"I have no words to express my admiration for Mr. Kasikci." So says legendary record producer Ahmet Ertegun, a seasoned world traveler with famously refined tastes, about the managing director of the Peninsula Beverly Hills. "He's a gentleman and a true perfectionist." Ertegun may find it hard to articulate the depth of his devotion to Kasikci, but his actions speak volumes. In 2003 the New York – based producer and his wife, Mica, decided to buy a home in Beverly Hills. By this past spring, they had already sold it. Among other things, the Erteguns missed the pampering they had always received from Kasikci and the Peninsula's friendly, hyperefficient staff.
"The Peninsula Beverly Hills is the best hotel in America," says Ertegun, who has been a regular visitor to the marvelously sedate 196-room establishment for more than a decade. He first stayed at the property in 1992, when the Beverly Hills Hotel, where he had long been a fixture, was shuttered for remodeling. What struck Ertegun from day one at the Peninsula was how quickly his every desire, expressed or unspoken, was met. "I was astounded by the quality of the hotel and of the service," he says. "I didn't know you could get that kind of service in this country."
Before Ertegun arrives, his bed is carefully adjusted to a specific height, personalized stationery is stacked on a writing table, and foodstuffs he disdains are whisked from the minibar and replaced with Ertegun-friendly beverages. When he and his wife go to sleep at night, their heads rest on pillowcases the Peninsula had embroidered with their initials. And the customized cursive is not there just to suit Ertegun's whims: every hotel regular receives a specially monogrammed pillowcase. It's the kind of small, lovingly rendered detail that Kasikci thinks supports his grand plan for what a hotel should be.
"I don't believe in the logic that a hotel is a home away from home. A hotel should be infinitely more than your home," says the managing director, who claims an 84 percent occupancy rate for rooms ranging from $425 to $3,500 a night. "At home you don't get your sheets changed every day. Our message to our guests is 'This room is prepared exclusively for you. This is yours'."
The elegance of the Peninsula Beverly Hills, which was designed to resemble an 18th-century French country estate, is enough to attract guests. But it's the hotel's meticulously individualized care that turns them into repeat customers. "It's about observation," explains Kasikci. "All you have to do is look at a person'd lifestyle and connect the dots." To this end, Kasikci and his employees — from managers in bespoke suits to bustling housemaids — are busily gleaning information about guests'likes and dislikes every moment of the day. If at the end of your stay, one sweet Japanese pear is absent from your complimentary fruit basket, you can be sure that there'll be an extra the next time you come. Rumpled sheets on just half the bed indicate which side will get turndown service. Into a bulging database go these clues, alongside names, anniversaries, even news of a job promotion, so that you'll swear the hotel had ESP.
"They know everything about you," says Peninsula Beverly Hills regular Dawn Ostroff, president of UPN Entertainment, who often stays there with her husband and children. "They give you holiday gifts, birthday gifts. There isn't a staff person we'd pass who would not say hello to us by name. I mean, honestly, it's unbelievable."
All the gathered minutiae are reviewed in a daily morning meeting presided over by the dapper forty-eight-year-old Kasikci at which he and his top lieutenants pore over the list of imminent guests and studiously determine the perks du jour. For example, at a recent 8:30 A.M. confab, it was decided that packets of Dentyne Ice and Orbitz would appear in a gum chewer's room and that Mr. Thirsty Television Producer would find extra bottles of his preferred mineral water on his night table. The loyalty of another frequent guest, an expectant mother, would be repaid with a gift of the best crib from Neiman Marcus.
For the next half hour, ideas bubbled up and gentle joking prevailed; the mood was light. Then Kasikci concluded on a somber note: while dining in the hotel's award-winning Belvedere restaurant, he reported, a well-known composer had come upon unwelcome pieces of raw white onion in his bowl of chili. Silence fell as Kasikci read the composer's searing letter of complaint aloud. He may have been taking the incident a bit seriously — but doesn't the modern consumer dream of getting such a reaction? No doubt it's this fastidiousness that has won the Peninsula Beverly Hills its industry reputation as the number one city hotel in the United States and has helped it maintain its Mobil Five-Star and AAA Five Diamond ratings for a record eleven consecutive years.
Kasikci, who was born in Turkey and educated in Europe, has been in the hotel business since he was sixteen. He seems to unleash a fresh interpretation of luxury every ten minutes. "I very much consider myself a strategist," says the managing director, who routinely flies around the globe staying in the competition's rooms, returning home secure in the knowledge of the Peninsula's superiority. "Not to sound critical, but I find that everyone is looking at what others do and trying to one-up them. Someone puts a mint on the pillow, so the next person says, 'Let's put a bottle of water next to it so they have something to wash it down with.' That's not innovation, that's paving the cow path. The one who changes the business model will be the one to recalibrate the entire industry. That's what we're trying to do here at the Peninsula Beverly Hills."
How to Receive Great Service
Have Requests Confirmed in Writing
Kasikci advises that you explain all your wishes to the reservations clerk. Say "I'm allergic to down"; "I like blackout drapes." Then ask for a follow-up e-mail detailing everything you've discussed; he or she may be saying, "Yeah, yeah, yeah" and not writing it down.Complain Immediately
Don't like the room-service food? Writing a letter about it from home won't get you better meals now. If the first bite of breakfast disappoints, stop eating and complain.Use Your Conciegre
Not many people realize that a contract with a hotel begins the minute you make your reservation. Kasikci recommends having the concierge give shopping tips, rent a car, order tickets to a sports event and book restaurant reservations long before you arrive. A good concierge can do anything. For its guests, the Peninsula staff has chartered jets, sent a rare flower with a note and purchased a prizewinning puppy and shipped it to another part of the world.Inform the Hotel of Special Ocasions
Be it a birthday, anniversary or honeymoon, when you make your reservation, tell the staff why you're coming and insist that they make a note of it. Then write to the manager, again specifying the reason for your stay. Don't be shy about asking how the hotel can help you improve the celebration: you might suggest special flowers, a private dinner or surprises.Get to Know Your Housekeeper
Ask the head housekeeper to assign one person to your room, and ask to meet him or her. Tell your chambermaid at what time and how you want your bed made and turned down, and how you like your clothes arranged. Tip up front to sweeten the arrangement — typically, five dollars a day.Let the Hotel Unpack and Pack
A hotel employee will put away your clothes for a gratuity (Kasikci recommends five dollars for every piece of luggage). This is more than just a time-saver: the staff person might notice that a garment needs pressing and have it taken care of right away.Peninsula Perks
24-Hour Check-In/Check-Out
When you show up, your room is ready, not just after 3 P.M., and check-out is when you depart.Laundry on Your Schedule
In-house dry cleaning and laundry service are available around the clock.Luggage-less Travel
Send your suitcases ahead; find your garments steamed, pressed and hung in your closet when you arrive. (The Peninsula stores clothing too.)Starbucks in Your Room
Your breakfast tray will include your grande Caramel Macchiato from the Starbucks across the street (just request it on your breakfast order).Customized Minibar
You're part of the Atkins-diet revolution? Find low-carb energy bars and shakes in the refrigerator; bags of M & Ms will have been quietly removed.To-go Menu
Instead of putting up with airline food, order a meal of freshly prepared fried chicken or sushi to be packed for you by the hotel's kitchen.
