The trend for providing guests with not just a room but an experience has been embraced wholeheartedly by St Regis, the luxury arm of the Starwood hotel group. It has teamed up with brands and celebrities – from Krug and Ferrari to the basketball-player Magic Johnson and the artist Alain Despert – to create tailored events for guests.
The programme is called St Regis Aficionado, and through it guests at its Bora Bora hotel, for example, can go deep-sea fishing with the celebrity chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, then eat a dinner made by him. New York St Regis guests get a tour of the botanical gardens with the photographer Linda Rutenberg. In Paris, guests can attend wine tastings hosted by the champagne house Krug.
The hotel can even get you into parts of the Vatican other tours won’t take you to, including a private viewing of the Sistine Chapel with a scholar to explain it all to you. Sporty types staying in LA might prefer to use Johnson’s seats at a Lakers game.
Such experiences don’t come cheap: a stay at the St Regis in Rome with a three-day self-guided road trip through Lazio and Tuscany in a Ferrari (above) will cost €12,000. A stay at the Lanesborough, in London, with a tour of Asprey’s workshop and the chance to design a handbag or briefcase, is a snip by comparison at £1,200 a night.
stregisaficionado.com