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Luxury Executives Reveal Their Favorite Hotels in the World

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Recommendations of friends and family are the number one source of where to stay, according to the 2014 Portrait of Affluent Travelers, an annual survey compiled by marketing company MMGY Global. However, we don’t all have globetrotting buddies who can clue us in to the best places to call it a night, so during Baselworld last week, I asked executives attending the confab to share their favorite hotels and airlines. The group I spoke with was well traveled, estimating an average of 119 nights per year spent away from home. As leaders in the world of high-end jewelry and watches, they also have an eye for life’s finer things. My sampling of over 50 represented a spread of both European and U.S.-based travelers.

The methodology was simple. I asked them to take a 15-minute break from talking about watches and jewelry, and requested they only give me the name of a hotel or airline they would recommend to a friend. If they didn’t have a recommendation for my question, they were asked to “pass,” game show style.

The answers below are for “Favorite Leisure Hotel Anywhere in the World” and yielded 32 responses, including five in the United States, four in the Caribbean, three in Thailand, and two each in Mexico, the Maldives and Italy. Four Seasons was most recommended with five selections (full list at the end of the story).

Few executives named the same places, so the selection of best vacation hotels is incredibly diverse, ranging from luxury camps and boutique hotels to grande dames and entire hotel groups.

North America was home to a number of top choices. Lisa Nikfarjam, founder and designer of the Lisa Nik line of jewelry, calls Forbes 4-star San Ysidro Ranch “the most luxurious place, but down to earth and casual.” She says the layout of the cottages on the garden-like grounds makes it like “your own private resort.” She enjoys the farm-to-table produce at its Stonehouse restaurant, where one dines beneath the stars and beside a roaring fire, all while celebrity spotting. Jessica Biel was at the next table on her last visit.

Brit Justin Hogbin, a former Rolex executive recently recruited as global communications head for Fabergé, says his best vacation spot is Hotel San José in Austin, Texas, “the center of the music world.” The Londoner says the 1930s motor court turned urban bungalow resort is “true Americana.” Hogbin finds Austin itself to be a “melting pot of friendly people who like to have fun.”

The favorite spot of Charris Yadigaroglou, Geneva-based chief communications officer for MB&F – Horological Lab, is Forbes 4-star Amangiri in Canyon Point, Utah, where “you’re in the middle of the desert, so you get this amazing array of colors that change throughout the day.” He enjoys the floor-to-ceiling windows “that open to these incredible views.” He says, “The way they integrated the buildings into the land adds to the natural high.”

Joseph Padulo, who heads his own luxury marketing agency, recommends Forbes 4-star The Breakers in Palm Beach for its “spa, beautiful architecture, and service.” If you are looking to go out of the country, he adds, you don’t have to go far, as the One&Only Ocean Club in the Bahamas delivers “tranquility and amazing service,” set on manicured gardens and lawns and a white-sand beach. Jacob Arabo, founder and CEO of Jacob & Co, famous for multimillion-dollar jewelry, complicated watches, and celebrity clientele, offered another classical pick with Sandy Lane in Barbados for its “good spa, good food, great beach, and fun people.”

For Fabergé Vice President Jon Omer, small is beautiful. Beach House in Turks and Caicos has just 23 “apartment-sized” suites, each with a name instead of a number. Walking down to the beach, he appreciates that the resort pre-sets lounge areas for each of its units, so there is never a need to worry about fighting for chairs or space.

The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman was a rare place upon which two luxury bosses agreed. Ralph Simons, U.S. CEO of Chopard, tabs it as his perfect vacation spot with its “exceptional” children’s program, beach, and Eric Ripert-created fine dining. Michael Pearson, North America director for British aviation-inspired watchmaker Bremont, called Simons’ choice, “The best place I’ve ever stayed. You pay, but you get what you pay for.” Having traveled extensively through the Caribbean, he calls Seven Mile Beach his favorite and says relaxing with feet in the “sugar-white sand” and being served sunset libations can’t be beat.

City hotels also made the list. Jordy Cobelens, founder and CEO of Amsterdam-based TW Steel, known for its oversized watches, recommends Hotel Savoy in Florence for its Piazza della Repubblica location next to the Duomo and “great design. I love the city, and when you step out the door you are in the middle of it,” he explains.

Jonathan Dorfman, CEO of Boston-based Dorfman Jewelers, also recommends a city hotel as his favorite vacation spot, venerable Forbes 5-star Claridge's in London. He says he “takes an extra day” on trips to Europe just to visit. It boasts “perfect service, knowing when to be there and when to leave you alone,” as well as a “beautiful building, like a private club.” His other getaway choices include the Forbes 4-star Four Seasons in Mexico City, and Hotel Sacher Wien, which is ideally based to walk the ringstrasse, tracing the Austrian capital’s role in 20th-century history.

Old World Europe was of course further represented. Thierry Chaunu, a luxury consultant and former CEO of Chopard, Leviev, and Damiani, recommends Château de la Messardière in St. Tropez for “pure serenity in the middle of craziness.” Watch executive Xavier Markl prefers lakeside Villa Castagnola in Lugano as his getaway, calling it “old-fashioned, elegant, and quiet,” with palm trees framing alpine views.

CEO of Maîtres du Temps Steven M. Holtzman, who sells six-figure watches and spends 150 nights per year traveling, says The Chedi Muscat, situated between the majestic Al Hajar Mountains and the Gulf of Oman, is his perfect place. The layout of the low-rise white buildings among gardens and reflecting pools provides him with “total serenity.”

