|
The swanky Sanctuary hotel at Kiawah Island Golf Resort was crowned with
five stars Monday by Mobil Travel Guide, becoming one of only 41 U.S.
lodgings to receive the coveted accolade.
Kiawah was also one of three properties in the country to win five stars for
its spa.
"We're all very, very excited," said Roger Warren, president of the resort.
"It just validates from an experienced outside source that the service that
we promote, that we in fact provide."
The Woodlands Resort & Inn, the only other South Carolina business to win
Mobil's top ranking, retained its five-star status for its Summerville
lodging and for its restaurant, the Dining Room.
Although the impact of an extra star is hard to quantify, hoteliers claim
that five-star properties can charge up to 20 percent more than a
less-acclaimed lodging, while also commanding the attention of the world's
most discerning jet-setters and meeting planners.
Kiawah resort officials pledged to open a five-star hotel even before they
broke ground on the Sanctuary. Bill Goodwin, the Virginia-based businessman
who owns most of the resort, has said he spent $125 million on the opulent
property. At almost $500,000 apiece, each room boasts a private balcony,
satin hangers, Italian linens and a marble shower.
The oceanfront lodging welcomed its first guests in August 2004 and quickly
earned rave reviews from the travel press. But it failed to clear Mobil's
top bar during its first few years in business. Mobil won't even send one of
its four incognito inspectors until a hotel has been open six months,
according to spokesman Shane O'Flaherty.
"It takes time to foster a five-star culture," O'Flaherty said. "They've
done an amazing job of continually improving their service. ... The main
issue is really their consistency."
At the very top of the hotel heap, the differences are slight, even
intangible. Mobil's clandestine reviewers descend on hotels with stopwatches
and a list of 500 criteria. Are the bags delivered to the room within 10
minutes of checking in? Are there fresh flowers? Are there two choices of
newspaper?
In addition to sparing no expense on construction, Kiawah built a management
team from the ranks of Ritz-Carlton and Four Seasons. It also hired West
Paces Hotel Group, an Atlanta-based consulting firm that has handled the
openings of about 40 Ritz-Carlton hotels during the past two decades.
"We constantly train for this level of service and we consistently test it,"
Warren said. "It's like a championship basketball team. They have players
who want that ball to score that winning shot in the final seconds. And we
tell our people, 'We want you to want that ball.' "
The group that owns Kiawah has two other five-star lodgings in its stable:
the Jefferson Hotel in Richmond, Va., and the Hermitage Hotel in Nashville,
Tenn.
Mobil graced several Charleston hotels and restaurants with four stars,
including Charleston Place, The Charleston Grill, Circa 1886, Peninsula
Grill and Kiawah's Ocean Room restaurant.
AAA, the travel club formerly known as the American Automobile Association,
bestows similar honors via its diamond awards system. The rating procedure
is much the same, as clandestine reviewers canvass the country, but more
properties pass muster for the five-diamond award — 160 made the cut last
year — than for Mobil's five stars.
Kiawah's new hotel won five diamonds from AAA in the fall 2006.
|
My
Scribe