But the story captures something increasingly valuable in luxury travel: the feeling that someone understands what matters to you long before you even think to ask. Butler service at the St. Regis Venice, one of many luxury hotels to adopt the concept of omotenashi. The term is often translated as Japanese hospitality, but that’s only part of it. More than polished service, omotenashi describes a host’s ability to sense what would make a guest feel comfortable, delighted, or seen, then act before the guest has to articulate a need. Omotenashi has long been associated with chado, the Japanese art of tea, where every detail is considered in relation to the guest and the season.