During a recent walk-through at Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North, an architect suggested adding a bar to the lobby. The investors saw the obvious upside: it would create energy, pull in locals, and make more productive use of the space. Jerome Arribas, the resort’s general manager, saw what would be lost. The bar would interrupt the sightline of nature that defines the arrival.
“There will never be a bar here,” he told them. “You’re going to hide the million-dollar view. That is the core essence of this resort.”
The exchange perfectly represents the necessary push/pull to preserve great experiences, and also explains why a GM’s sharpened point of view has become more important as luxury hospitality expands. And it is often the last, most important line of defending an experience.
Hotel brands have become very good at codifying service, design and commercial practice, and that consistency is extremely valuable, especiall