PERSONALISED SERVICE AT ROSEWOOD HOTELS IN SAUDI ARABIA EARN HIGHEST INTERNATIONAL RATING

- Al Faisaliah Hotel, A Rosewood Hotel and Rosewood Corniche awarded Top Rating by International Institute of Modern Butlers -

2^nd May 2011, Saudi Arabia:  Personalised service has always been a differentiating factor between the good and the great in the hospitality industry, so it comes as no surprise that both Rosewood Hotels & Resorts’ ultra-luxury properties in Saudi Arabia – the Al Faisaliah Hotel in Riyadh and the Rosewood Corniche in Jeddah - have been awarded one of the highest internationally recognised rating for their 24-hour butler service by the International Institute of Modern Butlers.   

As the first hotels in the Middle East to receive a Five Category Butler Rating by the Butlers Guild, Al Faisaliah Hotel, A Rosewood Hotel and Rosewood Corniche were required to meet a comprehensive list of criteria for their butler service, with attention to detail a key element in the evaluation. The 72-strong butler teams have participated in intensive annual training programmes with the Institute of Modern Butlers for the past four years.

Steven Ferry, Chairman of the International Institute of Modern Butlers said:  “For the last thousand years butlers have been employed to provide personal service for royalty, nobility, estate homes, and now luxury hotels.  The butler programmes conducted for Rosewood Hotels in Saudi Arabia honour the time-tested methods of traditional butlering, but with a creative and modern approach, allowing us to update techniques and redefine state-of-the-art, discreet service.”

Powers of observation are particularly critical for the butlers at both Al Faisaliah Hotel and Rosewood Corniche, whether in noting a guest’s preference for a particular fruit in his fruit bowl, or which side of the bed he prefers to sleep and with what pillows.  Both hotels also use the latest technology to ensure the highest level of efficiency in the personalised service offered. Butlers enter all guest requests into a bespoke database system, which then allows the hotels to pre-empt preferences and requests for a guest’s future stay in the hotels.

Butlers attend to guest requests immediately and range from unpacking suitcases, cleaning shoes, presenting food en suite, providing relevant and enlightening information on the hotel facilities and the city in general, assisting with technology requirements, to checking the smallest detail from housekeeping and room service.

“Al Faisaliah Hotel prides itself on attention to detail and the round-the-clock personalised service we provide to every one of our guests, and we are delighted be recognized internationally for this,” said Peter Finamore, Managing Director, Al Faisaliah Hotel. “The smallest detail often makes the biggest impression and our guests appreciate and have come to expect the unrivalled personalised service we provide.”

Hans-Peter Leitzke, Managing Director of Rosewood Corniche was equally delighted with the achievement:  “The ultimate in luxury - whether in a car, a finely crafted suit or a premier hotel - is in the personal, the bespoke, the one of a kind.  The service our team delivers to every one of our guests is individual, personal and highly attentive.  At Rosewood Corniche it is also about anticipating our guests’ needs before they have to ask, and every element of our service strives to do just that.”

Personalised service at both hotels extends beyond the impeccable service provided by the butler teams.  The Royal Suite at Rosewood Corniche in Jeddah and the Royal Penthouse and Royal Diamond Suites at Al Faisaliah Hotel in Riyadh, also include the services of a personal chef.  The ultra-luxury Oasis Suite in the newly opened Al Faisaliah Hotel -South is the only hotel suite in the Kingdom with its own personal spa treatment room, while the Rosewood Corniche offers a personal luxury limousine service to guests for Umrah journeys to and from the Holy City of Makkah and Al Masjid Al Haram. 

“The top international rating for the personalised service delivered at both Rosewood Corniche and Al Faisaliah Hotel, A Rosewood Hotel is an excellent achievement for both properties, and adds to the significant number of other international awards for excellence already received.  This recognition inspires the teams to offer guests the best personal service at all times without exception,” said Ron Cusiter, Vice President, Sales & Marketing Operations, Rosewood Hotels & Resorts.

                                       

About Rosewood Hotels & Resorts:

Founded in 1979 and headquartered in Dallas, Texas, Rosewood Hotels & Resorts® manages one-of-a-kind luxury properties in the world’s most desired destinations. Rosewood properties embrace the company’s A Sense of Place® philosophy, reflecting the history, architecture, scale and sensibilities of the destination. With 19 properties in eight countries, the Rosewood collection includes some of the most legendary hotels and resorts in the world, including Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek® in Dallas, The Carlyle in New York, Rosewood Little Dix Bay on Virgin Gorda, as well as contemporary classics such as Rosewood Sand Hill® in California, Rosewood San Miguel de Allende® in Mexico, and, now, Rosewood Tucker’s Point in Bermuda. Rosewood also offers Sense® spa – featuring treatments reflective of the location’s culture and natural environment - available exclusively at select properties.

About Al Faisaliah Hotel, A Rosewood Hotel:

Riyadh’s most luxurious property opened at Al Faisaliah Hotel in May 2000. In a city that gracefully melds tradition with sophisticated style, Al Faisaliah Hotel defines the ultimate in modern elegance and prestigious location. The stunning hotel boasts the largest column-free banquet and meeting facilities in the Kingdom. With the introduction of dedicated 24-hour butler service, the 330-room and suites property, has elevated the art of personal service to new levels. Perfectly suited to the discerning business traveler, Al Faisaliah offers spacious accommodations, technologically advanced in-room communications systems, five culinary venues, with “La Cucina” being the sixth addition, a state-of-the-art health club and easy access to world-class shopping.