Greeting ritual

The greeting ritual is the choreographed first 90 seconds of your arrival at a hotel, and luxury properties consider it the single most important moment of your stay. Drive up to a Four Seasons or Ritz-Carlton and the doorman opens your car door before it fully stops, addresses you by name (the valet at the gate radioed ahead from your registration), takes your bags without asking, walks beside you (never ahead) at your pace, opens the lobby door, and personally hands you off to a front desk colleague with their name ("Mr. Smith, please meet Sophie who will check you in"). Check-in itself should take under three minutes. Welcome drinks (champagne, fresh juice, mocktail, tea) appear unprompted. This is the moment hotels live or die on.