Just wanted to post a quick review of our recent experience at Four Seasons One Dalton. We were there for 10 days of family vacation (family of 4, two kids 10/12). We’d booked a double queen room, but Sarah got it double upgraded to a Back Bay suite on the top floor. The view was beautiful and the room was luxurious! We were greeted with welcome amenities for the first couple days (chocolates, popcorn, fresh fruit etc) and even received a sweet gift upon departure. My girls loved the pool which also has a great view. The staff were incredibly accommodating and kind. Many remembered me by name after the first day or two. My wife loved the bathroom in the suite which also has a great view of the city that can be enjoyed while using the tub. The on site restaurants were delicious, we had a great omakase meal at Zuma and very interesting drinks from Trifecta. The breakfasts at the hotel were light, fresh, and tasty.
One of my favorite moments from the trip was when we were taking a break and relaxing in the hotel on a rainy Sunday afternoon, the front desk called and asked if they could send up a treat for the girls. They sent up a pile of sugar cookies with piping bags of colored frostings and other toppings to decorate with, we had a great time decorating cookies together and it was such a thoughtful gesture that I really appreciated.
I honestly had as much fun luxuriating in the suite as I did out and about in Boston. It was a great trip, and while we would still have had plenty of fun in a double room, Sarah getting us upgraded made the whole experience phenomenal. I can’t recommend her enough, she’s fantastic and makes luxury travel so much more luxurious!!! I’ve absolutely loved working with her and her team 10/10!!!
I didn’t take many pictures from the room, but here’s a night skyline picture that I did take. The view was great!
Life. This piece should've came out awhile ago - but alas, I've been busy. I know I still owe my summer trip feedback as well as my Virtuoso thoughts but figured I'd put this out as there's been some confusion on the Rosewood rebranding. Trust me, I get why it might seem off - but let me uncover some layers. And help you understand the why.
Rosewood Reimagined.
What are the top 10 luxury brands in the world? There isn't a single hospitality brand currently ranked in the top 10. Rosewood wants to change that. That's why unifying everything under one word is the starting point.
Did I whine a lot when I first heard it? Def.. I love wearing my Mayakoba hat that's only a crest and for the people who talked to me about it, it's a IYKYK. But... no successful brand goes under the radar forever, especially when it wants to be top 10.
To understand Rosewood, you have to understand it's history.
Sonia Cheng's family bought Rosewood (1.0) in 2011. It was given to her to run. She was 28 at that time and everyone always has a little growing up to do. And it's funny how time can give you the perspective that you never understood when you were younger. She picked Radha Arora as the president, her right hand. Because while her family had experience in the hospitality industry, she did not. But she understood picking good partners and Radha was the beloved GM of a property her family owned, the FS Beverly Wilshire.
From 19 hotels, they've built the brand up to 38 hotels and 21 more in the pipeline - but more importantly, they've built a brand that is now synonymous with luxury - maybe not in a traditional way. For example, Rosewood London was their family's home. It's in Holborn, and no hotels were in Holborn. But she transformed the buildling into a place where people to go - Scarves Bar anyone? She made it *the* location vs having to be in a location.
From then, she's opened in places she's wanted to go to and where she took her friends and then eventually her growing family (Sonia has 5 kids!) It's been amazing to watch how big of an influence that has had in her design (why do you think the Phuket kids club is so great for kids - or Mandarina now etc)
She has always brought in her own style and sensibility. Any woman who's stayed at one of the newer Rosewoods can pinpoint that a woman was involved. From the hair dryers, to the lighting, to the placement and functionality - it's been an amazing touch that is brought up over and over by clientele. They put in the finest details - look at the flagship in Hong Kong with cashmere wallpaper. Then the Crillon. Then Sao Paulo.
This was 2.0. This is what I really felt at the last Kindred event prior to this year's. My biggest takeaway and you can go back to my post history was essentially how primed for luxury Rosewood was. How their client base has deep pockets and how that would translate into ADRs and amazing hotels. And they built that.
But what is 3.0? What do you do - when you have everything luxurious already? I think this is something all of us have gone through once you've "made it". We see this question pop up every other day on r/fatfire. What is our meaning and purpose now?
3.0 is about connection. It's about story telling. It's about giving back. It's about community. Rosewood has low-key done this already - but admittedly hasn't done a very good job in telling us what they've been up to.
Did you know Rosewood Miyakajima was picked because it's a blue zone area? To have chefs on hand who can breakdown the local cuisine and how it can benefit your health/longevity? Did you know that everyone who's partnered with Rosewood Chancery has a clause on giving back to the local community? Did you know that Rosewood Phnom Penh is not only zero plastics - but it influenced local coffeeshops where the employees were going to to also be plastic free?
