PatRick Both

Anantara Siam Bangkok

What ’ s the best idea that you ’ ve ever stolen ?

I saw a photo of a hammock in the sea attached to two tree stumps coming out of the water . I had my engineering team install much the same at Anantara Dhigu , Maldives , and the property soon became famous for it .

heRvé houdRé

InterContinental New York

Barclay , New York City

If you weren ’ t a hotelier , what would you be ?

Our role is often compared to that of an ambassador . If I would ever come back in another life , I would love to be an ambassador to deal with the relationships between countries or other worldly topics .

RichaRd Schilling

St . Regis Bora Bora ,

French Polynesia

What surprising skills have you learned not related to your job ?

I cook the best French fries in the world ; my friends all agreed with this . I also can shine my own shoes , having learned from an old butler the secret recipe : You just need to get your hands dirty .

Mike White

Ka ’ anapali Beach Hotel ,

Lahaina , Hawaii

If you weren ’ t a hotelier , what would you be ?

If I did not have five children , I may have followed my passion for woodwork and became a bowl turner . There is a magic to seeing what will be created from a block of koa , milo or monkeypod wood .

JaSon Bull

Es Vive , Ibiza , Spain

If you could only visit one hotel , which one would it be and why ?

Pikaia Lodge in the Galapagos with my family . It ’ s off the grid , beautifully designed and away from it all . There ’ s no risk of surprise late-night parties there like here in Ibiza .

nick YaRnell

Six Senses Douro Valley ,

Portugal

What ’ s your favorite hotel memory , personal or professional ?

When Frank Sinatra checked out after giving his last live performance at The Savoy in London . He left me a 1-kilogram tin of Iranian Beluga caviar .

September 2016 hotelsmag . com 71