The Liberace piano fronting the Artists’ Bar.

The Belgravia Suite, named after one of London’ s most exclusive neighborhoods. Photo credit: Mark Read

requisite trait: affability. GMs don’ t succeed by holing up in an office; they win over guests and staff by being on the front lines, out and about walking the floor and being outgoing.“ I enjoy engaging with people,” Virgilio said.“ It’ s within me— part of my personality.”

Virgilio calls his management style“ collaborative,” but being collaborative means putting the

right people in place and setting them up for success. This is made all the more necessary for one particular reason: The Dorchester employs some 600 people.“ You can’ t create that cohesiveness unless you understand how each individual functions with the group,” he said.

Virgilio is also modest. He strives to make himself useless, which is to say that his hotel

can run smoothly even without him there. And that’ s a good thing.“ It means you’ re a good leader because things go well even when you’ re not around,” he said.“ That takes courage because some people like that when they’ re not around, and everything falls apart, they can say,‘ Oh, I guess I’ m needed.’”

The Dorchester is a star, but London is the universe. Perhaps no city in the world

has the complement of luxury hotels like London does. It only follows that the best general managers in the world work there. It holds special meaning for Virgilio, who has spent different eras of his life in the British capital. He calls it the center of the world.“ London is a city that invites you to come back over and over again,” he said.“ As hoteliers, we are blessed.”