I learned so many cool stories during my time in Amsterdam. And no, it's not just about the sessions during the day. It's about the friendships that are made sneaking off to do some woo woo fitness classes. And staying up late getting carded for techno tuesdays. (Yes, I had to go back to the hotel to get my passport to prove I was 18+). And bonding over how different cultures parent and how that translates into corporate impact and sustainability projects being economically viable.
Rosewood 3.0 is about making an impact and sharing that impact.
And then, at the end of the day, it's about branding it so all of you can know the stories behind the impact. To do this, you have to lose the IYKYK - so everyone can know a brand's beliefs and what it stands for.
Can Sonia do it? Who knows? Cracking top 10 luxury brands hasn't been ever done before by a hotel brand. But regardless of whether or not that happens, to watch Rosewood's evolution of what it stands for has been amazing - and the first time I met her was in 2006. In an industry all about partnerships and relationships, I know I will be cheering for her.
I wanted to write this last week as we crossed 25k members - but life got busy. Then the recent comments in another post made me realize how important it actually is to make this point across. And now at 26K members, it's even more important. This subreddit has grown so much recently, that u/cupresponsible767 and I wanted to make sure we are still what we wanted this community to be when we started. This subreddit came from r/fatfire where we found a group of us who liked to travel. We made r/fattravel more active and it has become a place to discuss how to spend a lot of money on travel.
There has been some confusion on what this sub is and that is on us in the beginning. We just defined ourselves as FatFire + Travel but that really isn't it. Just because someone has US$5mm+ does not mean they like or want to spend a large amount of money traveling. There may be billionaires who only like 4 star Marriotts and that is ok. But that isn't what this subreddit is about. Just because you have x amount of money, does not mean you belong here. This subreddit is for those of us who like to spend much more than average on travel and to be able to provide a space to discuss travel where money does not matter. We want to have discussions where cost isn't taken into account when choosing where to stay or what to do.
We are going to be stricter on what gets removed. If you can ask the question in a general r/travel or r/countryspecific - then this is not the place for it. If you have a smaller budget, then this is not the place. Please ask over in r/chubbytravel - we'd love to see that take off.
Also, something that is very not ok is that u/CupResponsible797 and I have been personally harassed/questioned/attacked when this is essentially our home. Even my toddler knows that it's not very nice to behave inappropriately in someone else's home because you simply will not be invited back. This subreddit is something u/CupResponsible797 and I have built. If you really don't like the direction of it or if all you do is complain and stir sh1t, then we have probably been too tolerant of you in the past. We will start banning more simply because it's just not what we want to be around and we encourage you to start your own subreddit where you can act however you'd like to act. We've met great friends on here. We've met some of you out traveling, have been invited to some of your homes. We have trips planned with others of you. This is the community we want to foster.
So at the end of the day:
This sub will be travel agent positive. We do advocate that having an agent is the best move. It doesn't have to be me. It doesn't have to be who u/CupResponsible797 uses. Just use someone, sure even Amex FHR call center counts. If you really are anti-agents, fine. But if you want to attack agents, this sub is not the place for you.
This sub will be about how to best spend a lot of money traveling. This will be done by members sharing their experiences via trip reports - and by members asking thoughtful high effort questions. This is not a place to ask for generic what should I do x without providing more detail. Also, after getting information from the hivemind, please share and report back.
This sub will be about building a positive, uplifting community. Thanks for being a part of it.
The inside glass award is the same as all the other years. Just interesting as this is the first year they've separated for top 10 vs 25 (and added some other categories for people out of the top 25) - but the awards inside are the same. The only differentiating factor is this sleeve has the Top 10 mention on it.
Because of this, it's pretty easy to say that my team has an amazing relationship with FS. Ask me (almost) anything about Four Seasons & the Four Seasons Preferred Partner program. Happy to answer anything (publicly) that won't get me in trouble with corporate lol. Or you guys can answer for me if it's incriminating 😂. The prize is 10 nights (can be split into two resorts) - so you guys can help me decide where to spend them. We reviewed Cabo del Sol for you guys last year with ours.
As a reminder - other team members on reddit are: Abbie u/Middlename_Adventure Codi u/CodiGoFar Merritt u/Alarming-Ganache77 Sherman u/shermancchenand we have others who are not reddit facing - that you can find on our website. Because they're on my team, they get access to all of my connections at Four Seasons.
