In April I spent a week in Italy and had a wonderful time at the Crowne Plaza near the Vatican. From the front desk to the restaurant, people “got it”. It sounds strange that I sound surprised but as one who logs over a hundred thousand miles a year (mostly in the U.S.) I was beginning to wonder if the hospitality industry was losing its luster.
Well, I suspect I presumed too soon.
After a month-plus hiatus after vacation I’m on the road again and, living down to my expectations, hospitality isn’t hospitable.
For example:
I stayed at the Silverado Resort in Napa last week. As is now common in most resorts, I had the honor of paying the “resort fee” for things I either don’t need (I read USA Today on my iPad) or that never work right (wireless internet).
On my very first day I went to the Grill for breakfast. The hostess seated me and, for the next 20 minutes as I looked around after reading the menu, watched a table next to me bussed by a whistling young man, other tables served water and coffee and two couples seated nearby. I finally got up to leave and the hostess was incredulous that I would walk out. Thankfully we found a wonderful restaurant in Yountville (Pacific Blue) that saved the day.
Some of us talked to management about that, the wifi debacle and other issues. It seems anymore we get a big smile and big promises of solutions to problems we didn’t address (“we’re getting ready to spend millions on the rooms”). Decor doesn’t mean crap if nothing works and I’m being nickled and dimed.
On my most recent trip I headed to Washington this week. I return from a day of meetings with my sticky suit from walking the streets of DC only to discover my room 10 degrees warmer than the thermostat is set. I call the front desk and, of course, engineering will be right up. 45 minutes go by, no engineer. I call again, a promise to track down the engineer. This goes on for two hours until finally a cheerful person on the phone tells me that it is ok (I felt like I was on the phone with a Microsoft call center). I said “no, its 5 degrees warmer then earlier”. He continued to insist that it was better, finally saying it is better but he doesn’t know when.
Its interesting to me that an industry that should set the bar for good service fails with such regularity. I can only presume that hospitality management thinks the only people dumber than them are the customers.
Why am I ranting? Because its an industry that has no real need to create screaming fans. I read a great little piece about Tuffy Auto Repair the other day that should inspire the “hospitality” industry. Check out www.orlandosentinel.com/business/os-dawson-column-062011-20110619,0,2360312.column.
I guess many of us will continue to suffer with the likes of 82 degree rooms, nickle and dime charges, poor internet, and horrible follow up until the likes of Skype free us from the drudgery of poor service. At least Skype doesn’t smile and ask me stupid questions.
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