What do wealthy people buy, that ordinary people know nothing about? (2015)

Re:What do wealthy people buy, that ordinary people know not... by sarchertech on Sunday May 18, 2025 @01:29PM (#44022941)

I stayed at the 4 seasons a few years ago just to give it a try. Not even remotely worth it. The only real difference I noticed was the obsequiousness of the staff.

If you want hotel employees to kiss your ass and pretend to respect you, then this is the place for you. But the quality of the room wasn’t noticeably better than other places I’ve stayed.

I will give you a good example of something that most upper middle class people can’t afford or at least can’t afford frequently.

Disney World VIP tours. My wife has family who are club 33 members and they gifted us a VIP tour as a wedding present. The tour guide drives you around to the different parks and walks you backstage through tunnels and hidden areas to get you the very front of any ride you want to go on.

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Re:What do wealthy people buy, that ordinary people know not... by JumpCrisscross on Sunday May 18, 2025 @01:49PM (#44023096)

> the quality of the room wasn’t noticeably better than other places I’ve stayed

I broadly agree with you on their hotels. But I’d note that Four Seasons doesn’t compete on room quality, but service. If you planned your stay perfectly they shouldn’t outperform. But if you forgot something, or need help with something weird, they have a habit of being halfway legendary. (Colleague left his suit at home. They had one made overnight. Concierge apparently knew a suit maker’s cell.)

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Re:What do wealthy people buy, that ordinary people know not... by bombcar on Monday May 19, 2025 @01:47AM (#44026780)

This is exactly it. The middle class (even upper) aren’t really used to the “mention something, get it fixed” type of lifestyle. But that’s what you’re paying for.

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Re:What do wealthy people buy, that ordinary people know not... by song on Monday May 19, 2025 @03:41AM (#44027389)

Memorable experience at a four seasons in Shenzhen (memorable for how well they fixed my screwups that is), I had forgotten my laptop charger (apple laptop). They didn't have any I could borrow, went to the apple store to buy one and lent it to me. I forgot my phone in the taxi arriving at the airport. Noticed immediately, I tried calling my phone, the taxi driver hung up immediately on me (so he knew I left my phone there and was probably planning on selling it). I called Four Seasons, they had kept a record of the taxi number, got the phone fedexed it to my destination.

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