#BoHoLover: Meet Suze of Luxury Columnist @luxurycolumnist

We have asked travel blogger Suze of Luxury Columnist, to share her thoughts with us about her love for hotels, and Amberlair, of course. And before you ask, a #BohoLover is a Boutique Hotel lover… just like us!

How do you choose a hotel when you travel?

I look for recommendations from others who have been to the country that I am visiting, to find out which are the best located hotels with the highest service levels and a wow factor.

If you had to choose 3, which were the most special hotels you have ever stayed at?

There are so many wonderful hotels that I have stayed in, but the really special ones are places that I would willingly return to again and again:

Chateau Saint Martin in the South of France
Chewton Glen in Dorset, United Kingdom
Le Touessrok in Mauritius

Chateaux Saint Martin in France. Photo by hotel.

All three made me feel very at home, and their staff went above and beyond to ensure that we had an enjoyable stay. They’re also set in stunning grounds that were a pleasure to explore.

Suze in Mauritius.

If you had your own boutique hotel, what 3 things would you make sure existed?

• A welcome drink and a cold face flannel on arrival
• Keeping a note of regular guests’ preferences and tailoring service to these
• Fun elements like an outdoor fire-pit or a digital wall where founder members can sign their names.

Hoteliers need to incorporate photo-worthy elements into their design, so that customers are tempted to share them on social media.

Name 3 things you loved in hotels you stayed in before…

• Late check out without having to even request it, the hotel asked my flight time and arranged this accordingly.
• Electric socket in the safe, so you can charge your laptop and phone whilst it’s in there
• One hotel found out what time we were returning from a long excursion, ran us a bath with rose petals and a bottle of champagne to accompany it

Name 3 things you wouldn’t want to experience in a hotel ever again.

• Rock hard pillows – yes they exist, even in some 5 star hotels!
• Rubbery scrambled eggs, it’s so much nicer when these are regularly replenished at buffets
• Very noisy aircon, with no option but to keep it on

How do you feel about the Amberlair concept?

It’s a brilliant concept, getting feedback from future guests and adapting the hotel in function of this, rather than launching a hotel and having to tweak it afterwards. Hopefully it’s the way of the future for hotels!

Where are you off to next?

I’m going to the Amalfi Coast for a friend’s wedding, and to Bali to take part in the Seven Star Luxury Awards. Iv’e never been to either so any tips for places to go are very welcome.

Suze of the Luxury Columnist.

Suze is on a mission to help everyone experience a little luxury in their lives. When not travelling to exotic locations, you can usually find her trying out a quirky new wine bar in London or checking out a new art gallery.

If she had a motto, it would have to be, “Don’ stop until you drop” and you can check out her adventures on her blog, Luxury Columnist or via Instagram or Twitter.