Four Seasons has a strong following among watch and jewelry executives seeking down time. Kari A. Allen, president of Versace Timepieces USA, says her ideal holiday spot is the Forbes 5-star Four Seasons Hualalai on the Big Island of Hawaii. Isaac Levy, an Israel-based jewelry designer who is on the road 200 nights a year, calls the Four Seasons Kuda Huraa Maldives “the most amazing experience. You swim with sharks and the overwater bungalows are not like a hotel.” Yet another fan of the Canadian group is Edouard Meylan, CEO of H. Moser of Schaffhausen, flagging its resort in Langkawi, where “you feel on holiday right away. There are beautiful bungalows, and there is excellent great local food, and of course, the service is perfect.”

A repeat visitor to the Maldives is Serge Michel, owner of Biel/Bienne-based watch manufacture Armin Strom, who chooses Hideaway at Dhonakulhi because “it’s one of the bigger islands but smaller resorts, so you don’t really see anyone except if you want.”

Susanne Hurni, chief marketing officer of Ulysse Nardin, the watchmaker purchased last year by Kering and known for timepieces with names like Freak and innovative use of new materials such as silicium, travels the least of the 51 executives with whom I spoke, only about 30 nights a year. She says Palais Namaskar in Marrakech is “paradise on earth…the quality of service makes your life so easy, you feel like a queen, but in a discreet and non-ostentatious way.”

Some choices were off the beaten track. Designer to the rock stars, London-based Stephen Webster, MBE, who travels 200 nights a year, recommends Jumeirah Bilgah Beach Hotel, located about 25 miles from Baku on the Caspian Sea. “Great service. A new hotel and something totally different,” he says. “You’ll be the first of your friends, and it’s worth it.”

Arun Bohra, founder of Arunashi, couldn’t narrow his choice down to just one. His picks include The Oberoi Rajvilas for its personalized service. “I walk in the bar, and they greet me by name. Everywhere you go, they know your name.” However, the dapper Los Angeles-based designer says he is also happy with “any Aman anywhere,” and not one to be limited, adds Il San Pietro di Positano, which, with its cliff-side setting, spectacular views, and white marble floors, has long been the stuff of postcards.

Jean-Marie Schaller, owner of Louis Moinet, known for using unique materials such as meteorites and fossilized stone for its watch dials, makes a classic choice with The Oberoi, Bali. “It’s not a hotel. It is stepping back into Bali 40 years ago. It’s the essence of what one wants when you come to Bali.”

Of course, not all best hotels were hotels. Sasson Basha, CEO of Aaron Basha, cites the Four Seasons Tented Camp Golden Triangle in northern Thailand, where he spent his days riding bareback on elephants along jungle trails. The other places he tells friends to go are Longitude 131° as a base to explore Australia’s Ayers Rock, and the various pontoon resorts on the Great Barrier Reef, which are generally used as staging areas for divers on day trips but can also be booked overnight. Daniel Niederhof, founder and CEO of watchmaker SevenFriday, says his recommendation for the best vacation is “rent a villa in Bali.” The Indonesian retreat has a plentiful selection of “amazing homes,” and service in the villas is “comparable to any five-star hotel, plus you don’t have to run into other people.”

Controversial Airbnb also got a mention. Boston-based Esper Luxury Vice President Christopher Daaboul has become a convert of the couch surfing cum hotelier website through which his latest get was an ultra-modern two-bedroom loft in a high-rise on the beach in Miami for $200 a night.

The entire list:

USA – California - San Ysidro Ranch

USA – Florida – The Breakers

USA – Hawaii - Four Seasons Resort Hualalai

USA – Texas - Hotel San Jose

USA – Utah - Amangiri

Caribbean – Bahamas – One & Only Ocean Club

Caribbean – Barbados - Sandy Lane

Caribbean – Cayman Islands – The Ritz-Carlton Cayman

Caribbean – Turks & Caicos - Beach House

Mexico – Cozumel – Presidente InterContinental Cozumel Resort Spa

Mexico – Mexico City – Four Seasons Mexico City

South America – Uruguay - Conrad Punta del Este Resort and Casino

Europe- Austria - Hotel Sacher Wien

Europe – England – Claridge's

Europe – France - Château de la Messardière St. Tropez

Europe – Italy - Il San Pietro di Positano

Europe – Italy, Hotel Savoy, Florence

Europe – Switzerland - Grand Hotel Villa Castagnola Lugano

Africa – Morocco - Palais Namaskar

Middle East - The Chedi Muscat

Asia – Azerbijan - Jumeirah Bilgah Beach Hotel

Asia – India - The Oberoi Rajvilas

Asia – Indonesia - The Oberoi, Bali

Asia – Malaysia - Four Seasons Langkawi

Asia – Maldives - Four Seasons Kuda Hara

Asia – Maldives - Hideaway Resort & Spa at Dhonakulhi

Asia – Singapore – Capella Singapore

Asia – Thailand – Anantara Bophut Resort & Spa, Koh Samui

Asia – Thailand - Four Seasons Tented Camp

Asia – Thailand – Twinpalms Phuket

South Pacific - Australia - Longitutde 131

South Pacific – French Polynesia - Le Meridien Bora Bora

Coming up: Favorite business hotels, airlines and recommendations for hotels in popular cities around the world.