Planner Perspective: Hotel Amigo

Every event tells a different story, and every Rocco Forte Hotel offers something unique. In our new Planner Perspectives series, we speak to event professionals about the properties they've experienced first-hand, the moments that stood out and why they'd return. 

By Susie Harwood

First up is Hotel Amigo in Brussels. Barnaby Luxton, director of Aspasia Events, a UK-based agency specialising in high-end corporate conferences and meetings, explains why the hotel's flexibility, local connections and collaborative approach have made it a trusted choice for his clients. 

Tell us about the programme you delivered at Hotel Amigo and why the hotel was the right fit. 

It was a general managers' summit for a pharmaceutical client, with around 60 people staying over four nights. The biggest deciding factor was the location. Because we could walk everywhere, the city became part of the programme rather than just somewhere the meeting happened. We could walk to the Sablon neighbourhood, local restaurants and our chocolate-making team-building activity, which completely changed the feel of the event. 

When we're designing programmes, we always think about how delegates are actually going to experience the destination, rather than simply moving between a meeting room, a restaurant and an airport. If delegates aren't experiencing the destination, then what's the point? 

What does a true hotel partnership look like in practice? 

For me, it's when we're all working towards the same objective. My goal isn't to make life difficult for the hotel. My goal is to get the best out of the hotel. Clients will quite often tell me things they won't necessarily say directly to the hotel, so part of my job is translating what they're trying to achieve and working with the team to find the right solution. It's not us versus the hotel – we're trying to deliver the same outcome. 

All I really need any hotel to do is give me Solution A or Solution B. That's what I get from Hotel Amigo. 

A good example was lunch during one of our meetings. The buffet set-up wasn't ideal for what we wanted to achieve, so we worked together on a different concept with sharing starters at the table, buffet mains and dessert elsewhere. There's always a solution. 

When you've got people staying for four or five nights, you need to look at the whole programme. Every decision affects the delegate experience, and Hotel Amigo understands that. They're looking at the bigger picture rather than treating every request in isolation. 

Finally, what tells you you've found the right hotel partner? 

Of course, it's always nice to hear positive feedback from clients, but for me the biggest measure of success is that we keep going back. That speaks volumes. 

At the end of the day, all I want to do is look after people, and that's exactly what the team at Hotel Amigo wants to do as well.