I recently enjoyed a stay at the Waldorf Astoria in Chicago. After the visit, I realized that the experience was what I want every one of my clients to have when I book their hotels.

My personal experience with Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts taught me that flawless service and luxury amenities are of key importance when catering to a luxury clientele. I highly recommend that you take a page from Waldorf Astoria—just as I have—to work toward exceeding your clients’ expectations.

First, select hotels and locations based on discussions with your clients regarding their tastes and preferences. As a case in point, my husband and I were celebrating our anniversary and wanted something romantic with a good location for shopping, dining and walking. The Waldorf is in the heart of the Gold Coast away from the crowds but only a couple of blocks from the action.

Next, communicate with your on-property contact to work toward ensuring that the experience is the best it can be for your clients. I reached out to Leslie Vosburgh, our Waldorf Astoria sales rep, and explained our reason for the visit. Leslie took care of everything on her end to set up the perfect stay for our celebration.

A day or two prior, a personal guest services rep reached out to me via email to ask if we had any special requests. I reminded her of our allergy to feathers. This was wonderful, as I typically have to request feather-free rooms only to discover upon check-in that nothing was taken care of in advance, which requires calls to housekeeping to change all of the bedding.

When we drove up to the hotel, and before we even reached the hotel entrance, security staff was waiting to grab our car and lead us to the front door for check-in. We were not only courteously greeted and speedily checked in, but a staff member even escorted us to our accommodations to show us how the elevator operated and how the controls in our suite worked.

We were booked in a one-bedroom suite complete with a gas fireplace, separate bedroom, and a full marble bath with separate shower and toilet room, which was tricked out with a television in the mirror. The suite also featured a walk-out balcony overlooking the city, which is very difficult to find in Chicago.

When leaving for dinner, we were pleasantly surprised to be offered a complimentary drive to our restaurant. Knowing that the hotel was hosting a wedding reception that evening, the staff took extra steps to alleviate any inconvenience for other guests visiting. One of those steps was obtaining extra house cars for guest use. We arrived back at our suite to find a lovely note along with champagne and strawberries to mark our celebration.

In the final analysis, the recipe for success in booking luxury hotel stays starts with clear and concise communication with clients, choosing the right hotel and connecting with hotel staff in advance in order to provide the perfect experience.