Luxury Experience in Paris
Hello Lovebirds and Industry Friends!
This summer has been a true whirlwind and I am just now coming down from the excitement of the last few months. If you are not following me on instagram (@toridelphotograghy) go ahead and do that! If you have, you would have seen that in July, I was in Paris for a conference! Part of being at that conference included staying at Hotel Plaza Athenee! A true luxury experience in Paris!
And yes go ahead and google it and check it out! This hotel is surrounded by luxury shopping, can see the Eiffel tower from the hotel and is…EXPENSIVE! Lol Luckily with me being at the conference we were able to get a group rate and it was amazing!
I could talk about this hotel all day BUT the point of this blog is to actually talk about what I learned from a customer service perspective from a 5 star hotel that I want to consider/incorporate within my business and ultimately level up the client experience! So here we go!
So this blog leans more towards industry friends; however, for future couples booking our services, here is what to expect!
Exclusivity
A true luxury experience in Paris. One of the many perks of staying at the hotel was to have resident access. What does that mean? Well for example the hotel has this gorgeous interior view (see below) as well as a gallery where you can have breakfast, lunch or dinner. For residences, you not only had access to this space while strolling around the hotel, you did NOT need a reservation to experience this place while dining.
Another example is the Dior spa that is inside of the hotel. As of 2023, they are doing renovations of their original spa so currently they host the spa in a luxurious suite! That being said, residences have access to schedule their spa appointments either via the email, concierge within the hotel, or a direct line from your room! Just press a button and you are on the phone with reception.
Luxury Experience Learnings
Access comes with exclusivity. When booking luxury services you have access to things that not everyone will receive. Think about the access you can provide your clients when they book your services.
Surprise and Delight
Everyone likes gifts. And if you are disagreeing as you are reading this, you are lying to yourself lol. The hotel provided little surprises throughout our whole stay. From beginning (with macaroons and a thank you letter as we walked into the room), leaving a cloth to clean my glasses because they saw that I had a sunglasses case on the desk, to leaving the hotel perfume in my room on our last day. I kept commenting about the fragrance of the hotel as I walked through the lobby and I am not sure if they always leave the perfume sample or they just overheard me speaking about it lol. It really showed that they were paying attention without me having to say anything. When we ordered coffee in the gallery, we would get a little chocolate treat.
Also…I need to install a towel warming rack in my home because having a warm towel after a shower or a bath is soooo amazing!
Luxury Experience Learnings
You cannot surprise and delight without paying attention to details. Paying attention to details will allow you to meet, exceed and predict customer’s expectations, surprising and delighting.
Lifting the heavy things
Literally and figuratively. As soon as we got out of the car, the front door and concierge service started. They took our belongings and placed them in a back room until our hotel room was available. Once the room was available, they brought our luggage to our room. Similarly to when we left, they came to our room and brought our luggage down and put all of our belongings in the car.
Anytime we ordered a car, the service men would open the car doors for us. When it rained, they had an umbrella to walk us to the car etc.
Services at the hotel included, car service (around the city & to the airport), laundering services (wash, steam, iron etc), of course room service, cleaning and turn down service. The turn down service was so nice! Leaving bottles of water on our night stands every night was so clutch! Lol
Luxury Experience Learnings
Part of the experience is making sure that your clients do not have to do any heavy lifting. They should literally glide through the experience that you are providing. They should NOT have to worry about everything and just enjoy the experience and live in the now (of the wedding/event).
Everyone has a role to play
So many people work together for the goal of providing an experience for guests. Here are a few people that I observerved: Front door men, concierge (at the desk & people behind the scenes), reservations for check-in, service people for checkout, shop keeper for store purchases within the hotel, room attendants, reception for the restaurant, restaurant service people. The list goes on and on.
Luxury Experience Learnings
You….business owner. Cannot do everything. It takes a team to provide a great experience. This includes within your business AND working with other industry professionals to bring a wedding/event to life. Everyone has a role to play and when everyone works together, the experience is elevated.
You…..couples. Hire professionals. If you want the experience that is in your head or in your day dreams, hire the professionals that WILL work together for you!
5 star Experience
I hope these observations and learnings have helped you (industry friends) think about how you want to provide a 5 star experience to your current and future clients. Taking a luxury experience in Paris and bringing it into your business!
Couples and clients, I hope this has helped you put into perspective what Wedding and Event professionals do for you to make sure that your experience is 5 star! Who doesn’t want to feel like they are having a luxury experience in Paris?!
We would love to work with you and your partner for your wedding journey photography. Please reach out, www.toridelphotography.com
Your wedding photographer shouldn’t be a stranger on your wedding day. Tori Del Photography creates a personal/lasting relationship by supporting you not just on your wedding day but throughout your wedding journey.
Victoria,
Tori Del Photography Blog
This blog is for ALL sophisticated couples madly in love. And when we say ALL we do include our LGBTQIA+ couples because THEY TOO DESERVE to be madly in love. We provide suggestions for your wedding day based on years of experience, partnerships with wedding vendors and the fact that you are NOT alone in this journey. Your dream is possible with a team!
