Ah!  Finally!  A topic that we can all savor!  Wines!

While I am not a Master Sommelier or a Master of Wine, I have dabbled in this field for quite a few years now, having created and implemented a few Wine Spectator Grand Award lists…and what have I learned?

For one thing, one of the biggest misconceptions about wine, is that it was invented for drinking…If that were the case, civilization would have never developed past the ancient times!  Wine was truly created to enhance the experience of food and life!

As for the best wine in the world?

I could sit here, right now, and write about: Chateau Margaux 1920 or 1947, 1953 and 1961, or how about Champagne Bollinger 1911, one of the most beautiful Pinot Noirs, Romanee-Conti 1921, or the heavenly Sauterne, Chateau d’Yquem 1921…Chateau Latour 1928, or the Austrian wine from Neusiedlersee-Hugelland know as the Ruster Ausbruch vintage 1934, 1960…or another unsurpassable Burgundy - La Tache 1937 and 1975, or the 1947 Chateau Cheval Blanc, Saint Emillion…or the surreal Australian product of Penfolds Grange 1962! What about the tremendous Spanish wine from Ribera del Duero, the Vega Sicilia “UNICCO” 1970…Let’s not forget something from Rhone like Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Chateau Rayas 1978…the 1995 Champagne Dom Perignon..or the 1985 Bolgheri wine, Sassicaia or something more recent like Barbaresco Sori San Lorenzo GAJA 2010! And I could go on and on….

Or perhaps, I should talk about the soils, the climate…the terroirs, the grape varietals and why some produce greater wines than others…but coming back to the question at hand…the best wine in the world?

Well, the best wine in the world is truly, the one that you like the most! Yes, it’s fine and dandy to do research and taste wines that “others” have deemed fabulous and grandiose…but my suggestion is…buy and taste whatever you can afford and make your own impressions and opinions….that is the beauty of wine….it’s not so much about the taste or the “nose” of the liquid as it is about the memories it brings to mind and the dreams it helps conjure!

Hope you enjoy!  And remember, as with everything else, same as with wines: There are two things you can do! Either you do it or you don’t!

At Your Service,
Aurelian

No! I did not mean to say Soup du Jour!

After a progressive and continuing 20+ year career in the Hospitality Industry, with executive roles ranging from restaurant management, hotel & resort management and the private club industry (both city clubs as well as country clubs), I felt that the timing was right to begin documenting and sharing some of my thoughts, observations and personal opinions on the status and current trends in the world of hospitality today.

While I will share industry specific data, points and strategies that could impact one’s operation for the better (profitability and customer satisfaction and retention), I will also strive to share general points which consumers outside of the hospitality industry could use to their own benefit when traveling and/or deciding which venue or product to choose and why?

As such, here is the first radical thought: Hospitality du Jour!  Meaning, hospitality is not and should never be something that is “dictated” to consumers…hospitality needs to be fluid, ever changing and adaptive to the needs and demands of the consumer/customer.  Much in the same way that quality is or should be, while quality is indeed the “freedom from deficiencies” and the “consistency” of service/product…most importantly, quality is giving people what they want – you do that and you achieved quality!

Hospitality is also about relationships. Being in the service industry and being of service to others, does not mean being subservient- it means developing relationships that allow you to know your customer in order to better anticipate, meet and exceed their needs.

That is one reason that the restaurant industry is one of the toughest to succeed in and why so many new restaurants (9 out of 10 to be precise) go bankrupt in the first 12 months of operations. They only have on average, about 1-hour to make and develop that relationship with the customer, hence the saying “you’re only as good as your last meal”.  In hotels, and most certainly in urban hotels, where the average stay is only 1-2 nights, the same principle applies, hoteliers only have that one or two day time-line to build trust, meet the needs and create a repeat customer – if they succeed great! If they don’t, guess what? Someone else will!  In resorts, the same dynamic applies, except that one has more time at their leisure (no pun intended), in resorts the average stay is 4-7 days and if the operator plays their cards right, even if there are inconsistencies in the beginning, they have the time to build back the relationship and gain the long-term trust that customers and most certainly repeat customers, demand and deserve.

Last but certainly not least, we come to private clubs…where the customer/member does not have to leave in 1.5-hours or check-out in 2-days or even 7-days…they are there for good (for the most part).  Whereas one would think that operationally things are much easier, since one has the luxury of months if not years to build strategies and processes that satisfy that customer/member – in reality, one does not!  For the most part, members of private clubs are part equity owners in such clubs and even in the ones that they are not, members still act as owners, and rightfully so since they do have a vested interest in their investment in their club!  As such, an operator does not have the luxury of time to build and foster trust and in meeting and exceeding their needs and wishes, as members will be very quick to impose their own demands and expectations if the operator is not quick enough to deliver on that promise first!

Hence, Hospitality du Jour! The easiest way to “win” is through letting your customer dictate the level of service they want, the product they need and the experience they expect…then, all you have to do is give it to them…

Lastly, in this business, no matter who you are and what you do…it will always come down to this basic mantra:  There are two things you can do!  Either you do it or you don’t!

At your service,
Aurelian