a conversation with fabio gallo, gm of ME london
In the General Manager series I am doing for Kiwi Collection, I am catching up with heads of hotels for some unique insight and perspective. For my first post, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Fabio Gallo of ME London, which is set to open November 8.
one night in… Paris
Paris is probably the only city in the world you don’t need to convince anyone to visit. As Audrey Hepburn famously said, “Paris is always a good idea” and the array of cultural, architectural and social venues that make the city so fabulous would go beyond the constraints of this blog.
one night in… Kitzbühel
Kitzbühel is most famous for its winter season: not only does the small Tyrolean town provide great skiing, cozy Après ski and lavish nightlife but it also offers a unique atmosphere, courtesy of a its scenic setting combined with authentic and genuine Austrian hospitality.
one night in… Quinta do Lago
A short ride from Faro airport, the Hotel Quinta do Lago has been the area’s most famous hotel since the 1970s. When it was taken over by local do Adro family in 2003, there was skepticism about whether the new owners would be able to keep up the hotel’s excellent reputation.
there is only one ritz
Last weekend, just days before its closure to commence an “unprecedented” 27+ month renovation on 1 August 2012 I had the exclusive opportunity of experiencing the legendary Ritz Paris one last time.
one night in… Munich
Munich is one of my favorite cities in the world. The jovial Bavarian atmosphere it oozes, combined with the influences of Northern Italy (in fact, some say it’s Italy’s northernmost city) create an immediate sense of well-being. In the very heart of the Bavarian capital, tucked away in a quiet side street off famous Maximilianstrasse is the 73-room Mandarin Oriental Munich.
fantastic five: mauritian hotel breakfasts
This series is about my favourite five hotels by category.
In what I call my travelling years, the three years I spent reviewing luxury hotels across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa for Kiwi Collection – at the time the world’s largest independent luxury hotel reviewer – I was constantly looking for the “perfect” hotel. But even after several hundred hotels a year (about 400-500 annually) my search never revealed that one hotel, that perfect place. Actually, I don’t believe there really is such a hotel… However, there are a few runners up which came pretty close to perfection, who turned my stay into a memorable, lasting, and thus unforgettable experience.