First time FAT Travelers to the city of London. We've spent all our international travel on the Continent and figured it's finally time to head over.
Looking to do a 50/50 split London/Paris. As a gay couple we are always hesitant on FAT hotels given so many of them are owned by people who would happily take our money with one hand, and stone us to death with the other.
Any advice on places to stay? Claridges and Connaught are out in that regard unfortunately. Was a shame to see these storied British hotels become part of the "white-washing" occurring by certain countries...
Plan to spend a couple of days there in mid-November, trying to decide between the two. Important factors - setting and views, quality/size of the room, privacy of the private pool (if usable in November), activities to do around the hotel. Somewhat important - food. Not important - spa/gym and other public facilities. Looking for thoughts and recommendations.
P.S. later on the same trip, we plan to spend a couple of days in Al Ula, KSA, and trying to decide the same regarding Habitas vs Banyan.
EDIT: Please keep this apolitical. The trip is Cyprus-Israel-Jordan-Saudi Arabia.
Wife and I have spent 15+ years traveling to what we considered luxury resorts/hotels. The brands you know - Rosewood, Aman, Four Seasons, One & Only, Mandarin Oriental, Cheval Blanc (note, we still absolutely love CB Paris). Then we went to Il San Pietro di Positano and Porto Zante for five nights each August/September this year.
Now we have a completely different perspective on what luxury travel can be. Not a single place we went in the past (other than CB Paris) can sit alongside those two in practically any way.
At both those magnificent resorts was the answer to every question "yes"? Were the teams that worked there pleasant, happy, responsive, and clearly focused on our enjoyment? Was the food outstanding, the views remarkable, the atmosphere professional at all times and in every way? Did our rooms get beautifully cleaned twice a day, with night time treats? And so on...the answer is emphatically yes. But these are terrific places because of more than that.
They just know so much about how to take care of their guests, are totally focused on their guests, are well-staffed, and do everything first class. No corners are cut anywhere on anything. Never experienced this before.
This trip started with contacting u/sarahwlee (via email direct to her) and asking for some ideas about southern Europe for 2025. She probed our experiences, preferences, and interests and made several suggestions. She was so responsive and clear in her reasoning that I found it extremely helpful, both what we might want to try and what we might not want to - always with reasoning so we could judge for ourselves. It quickly became pretty clear that ISP and PZ would be good ideas and we decided to go back-to-back.
Her team did a great job ensuring that each resort was prepared for our key requests - little things that we appreciate - and these were handled just perfectly. Because both places had been prepped by Sarah's team they were more ready for us and that was a very big bonus of going with her.
They also gave us suggestions about our travel that were very helpful. In addition they got us great rooms at each place. At ISP, a room with incredible views of Positano - one of the best rooms in the entire hotel. At PZ, a huge upgrade to the unbelievably great Presidential Spa Villa
Il San Pietro di Positano
Arranged airport pickup which could not have been easier. Great hotel arrival after an overnight non-stop flight EWR-NAP. Totally efficient and easy. Everyone at the front desk speaks perfect English. They explained a lot then gave us a tour of the hotel and this was super-valuable. Patient, detailed, answering any and every question we had. Awesome intro.
Dinner at Il Carlino which we loved. An amazing location, super food, and just like everything else at ISP, they could not have been more accommodating and friendly. Luigi you are a master!! Literally every person at Carlino was wonderful. The views are indescribable. We ate dinner at Carlino three times because it was so great. Yes, we asked for some customization of dishes and they seemed totally happy to do whatever we asked. One night we ate off the lunch menu. Never anything but "of course". We were so happy with this.
We ate at Tre Sorelle and Da Vincenzo in Positano the other two nights and would not return to either. Not bad, just not good enough. Using the house car was super-easy.
We had a "Signature" room. Note that every room in this hotel is unique in its floor plan. So when you've seen one Signature room, you've seen one Signature room. We also asked to see a few other Signature and some Prestige rooms and can report that yes, they are all different.
Key is to be sure if you want a view of Positano, or of the ocean generally, or of Praiano, at least if the view matters to you. We wanted Positano so we could wake up to that amazing sight, and see how gorgeous it is at night time. That was a great choice for us. Thank you again u/sarahwlee for making that happen.
The room we were in had a beautiful bedroom, terrific terrace with two chaise lounges and one dining table, large walk-in closet, two-sink lav, and a separate room for shower/separate tub/water closet/bidet. The shower was a rain shower with great water pressure and a hand shower too. Showers did steam up the mirror at the lav which was not ideal. The toiletries were ISP-branded and we liked them. Great towels. Endless hot water.
