The strange thing about the Residence, which used to be Ilustrados Hotel, is that even when it only has a single occupant, the entire establishment remains a fully functional boutique hotel. The restaurants may be empty, no one's swimming in the rooftop infinity pool, nobody's sitting at the bar—and yet, every staff behaves as if business is in full swing.
You'll have to credit Gabriel Tan for all this madness, Claire thinks as they walk to the elevator. Look at how wasteful everything is. Approach the concierge or walk into any of the Residence's four fine dining restaurants, and you'll be treated like you're special, that the entire kitchen staff, even the chef, rose from the beds that morning to serve you.
It's hard to wrap one's mind around that. And for someone like Claire who had never previously been to any hotel, more so a luxurious one, everything seems absurd. Delightful, yes. Wonderful, even. But absurd, nevertheless.
