Spring 2019

62 Nov18553 Hidden Luxury: Exploring Montana Lodge & Spa Montana Lodge & Spa is a five-star mountain resort in La Thuile, Italy. In November, Montana was recognised in LUXLife Magazine’s ongoing 2018 Global Luxury Hotel & Spa Awards as the Most Luxurious Lodge and Spa in Italy. We spoke with Giuseppe Artolli, General Manager of the Montana Lodge, to find out more about their approach to peerless guest services and satisfaction. Montana Lodge & Spa is a treasure nestled close to La Thuile, a town deep in the Valle d’Aosta of northwest Italy. A popular ski resort for British adventurers, La Thuile has long been a mainstay for those that want to experience true European excellence and enjoy the town’s famously majestic slopes. Even in the centre of all of this, Montana Lodge manages to distinguish itself through a commitment to delivering top-tier services that have allowed it to grow professionally and culturally. It is, more than that, an award- winning establishment that has won several distinguished awards over the last year, alongside being nominated among the three best ski hotels in the world. Going forwards, the lodge looks likely to gain more prestige on the back of a new collaboration with Michelin star Chef, Enrico Bartolini. More than that, Montana has always been celebrated, every day, we deal with a large number of guests who have different personalities, cultures and needs. What they expect from us is experience and proficiency, and our job is to ensure in return that we are providing the best quality service.” Continuing in this vein, Giuseppe offers some insight into how Montana ensures that they always provide the best possible service to their guests. “Two key words: availability and proficiency (with a smile). The best ingredients are to provide the best service and guarantees. Ultimately, the guest wants to feel utterly at home, so we have to make the lodge feel relaxed, with a focus on wellbeing, kindness and serenity. That is essential in differentiating ourselves from the standard facility.” Retreat Moving on, the discussion soon turns to Giuseppe’s personal responsibilities in maintaining this impeccable standard across the entire establishment. Naturally, Montana’s staff play a crucial role in ensuring that guests, wherever they may be, are looked after and their needs catered for. “I always ask for proficiency from my staff. I want them to be aware of the environment and the clients that they deal with. As such, we have an active, efficient and well-trained staff. Every day I visit each department to reassure myself that everything is going as it should be.” “We make sure we are aware and keep pace of different trends. To give a recent example, the trend for guests to book online through mobile phones and direct reservations, without using third party bookers. We do this to make sure that the online reservation process is easy and seamless. Equally, though I follow these trends, I sometimes prefer to follow my own path, because being in touch directly with guests evokes a better impression.” As we come to the end of the interview, Giuseppe talks about the future of the hotel, and his personal development working at Montana. "I do believe that Montana Lodge has a great future ahead and that it will maintain and develop its reputation world wide. So far we are very much an European destination, but the potential is there to develop the US market and far east. More and more we are noticing far east guests trying to discover new mountain destinations, apart from the world famous Suisse and French ones." Finally, in his closing comments, Giuseppe summarises his experience working at Montana Lodge: “Guest satisfaction is the greatest gift you can receive from a client, and – as such – this is where I focus my mind and my efforts.” Contact: Giuseppe Artolli, General Manager Company: Montana Lodge & Spa Address: Montana Lodge & Spa Fraz. Arly 87, La Thuile, 11016, Italy Website: montanalodge.it Telephone: +39 (0) 165 88 31 25