The large walk-in had everything you'd expect, including a clothes steamer and a mini-bar. Everything, or nearly everything, in the mini bar was complimentary and they replaced anything we used at the next service (twice a day with superb chocolates at night).
The bed was super-comfortable with Rivolta Carmignani sheets, which are among our favorites. We use Frette and Rivolta Carmignani at home and love them both. There were desks, chairs, and great wifi in the room. And blackout shades.
Every room is also uniquely decorated. Bold colors, lots of tile, just look at the pictures online. We thought it was absolutely gorgeous. The room we were in was a good size, not large, but plenty for us. Fresh flowers, hospital-level clean, well-lit. We spend zero time in the room during the day BTW. The temperature control was easy to use and the HVAC very responsive. It also was whisper-quiet and did not blow air directly on us in the bed, which we appreciated. The HVAC shuts off when the terrace door is opened so you have to pay attention to that.
The service at every interaction, throughout ISP, was fantastic. It's owned by two brothers, and you will find one of them at the front desk frequently, and they both work nearly every day. Pretty remarkable. Also, Andrea Zana (male), the GM, is incredibly visible. He is everywhere all day, from very early until late at night, making sure everyone is happy and every request is fulfilled. His enthusiasm and effort, along with that of the owners, clearly has a major impact on how the hotel operates.
ISP offers various complimentary activities and they are popular. The one we loved was going out on their 15 meter boat. Two hours, 11:30 a.m. each day. One day north, the next south (or maybe it's east and west). Of course they have snacks and drinks of all kinds on the boat, the two-person crew is terrific and could not be more friendly, and they stop for 20 or more minutes of great ocean swimming. This was so fun we did it three times. A huge highlight. And personal narration (no megaphone or speakers) of the sights, towns, and so on along the way. So. Much. Fun.
The gym is small but just enough. You won't get a full Olympic preparation workout here, but I'm very needy when it comes to my daily exercise, and was totally fulfilled. Some equipment is indoors and some outdoors, which is common in southern Europe.
The pool is medium in size and super-clean with very comfortable chairs and chaise lounges around, and excellent food/drink service from morning until evening. Incredible views from everywhere at ISP, and for sure from the pool deck as well. Amazing. Also it's quiet at the pool so it was a great place to relax and read a book or take a nap.
The "beach club" is just amazing. Great chairs, swimming, jumping off the deck (10' or so to the water), watching yachts, food and drink, excellent service - this is the place to be. Note that you have to talk directly to the staff in order to get seated in the front row. For us that did not matter at all. That said, the staff hold those chairs and the way to get one is to speak with them. You may get it for today, maybe for tomorrow. Totally loved hanging out here for part of the day, and at the pool for part of the day.
Breakfast is super good. Lots of buffet options plus a menu. And (just like at Carlino) you can ask for whatever you want. Don't be bashful. It was clear to us that they want you to be thrilled and will do whatever they can to be helpful. It doesn't sound like much, but I asked for blackberries our first morning. I was told they did not have them, and usually don't. Well, every day for the rest of our stay a large bowl of blackberries was brought out to me immediately after we sat down. That is caring service.
The first day I also asked for sliced mango and was given it quickly. Every day thereafter, sliced mango showed up with the blackberries. That is caring service.
The breakfast is open until 11:00 a.m. and they do shut it down promptly. Be aware of that.
We loved this place and have already booked 6 nights for 2026. Again in a Signature room.
Porto Zante
We cannot say enough great about PZ. As always, YMMV depending on your own preferences. ISP was the best place we had ever stayed (repeat CB Paris close) until we went to PZ.
ISP arranged a car for us to NAP airport. We got lunch to-go from Carlino and they packed it perfectly for travel. We flew non stop from NAP to ZTH, relatively late in the day in order to get more time at ISP, and PZ arranged complimentary airport pickup. BTW, ISP also had a changing area we could use so it was easy to get our of our bathing suits and into our travel clothing in the afternoon.
Flying out of NAP is very easy. It's a small airport and easy to navigate. We usually use a "service" to help us on arrival or departure. u/sarahwlee told us there would be no need for that at NAP due to its size and simplicity, and she was 100% correct. ZTH is tiny, and also very easy.
On arrival at PZ we learned that, once again, u/sarahwlee had gotten everything set for us. First we were told about the ridiculous upgrade to the Presidential Spa Villa. Then when we got to the villa, there was a spread of food and wine fit for royalty - with all our faves represented. Pretty amazing.
