I had ordered breakfast through room service to arrive at 7:30 am. It did not arrive until nearly 8:30. By that time, I was already in the Summit presentations that began at 8:15. For the breakfast snafu, they did proactively apologize and promised it would not happen again. The person who contacted our room left his number and so I decided to call him since it had already happened to me twice. While we played phone tag (no fault of their's as it was due to my unavailability), he did promise to adjust the bill and see that we were not charged. I appreciated that very much and it was the one thing they could do to make me feel like they were doing the right thing.

That being said, it was still on our bill when we checked out, so I had to go through it once again. Apparently there was a note attached to my file saying I wasn't to be charged, so they quickly took care of it, but I'm always a bit self-conscious about asking for a charge to be removed at checkout, so I didn't appreciate having to mention it. Feeling self-conscious is perhaps not logical, but I guess it is part of my personality.

I would like to give The Breakers kudos for everything else this past weekend. Their service as it related to the summit itself was exemplary, and I loved the friendliness of their staff. The renovations and blend of old and new in the facilities are first-rate, and I can see how it is a favorite of many people.

It's still not one of the 3 "Best Of's" out there based on my experience, but it had the potential to be without those service failures.

All the Best,

Doug

The Breakers is one of those legendary luxurious resorts born at the turn of the century. It is consistently rated as one of the best resort destinations in the country. In fact I believe it was ranked number one by Travel & Leisure in 2005. At any rate I was anxious to see if it lived up to its billing and would be deserving of a 3LUXE "Best Of" rating.

Unfortunately, my first impression has been marred a bit, and they are not looking good to make the list. Don't get me wrong, the resort is beautiful, but I had arranged for a bottle of champagne and some tuxedo chocolate strawberries to be waiting in the room upon our arrival (yes, perhaps a bit of a cliche, but still a well-intended attempt at being a good husband). And they weren't there. Three phone calls later, and they still weren't there. Apparently they were delivered to the wrong room. They quickly delivered them when the error was discovered, but the moment had really passed.

We'll see what they do to make it right. I can't imagine that they would just let it go without some apology, adjustment, or something, but we shall see. If they do make amends, I will definitely post another entry and let everyone know.

I will also let you know anything interesting that happens during the Luxury Summit.

Until then...

All the Best,

Doug

At least I hope it does. The changes to the site over the last several weeks have seemed to take eons for very little visible change. We're still not to a point where we feel comfortable beginning to drive traffic to the site -- we still have one or two bugs that impact the experience a bit too much for us to feel comfortable that we will favorably impress and retain those initial visitors to 3LUXE.

While I'm trying to be patient, as is Bill, we really need to start testing the site with real traffic and see what happens.

On the plus side, the categories we're reviewing continue to add up, with us reaching the half way point this week with reviews written and edited. Posting with the pictures uploaded is imminent.

If you're a new or returning visitor, we would love to hear your feedback. We know we have much to improve, but hearing your thoughts on how we can improve the site would be invaluable.

All the best,

Doug

I just got off the phone with Bill and we’ve both agreed that we’re finally at a point where we can push 3LUXE live, and although the site is not perfect, at least do so without damage to our long-term fortunes. As you’ve probably already gathered, the site is still in Beta testing with many things to fine tune, and many more products and categories to add before we move to a full launch.
 
All the disclaimers aside, we believe 3LUXE is now at a place where you can get a feel for what we’re trying to accomplish and the simplicity we’re trying to bring to the first step in the purchase process – searching for exactly what product to buy, or at a minimum, narrow the field you’re going to do deeper research on. 
 
A recent article in BARRON'S highlighted an interesting study that while not the genesis for this site certainly validates its potential value.  The article quoted Daniel Hamermesh, an economics professor at the University of Texas, Austin, who has just co-authored an academic paper that highlights how the greater your earnings, the greater your time stress. Indeed, they highlight that not only can money not buy you happiness, it can actually cause you more stress.
 
I agree. My belief, and experience for that matter, is that as your income increases you may have more money to spend, but you don’t always have the time to ensure you’re spending it wisely.  You want to make sure you get the best products available, but you don’t have the time to do the research. That’s where 3LUXE can help. We take the overwhelming amount of product information out there (from magazines, blogs, third party reviews, company websites, etc.), and narrow it down to the three best products in any given category.  
 
We basically do the research you’d do if you had more time. Think of us as a place where you can go to do “rapid due diligence.”  Then shop with confidence knowing that if you choose a 3LUXE recommended product, you’ve made a wise choice.
 
So try out the site. Let us know what you think. We know it’s not perfect right now, but if you have ideas on changes or enhancements you’d like to see, we’d love to hear them.
 
All the best,

Doug