How does a 25-year veteran of the hospitality industry define luxury? Luxury Travel Advisor checked in with James Bermingham, vice president of Montage Hotels & Resorts and managing director of Montage Laguna Beach, to find out. In his quarter of a century with luxury hotels, he has seen it all (and knows it all!). His career began at the Clarence Hotel in his hometown of Dublin. From there he moved on to work with ITT Sheraton and the Luxury Collection, as well as Mirage Resorts. So what luxury items make the cut? Read on...
Vacation Spot: No place beats Laguna Beach, CA
Car: I love my Jaguar XJ
Favorite Meal: Shepherd’s Pie with the family
Watch: Adidas—great stopwatch for soccer games
Mobile Phone: BlackBerry Curve
Music/Bands: U2, Rolling Stones, all of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s work
Laptop Style: Dell Latitude
Shoes: Dolce&Gabbana
Suit: Zegna, Hugo Boss
Drinks: Champagne, specifically Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame Brut
Books: The Da Vinci Code, Lord of the Rings trilogy
Cologne: Bulgari
Hobbies: Coaching soccer and playing bad guitar
Cigar: Davidoff 1000