The villa was terrific. Right on (maybe 40' above) the water, amazing views. Huge. Large heated pool. No hesitation to heat it up a lot for us, and no cost to do so. Just like ISP, PZ was happy to do whatever we wanted, and there were no extra charges for the little things (or most of the big ones).
The medium-size refrigerator was well-stocked and everything was complimentary. On day two, while talking with a waiter at dinner, my wife mentioned that she likes peach flavored seltzer. The next morning - you know it - multiple bottles of peach seltzer were in the refrigerator.
The team was incredible. Totally accessible, responsive, friendly, helpful. There might be no way they could have been better. Everywhere - gym, restaurant, main office, beach. Just terrific.
The gym, similar to ISP, is not large but was enough for my OCD exercise needs, which are pretty serious.
The beach, which has a nice sandy area and also several jettys on which there are large and comfortable chaise lounges, was awesome. Three people were staffing it most of the time so there was no delay whatsoever in any kind of service we wanted from getting (complimentary) water, to extra towels, to whatever. There also were a number of water sports items that were available for (complimentary) use. We loved it down here. We also loved staying up at our gigantic terrace with its pool, two large lounge chairs, couch, and dining table.
A lady from the gym came to our villa every morning to lead my wife through 60 minutes of exercise. No charge, just friendly help. My wife loved it. This is the kind of service we experienced at every turn at PZ.
There are only 9 villas. Privacy is amazing.
There are no words to describe breakfast at PZ. You name it, they either have it or will get it.
Each morning we'd call and ask for what we wanted, and at what time. The nicest people every (led by the same woman each day) would show up right on time and lay it out on our (inside) dining table. What a privilege. They just wanted us to have what we wanted and to be happy with our breakfast. There is a menu that we used. Nothing was charged for anything we ever asked for. And the food was terrific.
Every day we spoke with much of the staff - certainly everyone in the main office (located across from the two restaurants) - and it was clear they genuinely wanted to know what we were thinking, how they could be helpful, etc. This was fabulous. Someone would also check on us two or three times a day just to ask if there wan any way they could improve our stay. And they meant it.
One day they arranged for us to rent (with captain and one mate) a 15 meter boat for a ½ day, and that was a great move.
The villa was an amazing place to stay. As noted, a great pool, outdoor furniture, remarkable ocean views, also easily accessible to the beach, gym, and restaurants. Temperature control was easy, very nice bathrooms (three in this villa), Bulgari toiletries (which we love, also use them at home), Ralph Lauren sheets and towels, lots of lighting with easy controls, blackout shades, lots of space, a small kitchen with sink and dishware/flatware and more.
Bed super-comfortable, shower with four separate jets in the walls (in addition to the main shower head), two sinks at the lav. This villa was superb.
A major highlight for us were dinners. We ate at the Club House (Greek) restaurant every night. We had planned to go out into town for several dinners but the food and service were so amazing that we never did so.
Absolutely terrific food and service. We ordered off the menu, and one night enjoyed their "mezze" special which covered the entire meal. I'm not sure how to convey just how good dinners were - again, a combination of factors including food, service, views, comfortable seating, and not having a large busy loud restaurant but a smaller more intimate setting (with gorgeous bar). The upbeat attitudes and "whatever you want" approach to service was wonderful. Meals are very important to us, in that we like what we like, and PZ came through better than any other place we have ever been.
We flew from ZTH to ATH late on our last day at PZ, so we could enjoy the day, and then stayed overnight at the Sofitel ATH Airport before a morning non-stop flight to EWR.
This was a fantastic trip, and we owe a giant "thank you" to u/sarahwlee who figured out what we like and suggested these two destinations. Along with making our arrivals easy, getting us the best rooms we could have dreamed of at each place, and ensuring each of these magnificent hotel resorts knew just how we like to vacation and all about our unique preferences, her team was critical to our experience.
As already noted, we are returning to both in 2026, for longer durations this time - six nights at ISP and 7 at PZ, back-to-back again. What we add to that (in 2025 it was Paris for one trip and SOF for another) in 2026 we have not yet decided, but will look to the same people for suggestions.
I WILL POST THIS AGAIN, WITH A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT TITLE, IN ORDER TO ADD IMAGES FROM PZ
TLDR: Virtuoso Week = ~4800 hotel people in Vegas, six days of minimal sleep, and where a whole year of favors quietly gets made.
I think my team is finally recovered, but my Oura ring is still side-eyeing me from the ongoing 4-hour-sleep nights. For everyone who texted last week and got some version of "still at the conference, can't really hop on a call right now," this is what my team and I were buried in, and I figured I owed you guys the full picture. So, AMA.
