HOW IS THIS FOR THE COOLEST JOB ON THE
PLANET?
October 9, 2008
Dear Editor,
He
spends his days traveling the globe checking out luxury hotels to
see if they are up to his standards. Not his personal standards,
however - standards that were created for the travel club he
founded more than 30 years ago and whose members worldwide have
come to depend upon his recommendations on not-to-be-missed hotels
as well as resorts that are better left a distant vision. The people who rely on his
opinions are a unique group of individuals ranging from notable
celebrities, musicians, publishers, authors, and politicians to
ordinary folks with extraordinary taste who are all part of a
lively community with a passion for luxury travel.
Over the
years, this self-proclaimed "Hotel Collector" has visited some
4,000 plus hotels and has been dubbed "The King of the One Night
Stand."
Mike Thiel, Founder and
CEO of Hideaways International, Inc. (www.hideaways.com) and its
Hideaways Aficionado Club estimates he visits some 60 hotels per
research trip and he takes about four or five of these trips per
year. Do the math - that's some 250-300 hotels visited
annually!
There are times when he has been treated like
royalty and other instances when he admits that "hand-picking
hideaways is no vacation." Sometimes he sees so many properties
that they blur into one another were it not for his dictated notes
and video camera which help to keep every luxury hotel service and
amenity straight.
Over the years, Thiel has
also devised many of his own little tricks for determining a
hotel's attention to detail and service. His favorite is what he
likes to call the "stray paper test." If the individual giving the
hotel tour - particularly a high-level manager - stops to pick up
a stray scrap of paper or similar foreign object in the corridor
or notes and reports on some other out of the ordinary situation,
he knows that hotel is paying attention. Thiel admits he's even
dropped something himself just to see what they do!
I would
love to work with you on a story about this "Hotel Collector" and
"King of the One Night Stand." If I can follow up with a press kit
or schedule an interview, please let me know.
Sincerely,
Gail Richard
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