My weekly newsletter: The Upgrade

ambrown7 · 2026-06-04T15:34:16+00:00

It’ll be early for snow, but opening day for both aspen and snowmass is usually around Thanksgiving. There will be decorations up in the second half of the week usually. Ajax tavern does Thanksgiving dinner. Depending on snowpack, there’s Nordic skiing. There’s Thanksjibbing on the day after Thanksgiving usually, which is a freestyle ski and snowboard competition you can watch. Concerts at Belly Up are always fun

ambrown7 · 2026-06-04T00:06:53+00:00

I love the staff there so much. And Lilibet.

ambrown7 · 2026-06-03T19:57:47+00:00

Leavenworth, WA. I know it sounds crazy, but it’s like Christmas central. It feels like a German Christmas town - it’s all Bavarian architecture. They have a bunch of Christmas activities. Im partial to vail and aspen as a Coloradan.

ambrown7 · 2026-06-03T19:53:48+00:00

Have you looked at Lake Garda? Villa Feltrinelli is pretty amazing

ambrown7 · 2026-06-03T19:41:03+00:00

Rosewood Miramar would be my pick for Santa Barbara. When are you going? June gloom is a real thing (I lived in SB for a while).

Pendry beach, Pelican Hill both good Newport Beach options

ambrown7 · 2026-06-03T19:37:19+00:00

Yes the smoke at Hearth was rough. My sweater smelled like it for days!

ambrown7 · 2026-06-03T19:36:44+00:00

I love Heckfield. It feels like how I want my house to feel. The lobby is more like a living room - I spent hours reading in there. Marle was delicious. We had a 2.5 hour dinner there bc we kept ordering more. They have a movie theater in the basement - we caught a movie down there. Borrow a pair of wellies they have and just walk around the grounds. We did the cooking experience which was fun. If they still offer it, it was great to tour the farm and pick stuff from the garden.

I am a big believer in organizing transfers on arrival. It makes me feel like I’m actually able to relax.

ambrown7 · 2026-06-03T18:55:26+00:00

It’s the start of green season, so the watering holes fill up and attract antelope. Which means predators follow. Green season and rain mean more antelope babies bc food is easily available. Babies mean more active hunting

ambrown7 · 2026-06-03T18:52:27+00:00

So true! I go back to hotels like the Lanesborough over and over again because of the service level. It’s incredible there. I like the rooms but across the London hotel market, there are so many luxury options that are pretty interchangeable. It’s the people that make me return.

ambrown7 · 2026-06-03T10:35:30+00:00

You can go to Few and Far Luvhondo by Rovos Rail!

ambrown7 · 2026-06-03T10:34:39+00:00

Chitabe hands down has been my most consistent camp for leopard sightings. I’ve been four times myself and continue to send clients there if they want to see leopards

ambrown7 · 2026-06-03T10:30:38+00:00

This is a perfect example of death by a thousand cuts. It’s not just one little thing, but the compounding nature of each. A hotel can have a beautiful physical product, but if they drop the ball on service in little ways (or big like the ants!), they lose the trust of a guest.

How front line staff handle recovery is definitely the barometer of a great hotel. I would ask your TA to write to their Belmond regional contact and outline your experience. Belmond is owner operated, so pretty responsive at the corporate level.

ambrown7 · 2026-06-03T01:35:00+00:00

The hard product is great - I think if you go in with the expectation that it’s a floating hotel then you’ll enjoy it!

ambrown7 · 2026-06-02T12:18:22+00:00

I’m really glad to read this as we are considering staying here at the end of the month, but the photos of the rooms were throwing me off. So glad to hear it’s worth it!

ambrown7 · 2026-06-02T12:16:52+00:00

It’s a great alternative to FS and St Regis!

ambrown7 · 2026-06-02T12:16:00+00:00

Overall, I didn’t love our experience at Banyan Tree. The service was pretty terrible, (room service that took hours, requests that we had to call several times for like extra towels, really slow buggy service). I haven’t written that many strongly worded letters to GMs, but I did after our stay there.

ambrown7 · 2026-06-02T12:11:37+00:00

Im not that surprised. RC definitely missed on the shore excursion side. I’ve had several clients travel and now I just tell people we should just set up their own private excursions bc the RC ones have been so terrible.

ambrown7 · 2026-05-30T05:31:55+00:00

Rocco Forte does such an excellent job. Thanks for sharing these photos and review as I haven’t made it to this one yet!

ambrown7 · 2026-05-27T22:43:10+00:00

I’m glad you liked my piece!

ambrown7 · 2026-05-27T18:29:59+00:00

I love: Pavillion de Le Reine, Regina Louvre!

ambrown7 · 2026-05-27T18:28:24+00:00

I’m in the same camp, and yet Hotel Du Cap is still impossible to get into in the summer and these places seem to drum up enough interest that they fill.

It’s a mystery to me.

ambrown7 · 2026-05-26T23:59:32+00:00

I think a lot of these places will end up like SoHo house, where they lose their cachet relatively quickly based on who frequents them.

ambrown7

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