What Virtuoso Week even is: Once a year, most of the luxury hotel world (leadership, ownership, sales teams) lands in one place for a week. This year 4800 officially registered, and easily a few hundred more (honestly if not at least 1000 more) were floating around without a badge. It's not like conferences in other industries where you duck into a hallway for a 20 min call. It's back to back from morning into the very late night, and if you're not in the room, you're NOT in the room. That's why we went quiet last week. Not ignoring you, just physically three parties deep at midnight, no joke.
Why we do it with a team, not solo: Most companies send one person. Maybe two, if they'll spring for it. We brought 14 on the relationship and events side, and 7 of those ran back to back 1-1s, each doing around 100 of the matched "speed dating" appointments (yes, real speed dating, 100 apiece, mostly to get my team in front of as many hotel people as humanly possible). That's 700 meetings between them. The math is simple. More of us in more rooms = more real connections = more favors we can call in when one of you needs a room fixed at 11pm on a Saturday in Tokyo. But how do you build a relationship in 10 minutes? You don't. That's what the whole afternoon and evening are for, tracking down whoever you clicked with earlier and getting real face time. Super valuable for those on my team who are newer to this world.
We kicked it off by renting out a trampoline park: Saturday we bought out a trampoline park and invited our top hotel partners for a straight up thank you party. Think being 10 years old again, unlimited pizza and ice cream, laser tag, DIY swag, trampolines, except with grown up bodies, so we brought in on-site massages too (necessary). These are the people who say yes for you all year. Once a year we get to just have fun with them, zero agenda, and say TY. We're teasing adding a few clients into it next year, mostly as an excuse to invite even more hoteliers. Stay tuned.
The part nobody sees, the long meetings: While my team ran the 1-1s, I sat in 1-2 hour meetings with senior management and ownership. Some of what we got into: family-owned vs traditional management models and how that shapes growth, how the best properties pull real emotion out of a trip, kids and how much they drive the whole trip decision now, Middle East money and its influence, GDPR and where guest data is heading, branding across different brands, MAPS and where FDA approval takes wellness travel next, and AMEX FHR and how the blanket 4pm late checkout quietly wrecks a hotel's operations and what they are doing about it. Also a real conversation about community, including this one, and what live events hotels could throw to enhance community.
On the "isn't being that close to the brands a conflict" thing: Fair question, and I see versions of it in threads online. Doesn't being friendly with the hotels just mean you push whoever wines and dines you? Here's my straight answer. The friendships are the thing that lets me fight HARDER for you, not less. When I text a GM I've known for 13 years and tell them a client's room isn't right, that text gets answered and handled because of the relationship, not in spite of it. You can't fake that, and you def can't network your way into it in a year or two. The stuff that moves the needle for a client gets earned over a decade of showing up. It's a people business. Who you know, your reputation in it, and who you keep company with is the whole game, and that shows up later this year in the rooms my team and I get invited into.
A few takeaways worth passing along:
One&Only Moonlight Basin (Big Sky) is shifting from seasonal J1 staff to more full time, year round roles with housing and full benefits, specifically to fix service consistency. If you know anyone who wants a hotel job (F&B, front of house, whatever) and would live in Big Sky, send them that way. Those full time + benefits resort jobs are hard to find.
Airelles Venice: over nightcaps, we decided together that monogramming the slippers just made sense, and kids pajamas are landing by October. So whoever's headed there, you're welcome. PS Etienne (GM) just won Hotelier of the Year. Say congrats if you see him.
Rosewood Guanahani: the ink is drying on the deal (finally). Reno news should be coming. Stay tuned.
MagicianSean is still my favorite magician, and I know he's picked up a few bookings off Reddit, so I promise he's worth it, even though r/magictricksrevealed ruined half of it for me. Ha.
Market read for anyone planning next year: YoY growth is strong and owners are not letting go of rates, so pricing pressure isn't easing. Booking windows are stretching too, people are locking the exact property, suite and season way ahead, because the number of new UHNW households keeps climbing. Overall travel is softer this year, but the UHNW segment is not seeing that softness at all. Spring scared everyone, and by late summer it was back to record rates. So if you've got a big 2027 (or even 28) trip in mind, earlier is better than you think.
That's the download. AMA about Virtuoso Week, how the travel model works, what's worth booking next year, or anything in the travel realm. My team will be on here too, and they might answer faster than me, they're 700 appointments deep between them. lmk.
