the Luxury of Attention: What World's Greatest Hoteliers and Chefs Know About Leadership

Eighty conversations with the world's finest hoteliers and Michelin-starred chefs, distilled into a single leadership discipline: attention. For readers of Unreasonable Hospitality and Setting the Table."A master class in leadership, persistence, and creativity, with lessons that reach far beyond the realm of hospitality." - Hubert Joly, former CEO of Best BuyThe Luxury of Attention shows how the world's finest hoteliers and chefs turn attention into leadership, and leadership into experiences people never forget. Their edge is not budget or brand. It is a way of noticing that any leader can practice, and that modern life is steadily training out of us.This book is for anyone who wants to create extraordinary experiences, lead people at a higher level, and understand what separates the very best from everyone else. It is especially relevant for leaders, managers, entrepreneurs, and professionals in luxury hospitality, travel, restaurants, and other service-driven businesses, but its lessons reach far beyond those industries. Whether you are building a company, leading a team, serving clients, shaping a culture, pursuing a higher standard, or simply looking for ways to stand out in an increasingly transactional world, this book offers enduring lessons in leadership, creativity, and the disciplined art of paying attention to what people need.The lessons come from leaders behind Le Royal Monceau Raffles Paris, The Savoy in London, The Plaza in New York, Four Seasons Florence, Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills, and Rosewood Hong Kong, and from chefs including Eric Ripert, José Andrés, Joan Roca, Virgilio Martínez, Ana Ros, the late Anthony Bourdain, and many more from both worlds.Organized into three parts and fourteen chapters, The Luxury of Attention follows the journey from becoming a leader to mastering the craft and confronting what comes next. Becoming explores calling, apprenticeship, and earning the right to build a team. Mastering the Craft examines creativity, the pursuit of perfection, the human touch, anticipating what people need, and recovering when anticipation fails. What Comes Next turns to technology, resilience, and the future of both crafts.Running through it all is a simple idea: attention is a competitive advantage, a leadership discipline, and an increasingly rare form of human connection."Hospitality at its best has always been a school for wisdom, and The Luxury of Attention is the most thorough syllabus I've read." - Chip Conley, former Head of Global Hospitality and Strategy, Airbnb