“A guest should never have to raise a hand to get your attention or ask for something. You should already have noticed, understood and anticipated what they need. If they look uncomfortable, adjust the cushion. If they place a pill on the table, bring them a small plate. Open-ended questions help, because they allow you to understand what someone might need next. It takes emotional intelligence. You either have it or you don’t. I believe I do. I also think I’m good at reading body language. Hospitality has always been instinctive for me. I remember working at Gallone, a pastry shop and café in Crispiano: the moment I saw a customer walk in, I would greet them from behind the counter. Nobody taught me those things. Experience simply confirmed, later on, that they were right.”
Guglielmo Miriello speaks with the ease of someone who has spent years learning how to read a room. Since 2021, he has been Director of Mandarin Garden, the many-sided, vividly colored lounge at Mandarin Oriental, Milan. It is a hypnotic space, geometric yet full of movement: black-and-white marble meets tropical greenery, brightly upholstered seating and raffia wallpaper, all arranged around a central bar and a secluded courtyard designed by the landscape architecture studio Parcnouveau.
Tailored Hospitality at Mandarin Garden in Milan
“Our clientele is international, although a great many Milanese come in for aperitivo,” Miriello says. “Either way, expectations are extremely high. A good drink is merely the starting point. What really matters is your ability to connect with the guest and tailor the experience to that individual.” The gestures can be deceptively small: remembering a name, knowing someone’s tastes, recognizing a returning guest and finding a way to surprise them. “I’ve always enjoyed captivating guests with anecdotes, entertaining them with a little bar archaeology,” he says. “Those principles work everywhere, whether you’re in a hotel bar or an independent bar. I always tell my team: be genuine, show who you are. Smile, and choose your words and your manner according to the person in front of you.” Born in 1980 and raised in Crispiano, in the province of Taranto, Miriello inherited his name from his grandfather — and perhaps something of his vocation, too.
Guglielmo Miriello: the Roots and His First Steps in Hospitality
“My grandfather wore a white blazer and bow tie and worked as a waiter for the Conserva family, both at receptions at Villa Maria and at the town’s Ideal Bar. That’s where I started as well, washing pots and working with flour. I loved making puff pastry, which is why I enrolled in hotel school and chose the kitchen track.” His education unfolded as much outside the classroom as inside it: books — Ernest Hemingway among them — training placements in Rimini and Jesolo, determination and an almost obsessive attention to ingredients.
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