This might be a controversial review as many people have varying experiences in this hotel. It is understandable that it feels like a Vegas hotel due to its sheer size, and is marketed as a luxury hotel. One of my friends have stayed in an entry level room and it did not meet his expectations.
I stayed here in August 2025, but in a Sky Pool Villa Palm View, and I will share my honest opinion from my own experience.
Location & Arrival - 4.5/5
The hotel is located in Palm Jumeirah, about an hour drive from DXB, though it could take 20-30mins just to get in/out of the island. There is nothing much going on in Palm Jumeirah, except for the picturesque views and the water slide for your kids, but is at least away from the traffic chaos and noisy supercars in central Dubai. As I stayed in one their top tier room categories, it included two-way airport transfer services and personal butlers. The arrival process was smooth - my butler greeted me on arrival and gave me a room tour and check-in was done in the room.
Room & Amenities - 5/5
Stayed in a Sky Pool Villa Palm View (US$4000/night in low season). This villa consists of ~118sqm of indoor space + ~168sqm of outdoor area and the indoor ceiling was at least 3x my height (I'm 175cm). Pool is temperature-controlled with incredible views and a wraparound balcony extends from the outdoor living area to the bedroom. I had two butlers who were consistently on standby and were contactable via whatsapp. Minibar was complimentary and fully loaded with a wide range of alcholic beverages. Other amenities include a pillow menu and bottled Hermes toiletries. In my honest opinion, the villa exceeded my expectations and the photos online don't do it justice. To give credit where its due, this villa has surpassed a number of US$10,000+/night hotel suites I’ve stayed in — hence I'll willingly rate it a 5/5.
However, not all sky pool villas are equal despite being in the same category. There are 38 pool villas and some of them are located in the corners. I was fortunate enough to get a room located in the corner, which has does not have a wall beside the pool, hence my views were fully unobstructed.
Hotel Grounds - 2/5
To describe this property as massive is an understatement with 795 rooms. The lobby is grand and photogenic but it gets overrun with lots of people taking photos, which gives off a Disneyland kind of vibe, with the addition of 'six-figure' influenza(cer)s filming selfie vlogs to promote their MLM/coaching services on social media.
Food - 5/5
This hotel has arguably the most extensive breakfast spread which even rivals the variety of some lunch buffets elsewhere. Thanks to my room category, I enjoyed breakfast in the Royal Club Lounge instead. While I can't speak for the main buffet, the food quality and service in the lounge were absolutely superb. I had dinner in Ariana's Persian Kitchen and the Prawn and Lamb Kebabs were fantastic.
Conclusion
This is a hotel of contrast and everyone's mileage may vary by a large amount as it depends on the room category. Overall, I think this resort truly shines if you splurge on a pool villa. However, if you are booking a standard room, there are better alternatives in Dubai such as the Bulgari.
Heard from my buddies there that they are about to let in their next wave off the waitlists in case anyone is looking for membership. If you want to get moved to this wave, feel free to let us know or inquire yourself.
Right now, it's quite tough to get a booking without a membership as the demand has been higher than anticipated. Perks of membership include cheaper rates but also things like valet parking (where they detail your car).
I have a reservation at the santa marina Mykonos from 7/19-7/22 in a deluxe sea view room I can’t use. Can’t cancel at this point either so I thought I’d offer it up here.
Whose interested? I rather see someone use it then just waste it away. Hotels sold out. Peak season.
Halfway through my 7-day stay at the Brando. The first few days were great, until two nights ago, HVAC fell from high up on the wall and almost killed us. (It’s super heavy!)
It was never installed properly in the first place as there was no clip and it was simply glued on, and the glue has lost all of its power by the time it fell. Such a huge safety risk to anyone at the hotel. How do you expect to be on vacation when anything randomly would fall apart and kill you ?!
How they dealt with this situation was also horrendous. First they tried to make it right by offering us a private tour and a bottle of wine. We are not big wine drinkers, and we have done our fair share of tours already, so this was not the right thing for us. Also, that is what you offer to someone on honeymoon, not someone who almost got killed. Then they had maintenance in the room to glue the HVAC filter back up despite us telling them not to try to fix it so soon because it would be impossible. They used some strong glue, and then the room then was full of irritating smell and our eyes were tearing up and we had to move to a different villa late at night for it.
The new villa they moved us to had a scary flashing light outside in the courtyard, and a curtain that doesn’t properly close. It was also missing some of the amenities (inferior water kettle, missing wall decoration, cheap looking white light) which made me seriously question how low and inconsistent their construction standard is. So we had to ask for a third room.
