Lagniappe
What is your favorite travel item ? Now that I am getting older , my favorite item is my travel neck pillow .
Why did you choose to work in hotels ? My mother was a shop owner so I have had the opportunity to interact with customers from a very early age . During one of my school summer breaks , I took a job at a hotel and fell in love with it and ultimately decided to pursue this as a profession .
What is your greatest pet peeve ? Imperfection and complacency . Every guest is unique and so are their needs . It is imperative that each team member goes the extra mile and that hotels as a whole think out of the box beyond their comfort zones to ensure they deliver the most perfect guest experiences .
Louis
Sailer
general manager , The leela Palace new Delhi , inDia
Who taught you your biggest life lesson , and what was it ? I credit my accomplishments and learnings to my father and my tough mentors in the industry . I fondly look back at their significant support and contributions in the early stages of my career . All of them shaped me into who I am today .
What do you like most about The Leela Palace New Dehli ? I love everything about this palatial address , from the impressive state-of-the-art features and services to my colleagues and the guests . Having spearheaded some of the most iconic hotels around the globe , I proudly call The Leela Palace New Delhi a hotel that is 100 % luxury .
Austrian-born Louis Sailer has nearly three decades of experience managing luxury hotels around the world under his belt . Before he was appointed to lead The Leela Palace New Delhi in 2013 , Sailer spearheaded the pre-opening team as general manager of London ’ s Café Royal . He has also been at the helm of several other notable properties , including The Fullerton Hotel in Singapore , The Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel in California , and Raffles Canouan Island in the Caribbean . In addition to his passion for luxury hospitality , Sailer is a self-described food and wine aficionado , golf enthusiast and family man .
What is your favorite spot in New Dehli ? Since New Delhi became my new home , I have visited many shopping hubs for interiors and furnishings to fill my house . I am quite fond of Delhi ’ s Kirti Nagar Market , which is home to Asia ' s largest furniture market with more than 800 showrooms featuring traditional carpentry and craftsmanship .
80 HOTELS November 2015 www . hotelsmag . com