Exclusive Feature: A few days ago, we returned from a week-long family vacation in Southern Italy: We stayed in a small hotel in Sorrento called Antiche Mura and booked our rooms well in advance via one of the leading OTA's; 

Our initial choice of this specific hotel was based upon guest reviews on the OTA's website as well as on most up-to-date guest reviews on Trip Advisor.

In my long years in the hospitality industry, I have probably stayed in thousands of different hotels. From simple 'zero star' hostels in Sri Lanka going up to some of the world most prestigious Five Star De-Luxe hotels.

Ladies and Gentlemen, if you want to understand the true meaning of what personal hospitality is, then you must try staying at Hotel Antiche Mura!  

To my knowledge, this hotel is a privately owned and managed '4-stars' hotel. No fancy aspirations.  What some of us call a classy 'family operated hotel'.

The level of personalized service that we have experienced as 'regular guests' was difficult to match.

First of all, the reservation process itself when we asked to add another bed in our room and the reservation agent of the hotel offered us transfers from the NAPLES airport or train station.

Then,  the welcome by the porter/bellboy upon our arrival with our car in front of the hotel.

The front desk team was extremely helpful and knowledgeable, offering us 'travel tips' every morning and telling us the weather forecast the evening before. Assisting us with a local tour guide to show us around.

The waiters at the restaurant know after the first morning which type of coffee you like and offer it to you the next day.

The House maid had noticed that we were 3 in the room and stocked the bathroom with extra towels and toiletries. 

Every evening upon returning to the hotel, I would park the car in-front of the hotel, give the key to the front office Clark and he would park the car for me. The same procedure was made in the morning. The car was brought in front of the hotel entrance. 

Nowadays, when almost every large global hotel group launches a 'lifestyle �" boutique' brands, 'Limited Service design hotels'  or offers  special 'Collections', brings the question: what is the difference between what this local 4 star hotel is already doing for years and what the brands are now offering?

Here are some rather recent quotes I found that reflect the change lodging is experiencing in the last decade:

“Experience is mostly aimed at younger generations with more natural materials and fabrics. Food geared toward ‘grazing’ rather than dining, a greater emphasis on technology and common areas that offer guests a verity of pleases to congregate. Younger travelers seek out social environments more than their elders”

Mr. Bjorn Hanson, Global Hospitality Leader for PWC 

“There is a lot of marketing hype surrounding the changing needs of different consumers. Markets come up with all sorts of fancy definitions about what Gen. Y or Millenials want. When the surface scratched, however, it seems younger guests want pretty similar things to other guests- a good night's sleep in a comfortable bed and an effective shower. The main development in the past decade or so is that Wi-Fi is now as high on the list as the shower and the bed”

 Hotel Analyst Perspective issue 23, November 2013 

“People seek both to feel part of society, but at the same time, desire to feel special and unique, and the lifestyle sector has evolved to satisfy this need".

Our children answer the definition of 'Millenials'. Two boys in their early 20's and a teenage daughter . What some of you refer to Gen X,Y and Z.  

These kids have been around. Have seen the world and stayed in some great hotels.  What they told me was that they loved the hotel. Not for the fancy facilities or the fantastic views from their hotel room windows.

What they loved was the interaction with the staff members, the friendliness of the staff members.

So, what do I make out of my own recent experience?

It seems to me that if you are a small hotel, 30-50 even 70-100 keys hotel in a good resort or city location, offering great service you could probably do without being branded or affiliated to a 'collection'.

What the brands offer is that the new hotels will become part of the local environment, engaged in their local communities, create interactions between the guests and the locals.

The lobbies will transform to social meeting places.   

That's not new. Many of the small hotels in places like Sorrento, Rome, Berlin, Paris and Barcelona already have it for many years. It is part of the DNA of that small family owned and run hotels. These hotels do not look for any special title or definition. No special color or strange name that no one really fully understands. Here is a short list of these brands: RED, BLUE, MOXY, Quorvus Collection, Curio Collection, VIB by Best Western. These are but a few examples of those strange names. 

Let's go back to basics, then; what any guest is looking for in a good hotel are these basic points:

• Location ('LLL')
• Price - Value Proposition
• Personalized service throughout the hotel
• Basic Comforts (a good bed, a great shower, AC)
• Keeping to strict standards  
• Free connectivity  Wi-Fi for all guests in all hotel areas
• Full visibility on all major social  media portals and sites (OTA's, review sites, photo shearing)

Once all these points are FULLY and TRULY met, I see no reason for a small hotel not to succeed without being branded or affiliated and most probably for fewer expenses.   

Please note that these are my own personal views and are based on my own experiences. Each hotel should be viewed, measured and evaluated based according to its past performances.

This is strictly an exclusive feature, reprints of this article in any shape or form without prior written approval from 4Hoteliers.com is not permitted.

Joseph - Yossi - Fischer is the CEO of Vision Hospitality & Travel - international lodging & Travel Solutions