Elegance in everything

A white-gloved doorman in a crisp, braid-trimmed jacket opens the heavy door. Strains from a string quartet waft across the vast Oriental carpet and through the lobby. Thick garlands of fragrant white blossoms are draped at the reception desk.

We are greeted by name and whisked to our room. There, we are feted with fresh juice and a melange of exotic fruits. An orchid blossom floats in the finger bowl.

But it is not the starched staff uniforms, elegant lobby (too modern for many tastes), spectacular views of the Chaophrya River or vivid celebrity history that have made Bangkok’s Oriental Hotel a legend. It is the service.

We have barely mentioned our plans before the concierge has pulled out the appropriate visa forms, saving us a long wait in a small, not air-conditioned embassy. While we take a free yoga class and refresh with strawberry sorbet and cold towels by the pool, the staff will make our onward hotel reservations and confirm seats for our flight.

Any first-class hotel should have the basics down to perfection: a firm mattress and 300-thread-count linens, triple-sheeted bed and huge down pillows, a spacious (usually marbled) bath with separate water closet. At $250 or more per night, brand-name shampoo, bathrobes, slippers and a hair dryer — not attached to the wall — should be standard.

But whether you’re a Midas-wallet regular or on a special-occasion splurge, it’s the hotel staff’s attitude and those little, unexpected extras that make a luxury hotel-stay memorable.

“The difference between a luxury hotel and a superior hotel is better amenities, more sophisticated spas, state-of-the-art fitness centers, very dedicated and experienced concierge desk that can solve anything,” says upscale retreat guru Andrew Harper, editor and publisher of Andrew Harper’s Hideaway Report. “Often, the centerpiece is a restaurant that is very highly rated.

“But the real soul of a luxury hotel is a well-trained staff,” he says. “They know what hospitality is about. A lot of hotels don’t. A lot of hotels can put amenities in a room and that makes luxury.”

If you’re simply going for a night or two in a city you know well, you may be more interested in the fluffy pillows and duvet, the pool and the spa than in the concierge’s ability to track down tickets to the hottest show in town. Still, you want a staff that is friendly and welcoming. After all, you’re paying for it.

“If the first thing you see is a gregarious, helpful doorman, you’ll instantly feel good setting the stage for service you can expect,” says Harper.

The brands and associations in the accompanying story are known for delivering luxury. But if you’re investing significant dollars, you should also consult with a travel agent that specializes in luxury travel, such as one belonging to the Virtuoso network ( www.virtuoso.com) or an agent specializing in a specific region.

You can also check publications that cover luxury travel, including magazines like Conde Nast Traveler and Travel & Leisure; books such as Pamela Lanier’s Elegant Small Hotels, the Michelin guides and Zagat’s guide to hotels, resorts and spas; and Harper’s Hideaway Report newsletter ( www.AndrewHarperTravel.com).

A word to the budgetwise: At luxury hotels, it’s not just the room rate that can tax the wallet. Juice, coffee and a croissant will often cost you $15 (though increasingly, luxury hotels offer bed-and-breakfast packages that include a solid meal for a reasonable charge). You’ll be expected to shell out an 18 percent to 20 percent gratuity to room service waiters (that’s above the delivery charge), with hefty tips to bellmen, valet parkers and concierges who perform services for you.

Parking can also set you back the price of a hearty lunch. And be careful if you need a package sent back home from the hotel; often, luxury hotels use only expensive services such as FedEx and DHL (we got hit with a $231 charge from South Africa).

The good news: Many offer value-oriented packages, and in the off-season, a room even at the best hotel can be a steal.

Hallmarks of luxury

Standard amenities

• Excellent-quality sheets, usually 300-thread count

• Four huge feather pillows, with foam available on request

• Robes and slippers in the room

• Overnight laundry service (even if you arrive late at night)

• 24-hour room service (not limited to just a few items)

• “Small” extras unique to the location you’re visiting

• Friendly, efficient staff that calls guests by name whenever possible and is willing and able to handle unusual requests

• Management that immediately corrects any problems you point out

Service that counts

Here are some examples of “luxury” service we’ve experienced over the years:

With advance instructions delivered by fax, the Hotel Savoy ( www.hotelsavoy.it) in Florence arranged hard-to-get dinner reservations. (Any good hotel concierge should be able to handle this.)

• Sutton Place in Vancouver, B.C. ( www.suttonplace.com), charged us only $10 to send a runner to the post office to ship our package inexpensively. Many hotels will ship only via expensive services such as DHL or Fed Ex.

• At the Georg V in Paris, our shoes were shined overnight — for free. It’s a standard service in all Four Seasons hotels ( www.fourseasons.com).

• The Ritz-Carlton South Beach ( www.ritzcarlton.com) fetched us a Vespa within 30 minutes of our request.

• At the Morrison House, a historic inn in Alexandria, Va. ( www.morrisonhouse.com), the chef will design an elaborate menu at your request from fresh, gourmet ingredients.

• Outstanding service: Within a few hours of our arrival, The Strand in Yangon, Myanmar, ( www.ghmhotels.com/thestrand/), arranged all flights and hotel reservations for our 10-day trip through the country. Months later, when souvenirs we’d shipped failed to arrive, The Strand’s concierge called the shipping company for us (though the hotel had no hand in the arrangement). Within three weeks, our souvenirs had arrived.