Photography by Yuri Krasov
Combining business and pleasure while staying in a luxury hotel, is surely a good thing, but The Clement is also great for vacationers who are seeking a quiet and carefree getaway when visiting California.
Opened just a few months ago in the heart of Silicon Valley, The Clement Palo Alto is one of the distinct quality hotels developed and managed by the Pacific Hotel Management Company that operates a number of franchise brands owned by Clement Chen & Associates (both companies under the presidency of Clement Chen, III).
With a focus on hands-on management and exclusive luxury features rarely found elsewhere, The Clement is a very unusual hotel. It offers all-Inclusive resort-like stays in one of the most business-oriented locations in the nation, and provides highly personalized service by anticipating and meeting the guests’ every request.
“The inspiration for this hotel came about when my wife and I took a getaway trip to the island of Bali,” says Chen. “We stayed at a small hotel there that left a deep impression on us. Everybody at the hotel – even the gardening staff – knew our names, and everyone there was so warm and personable. And, since all of the staff knew who we were, we never had to sign a check for anything. We didn’t feel like we were customers at a hotel – we were able to just relax and enjoy our stay, like being at home, only better!”
After that trip to Bali, Chen was convinced that the same experience could be recreated and appreciated in California, and so The Clement Palo Alto concept was born.
“I want each guest to feel like a guest, not a customer,” says Chen. “I loved the feeling of not having to sign a check or worry about tipping every time I turned around. That is why we have all-inclusive pricing. We want our guests to feel like they are house guests at a great residence with a terrific service staff.”
The innovative personalized service at The Clement starts at the front door. This door is not open during business hours. Rather, you should ring a doorbell, and be ushered in by the General Manager Sebastian Stacy or a friendly personal concierge – Linda Romero, Felipe Cutierrez, Amanda Thorne, or Gail Simpson – while your car will be taken to a parking spot, and the luggage – to a room in a quiet, imperceptible manner. All check-in formalities take about a minute at a front desk area, decorated with two hand-painted guitars from Chen’s personal collection that includes about a hundred instruments.
All you have to do now is marvel at the serenity of the contemporary art-decorated living room, lined with bookshelves over a stone fireplace, or step into the dining room with a well-equipped open kitchen, and indulge in some freshly-made snacks and drinks – the pantry is open 24/7, and everything is included with the room price.
23 spacious 650 sq. ft. one-bedroom suites at The Clement have elegantly furnished front rooms with remote-controlled motorized draperies, a desk fully stocked with office supplies, a connectivity panel for Internet and charging, 65-inch Samsung Smart TVs, and Nespresso Vertuoline coffee machines. The bedrooms boast Stearns & Foster European pillow top California King beds with Matouk bed linens, and Frette robes and slippers in the lit closets. Frette towels, a soaking tub, a glass-walled shower cabin, two sinks, and two separate toilet facilities with Toto plumbing fixtures are found in every suite. The residential-style atmosphere is enhanced by multiple personal touches, like a mini fridge stocked with your favorite libations, special accommodations for your child or pet, and your name in a welcome message on a bathroom mirror TV.
The all-inclusive concept means around the clock personalized concierge services; breakfast, lunch and dinner in the dining room, on the outdoor terrace, equipped with fire pits, in a cabana on the private rooftop pool deck overlooking the Stanford University campus, or in your suite; plus all wine, beer and cocktails (skillfully mixed by the concierges) before, after, or during meals. In fact, The Clement is more than all-inclusive, it is also exclusive, catering exclusively to your personal tastes and desires.
The necessary information about your preferences and needs is collected via an advance online questionnaire, and stored in a personal concierge’s iPad, so any amenities you might request (a yoga mat, a dog toy, even a guitar!) will be taken directly to your suite. A fully equipped exercise room on the second floor is open 24 hours.
The interior design of The Clement described as “an abstraction of traditional manor house” was created by Stanford Hughes of Brayton Hughes Design Studios, a San Francisco firm.
“The decor is contemporary, elegant and comfortable. It offers a warm, alluring ambiance in an intimate residential scale,” says Hughes, whose firm’s award-winning designs include Four Seasons Hotel Chicago and The Ritz-Carlton Highlands, Lake Tahoe. “The interior design offers a perfect blend of contemporary and classic elements. The palette of warm neutral colors and natural materials creates a soothing, cozy and relaxing environment. It is elegant and minimal, yet highly livable.”
In this home away from home, all meals are prepared on the premises, with Executive Chef Pierre Arce presiding over the menu, and culinary concierges (personal chefs) making sure all your dietary needs are being met. Cory Lemon, Chris Southivongnorath, and Phillip Pagan take turns in the kitchen to produce such delicacies as organic eggs Benedict on brioche toast with Norwegian smoked salmon and truffle hollandaise for breakfast, foie gras torchon with figs roasted in Cointreau with balsamic reduction for lunch, and Arctic char with saffron rice and asparagus or free-range organic chicken breast with Yukon Gold pesto mash, market vegetables and crimini mushrooms in port reduction for dinner.
If you fancy going out, downtown Palo Alto is within a walking distance, with its award-winning restaurants, world-class shopping and upscale spas.
To enhance your shopping experience in the area, The Clement is now offering an exclusive shopping trip to the iconic Bloomingdale’s in the Stanford Shopping Center. This trip can include a complimentary style advisor (personal shopper) appointments and beauty consultations (with advance reservation); a welcome Little Brown Bag; 15% off savings certificate, exclusive event invitations, and car pick-up service.
Guest Experience Specialist Oscar Gonzalez or any other staff member will be happy to take your reservation and make sure your stay at The Clement is exclusively comfortable and luxurious.
The Clement Hotel is located at 711 El Camino Real, Palo Alto, California 94301. Call for more information 650.322.7111 or visit: www.theclementpaloalto.com.
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