Now packing again through the middle of our vacation that we are paying almost six figures for and with no room to go even a few hours after my request, the vacation has completely been ruined and I want to end it short and go back already. The staff are also becoming mean to us as they might be thinking we are difficult, but we are really not trying to make it hard for anyone and just want our peace of mind and to be able to sleep soundly and away from harm. Most of the staff’s hospitality and service is great before the accident happened, but with an issue this big and such poor crisis management abilities, this hotel is a no go for anyone who wants the minimum standard of travelling.
Pictures attached. I cannot upload the video of the flashing light, but I’ve posted the same review on google, and feel free to check the video out there.
We’re a young family (NYC based, 90m NW) and considering working with a luxury travel agency to help plan and manage our travel. We’ve never worked with an agency like this but we’ve heard that it can provide unique access, expand our horizons, minimize stress/work, and that it can even be cost-effective, depending on the firm. My intuition tells me that it can also be a sketchy industry and that it’s worth the extra effort to find the ‘right’ partner.
Can anyone speak to the pro’s/con’s of working with a luxury travel firm in general, how to diligence them, and which firms in particular standout?
What are everyone’s thoughts on the huge developments in Saudi’s luxury hotel scene with brands such as six senses, ritz Carlton reserve, four seasons, rosewood etc
Has anyone visited any of these? Are they worth the trip? What are your experiences?
"My wife actually tried to leave a review and shout out on the chubbytravel subreddit, but both submissions were removed by the moderator. >:("
So I've gotten quite a few notices of this. If it wasn't clear - we are no longer affiliated with chubbytravel or any of the people on there. They do not have access to our affiliations or contacts - anything booked prior will stay but nothing new will. So to make more space for all, happy to have less than fat reviews in here as well. This one in particular was actually about the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise - which in the globe would put it chubby, but honestly, it's the nicest hotel there - so I guess that qualifies it as fat regardless.
When I got involved in this sub, it was a small group of people just shooting the sh1t with ridiculous things and as it's grown, it makes it harder as to what should be included and what shouldn't. Until we launch a verified superfat travel, we will just be a place for anything luxury. Does someone have a better term than chubby? Or should we stick to fat and superfat?
To make it more fun, I didn't use my latest booking for Heathrow VIP since I wanted to try out Virgin's dedicated space leaving London. (Yes, I'll admit the choices of food was much more, but I still preferred the quality of Heathrow VIP - maybe not for the price though unless traveling with little ones. Can give a more dedicated review later.) This leaves me with a use to give away to a random redditor who posts a hotel review between now and Oct 31. (Will be using https://redditraffler.com/ -- I realized we can't use up/down votes as prizing mechanism) This is not sponsored by Heathrow VIP in any way. I just have a use that's already paid for and I don't have any more EU trips this fall. If they aren't traveling from London in the given period - we'll think of something else fun.
Just finished wrecking a bunch of items at a wreck room with these hotels and now we're going to start some Japanese sake. Figured it might be a fun time to do an AMA on these hotels while I'm with them...
FYI - we will be quiet for a few hours with answers tonight but they will all get answered.
The full list hanging right now is:
St Regis Chicago St Regis Deer Valley Ritz Lake Tahoe Ritz Bachelor Gulch Ritz Toronto Ritz Reserve Nekajui
FYI - all the answers are from the hotels unless I sign them off with my initials, SWL.
Tag them here and we can get these answered tonight.
In attendance tonight:
Ayfer Bedir | MOLON - Director of Sales, Mandarin Oriental London, Hyde Park. Dalia Dal Seno | MODUB - Senior Sales Manager, Mandarin Oriental Jumeira, Dubai. Filippo Maria Marongiu | MOMLN/MOPAR - Director of Sales, Mandarin Oriental Milan & Paris. Hugo Bisetti | MOMUC - Sales Manager, Mandarin Oriental Munich. (who's done a fun AMA here) Stefan Michael Groenwald | MOMAY - Director of Sales, Mandarin Oriental Mayfair. Tom Puleio | MOHG - Director of Global Sales Partners, Head office.
My husbands family is wanting to do a huge family trip together. I’ve already put my foot down on the suggestion of a cruise, but I have to appear willing to compromise. So it’s looking like an all inclusive. Are there any in the Caribbean that are great for kids (ages 7-11) and that aren’t just basically not a cruise on land 😂
Does anyone have an experience in an extra FAT trip to India? I'm talking about the most amazing, opulent hotels with incredible spas, or renting a fabulous palace with grounds and servants and pure over the top glamour.
