Returning to Hästens’ Sleep Spa in Nice felt like visiting an old friend. Eric Sturma, the store owner and manager, welcomed me the moment I arrived. He remembered how I take my coffee, and we reminisced about a particularly well-known guest who had visited during my last trip to Hästens. Such is the level of client discretion that defines the brand. While I knew the guest’s profession, Eric would never reveal their identity, and I knew better than to ask.
We also returned to my favourite piece of customer feedback displayed on the wall. Reading it again reminded me just how extraordinary it is. In two years, I have not come across a more powerful endorsement or a more remarkable piece of client feedback.
After catching up on business, we turned to the reason for my visit. On behalf of the Luxury Experience Awards, co-organised by Lexden Luxe and The Luxury Report, I had the privilege of presenting Eric and Hästens Nice with a Commendation for Client Experience Excellence.
Hästens is one of just twenty UHNW brands featured in The Ultimate Experience Collection. Their stories of exceptional client management are remarkable, and they all begin in the showroom. During my previous visit, Eric shared a story that has stayed with me ever since.
A client had commissioned a bespoke Hästens bed, handcrafted to their exact specifications. Before it could be delivered, the client sadly passed away. His widow initially declined the order. Rather than offering the bed to someone else, Hästens carefully stored it for several months. They believed she might change her mind and wanted the bed to remain available should that happen.
Months later, she called to ask what had become of it. When Eric explained that they had kept it for her, she was deeply moved. After making a few adjustments, she chose to accept the bed as a lasting tribute to her husband. That story captures what true client excellence looks like. It matters just as much when there is no business to be won as when there is. The defining moments of a luxury brand are often those driven by empathy rather than commercial interest. It is this consistency that caught the attention of the Luxury Experience Awards judges.
Eric was genuinely moved to receive the commendation. He told me it will remain on his desk as a daily reminder of the importance of delivering the highest standard of client experience for UHNW clients. For now, it is a commendation. For the future, it might be a first-place next time, at the Luxury Experience Awards coming in January 2027. Who knows what 2027 might bring.
Further information about the LEAs here
