Ghachem says with seeming pride and certainly with confidence as he runs big-ticket , ultra-luxury hotels where the ultimate in service is a given . “ I ’ m not just trying to be different , but I do operate based on what I ’ ve done and seen ,” he says .

Ghachem adds that it is not for him to impose or define what is proper for guests in his surroundings . “ It ’ s not for me to say luxury is having a wake-up call at

a fixed time with coffee at the bedside table ,” he says . “ You can ’ t define what somebody ’ s interpretation of luxury is , but the better connected we are to each guest , the better we understand their perception of luxury .”

Ghachem makes sure he and his teams are very connected in Lake Como and St . Barts , the two hotels where he now splits his time . To that end , he recently set up WhatsApp chats for his

teams to track all communication surrounding guest service .

Ghachem also likes to hire out-of-the-box and has found key staff from outside the hotel business , including his director of sales and marketing . “ And that ’ s OK , because they ’ re all believers and they ’ ve got incredible character , personalities and drive , and they believe in where we ’ re going and what I ’ m doing .” And just where is

Sereno Hotels going

next as it makes its way toward an unstated goal of six to eight hotels owned and operated ? Ghachem hints Contreras was recently contacting him often from Venice , and that the group was exploring other destinations in the Mediterranean – be it the south of France or other destinations he was not yet at liberty to mention .

“ We tend to go after destinations where are clientele are likely to

go , and we likely will not go somewhere remote in Thailand , for example , where our guests are likely to go just once ,” he says , adding that the East Coast of the U . S . could also be on Sereno ’ s list , including urban centers like New York .

For now , however , Ghachem is focused on getting Como off to a good start and then heading back to St . Barts for the winter as Sereno regulars chase the seasons .