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The Art of a Good Night 

October 8, 2026

The Art of a Good Night 

Meet Michela Cossu, Hotel Il Pellicano's Housekeeping Manager, who believes the smallest gestures can make the biggest difference to a guest's stay

There is something rather wonderful about returning to your hotel room after dinner and finding that, while you were out, someone has quietly thought of everything. The curtains are drawn, the bedside light is on, your slippers are waiting and the bed looks almost impossibly inviting. 

At Hotel Il Pellicano, those little moments are the work of Michela Cossu and her housekeeping team. With 26 years of hospitality experience behind her, Michela joined the hotel earlier this year, bringing with her a philosophy that goes well beyond perfectly made beds and immaculate bathrooms. For her, good housekeeping is about understanding people, respecting their habits and making them feel genuinely cared for, often without their ever having to ask. 

We caught up with her to discover what really goes into a good night's sleep, why no two guests should be treated quite the same and how a simple pencil drawing once made someone's entire holiday. 

You've worked in hospitality for 26 years. What has that experience taught you about making guests feel at home? 

I've learnt that there is no such thing as a typical day in hospitality, and no standard that can be applied to every situation. What matters is having the right mindset and being flexible. I always say that we need to be a little like water: if the container is square, we adapt to its shape; if it's round, we adapt to that instead. 

Above all, we have to remember that we're dealing with people. Our mission is to welcome guests, but it's just as important to care for the people working alongside us. Everyone has their own story, their own needs and their own way of doing things. 

People often say that true luxury lies in the details. What does that mean to you? 

I think a hotel has a soul, and that soul is part of the experience. At Il Pellicano, there are doors and windows overlooking the sea that have been here for around 60 years. The wood has been restored and cared for many times, and I would be sad to see those elements disappear because they tell the story of the place. 

Sometimes even a little scratch or an imperfection has something to say. It reminds you that people have been here before, that they've lived in these rooms and made memories in them. I think it's important to preserve that feeling. 

Let's talk about bedtime. What happens when your team prepares a room for the night? 

First of all, we try to respect the guest's privacy as much as possible. We usually wait until they've gone out for dinner, and then we go in on our little mission, almost like ninjas!

The idea is to prepare the room without disrupting the guest's habits. If they've left something on the bedside table because they need it before going to sleep, we respect that. We open the bed, remove anything that might get in the way of a comfortable night's sleep and make sure everything they might need is within reach. 

We close the curtains carefully so the morning light won't disturb them, but we don't simply impose our own idea of order. We pay attention to how the guest has arranged the room and try to preserve that. 

So a perfectly prepared room isn't necessarily one in which everything is arranged according to a fixed standard? 

Exactly. Of course, we have standards, but we also need to respect the guest's own way of doing things. 

Some people like a glass of water beside the bed, while others prefer one in the bathroom. Some guests don't like their sheets tucked in at the foot of the bed. Others are sensitive to fragrances, so we make sure not to use scented products in their room. 

These might seem like very small things, but they matter. Every guest has something particular about them, and our job is to discover what that is. 

Has there been a particular gesture that made a guest's stay memorable? 

A few days ago, we had a returning guest who was travelling with her little dog.  

On her final evening, we made a little pencil drawing of her dog on a card and left it in her room during turndown service. She was absolutely delighted! She went around the hotel asking who had made it for her. 

It was such a simple gesture. We used a pencil and a little card that we already had in the rooms, but it meant something to her because it was personal. That's what I want us to do: find at least one thing we can make special for every guest. 

And what are some of the practical details that go into preparing a room for the night? 

We leave the reading light on and place the slippers beside the bed, ready to slip into. We straighten the shoes, check and replenish the minibar, tidy the bathroom and replace any used linen so everything is fresh for the following morning. 

If a guest has left cosmetics out, we'll arrange them carefully on a little tray or tissue, keeping them visible and easy to find. We leave water on the bedside table and I've also introduced a bottle beside the kettle, along with herbal teas, in case someone fancies one before bed. 

The idea is to think about what you would want if you were staying in that room. Everything should be ready for you. 

You've mentioned that many guests choose Il Pellicano to celebrate special occasions. How does that influence your approach? 

We have so many guests who come here for anniversaries, honeymoons, birthdays or babymoons. They've chosen Il Pellicano for a moment that's important to them, and I want us to recognise that. 

I've started introducing small gestures, such as leaving a fresh flower in the room for someone celebrating their honeymoon. My hope is to create an even stronger connection between the different departments, so that the attention a guest receives in their room continues at the restaurant and throughout their stay. 

It doesn't necessarily take something expensive or elaborate. Sometimes a simple flower can make someone feel remembered. 

After so many years spent looking after other people's comfort, what do you think is the real secret to good hospitality? 

Serenity, generosity and a genuine willingness to care for others. You don't always need money or beautiful objects to make someone happy. Sometimes you need a smile, a little humility and the ability to make yourself available. This is a difficult job, but it's one I chose, and I wouldn't change that. I want the people in my team to feel the same way. When I meet a guest's eyes and they smile back at me, I think, they're happy here, in my home.

And that's a wonderful feeling. 

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