direct from New York’s hotels, they apply to luxury across categories. It is simply up to individual brands to decide how they interpret these principles.
With thanks to Victoria Batten for her helpful guidance and invaluable insight. Victoria is a seasoned hotelier, having started her career working for the Dorchester Collection in the UK, before working for a time as Marketing Director for Berkeley Homes – transferring her knowledge of luxury travel to luxury living. Since then, she has worked for Langham both based in the UK and here in New York, where she leads the regional sales and marketing teams for Langham Hotels in North America.
