The Leading Hotels of the World Reviews 9

D'Angleterre Copenhagen - Very bad experience. Bad rooms, much different than what promised. Unless the Hotel refurbishes it is not worth going there.

I am writing to you as a long-time traveler who values true five-star hospitality, and I must express my profound disappointment after staying this summer at two of your affiliated properties: Cap Vermell Grand Hotel (Palma de Mallorca) and Hotel Byblos/Mandarine (Saint-Tropez). The experiences were not only below the standards expected of your network, but outright unacceptable for establishments claiming to represent “the leading hotels of the world.”

At Cap Vermell Grand Hotel, the service was a disgrace. Rooms presented unacceptable issues (mold, poor housekeeping, outdated interiors), and the staff demonstrated arrogance rather than professionalism. Basic guest care was absent complaints were met with indifference, management never followed up, and the general attitude of the team was dismissive, even hostile. This is not luxury hospitality; it is negligence masked by marketing.

At Hotel Mandarine in Saint-Tropez, the situation was equally shocking. The property itself is visibly deteriorating: paint peeling from the walls, outdated and tired interiors, and a general atmosphere that feels abandoned rather than curated. The supposed charm of this location is overshadowed by neglect, mediocrity, and an absolute lack of investment in maintaining the standards expected of a world-class hotel.

What is most alarming is that both properties proudly display your brand association, which is meant to stand for exclusivity, quality, and excellence. Instead, they deliver disappointment, frustration, and a sense of betrayal to discerning guests who trust your name. Allowing such hotels to remain under your banner not only damages their own reputations but severely undermines yours.

This is not simply a matter of one bad stay it reflects a deeper problem in how you vet, monitor, and enforce standards within your portfolio. If Leading Hotels of the World is to remain credible, immediate action is required: rigorous quality control, regular inspections, and clear consequences for member hotels that fail to uphold the level of service and maintenance promised to your guests.

Right now, your brand is at risk of becoming meaningless a label attached to properties that are luxury in name only. For travelers like myself who expect true excellence, this is both disappointing and unacceptable.

I urge you to take action. Both Cap Vermell Grand Hotel and Hotel Mandarine should be reviewed immediately, and if they cannot meet the standards you claim to represent, they should not be allowed to remain under your flag.

Your brand is only as strong as the hotels you choose to endorse. At present, these two establishments are a stain on your reputation.

LHW should be a trusted name for luxury hotels. We stayed at Fauchon Hotel in Kyoto, partly due to its LHW membership. The hotel though was unbearable. The ceilings in the bedroom were so low that we could not stay there, it felt so cramped, and not at all like a real LHW. I now feel we can not trust the LHW membership anymore. The Fauchon Hotel in Kyoto room ceilings make the room feel like a closet and the curtains were so low like a doll house. It seems like LHW may not care so much about their members' quality, as along as they get the income, the payment. Too bad, and a real shame, and completely Unethical.

We recently stayed in the Chedi Hotel in Muscat, Oman. This as our 7th visit and Richard the superb club manager not only remembered us and our names but also what we liked to drink. He and his super assistant Lulu could not have looked after us any better. Brilliant, friendly, kind, professional and fabulous service in every respect - thank you very much Richard.

Having earned a couple of these upgrade vouchers by making bookings through the LHW website, you think they are guaranteed when you activate them, rather than the common trick of many loyalty programs of saying "upgrade subject to availability". However, twice when I've activated these vouchers I've been informed long before the stay that the hotel has declined the request! We're currently at the Gran hotel Miramar in Malaga, where they declined the voucher about six months ago and declined again to offer an upgrade at check in yesterday. All rather disappointing. The remaining benefits of booking via LHW are less than booking through Amex or a Virtuoso, so I'll stop using them.

Used to be much better until they downsized several years ago. We used to love them very much but since their downgrade within the company and when we decided to travel to a landmark hotel in Munich, Germany, which turned out quite horrendous in what they sold online versus what we received. Not only that, the hotel messed up big time on transportation where there were clear correspondences between them and us and yet the hotel attempted to gaslight us to no avail. The driver who came to pick us up also learned of the situation right there and then and mind you, we had limited time to get to the airport. Their hotel concierge guy tried to play it off and punched my arm in a joking manner, excuse me? That could be called for sexual harassment. The driver and us documented this mix-up to the hotel and yet they did nothing. Absolutely nothing and continued on with gaslighting about the room, the transport correspondence and the inappropriate manner that I was treated (while next to my boyfriend). A month later, the hotel had the audacity to send us a bill stating we owe them on drinks (which was not the case because we didn’t drink and it was an overnight stay for an early morning flight). I told all of this to LHW when I got back and even included this hotel should be removed from their status for so many obvious reasons and guess what? They’re still on LHW’s site to this day. If you even read their reviews, you can see not only similarities but other horrifying and negative experiences other guests have endured. So no, LHW has definitely gone downhill since their downsizing and we haven’t gone through them in our travels since then.

Horrible customer service. Have to track down a human to even respond to an issue. They do not support their program and act as if they are doing you a favor by allowing to use your own points that you earned. No one cares if your hotel stay is poor which makes their points program worthless. They should be ashamed.

NOT TRUE that LHW offers the best (lower) rates for these hotels (FALSE).
I tried to book The Rittenhouse for coming September specific dates and rooms annd found LOWER comparable rates at BOOKING.COM
I wrote to LWH to point out about their " best rate garantee" and they replied that this applies only to PUBLIC RATES (wheterver this may be). BOOLKING.COM rates are considered by them PRIVATE simply because one has to sign on to the site (at NO cost) to get the best rates. Therefore their garantee does not apply...
Further, at AGODA, one can find exactly the same rates as in LHW (sometimes with better perks than with the LHW Club) but withou the requirement of pre payment or NO CANCELLATION, required by LHW site.
And if you call the hotel (any hotel) and point out that you are willing to book directly with them instead via LWB, you may get a discount.
Above has completely changed my views on the LHW organisation.
So should you!!!