Surface Ripples

When Disappointment Strikes

We recently stayed at a UK hotel that had received a number of highly positive reviews.  Our experience, unfortunately, didn’t match those.

One of the main issues for any business dealing with people is expectations.  People expect certain levels of service and pricing, among others. Managing those expectations is a key element of any sales strategy. The problem for all of us is that we don’t always know what those expectations are until the complaints reach us…

The hotel was described as a “hotel and spa” which it definitely was – there was a hotel and spa!   The problems (for us) started with the hotel itself.  The building was a converted manor house. This naturally makes for problems from the outset as, unlike a purpose-built hotel with standard size rooms, a conversion means that rooms will not necessarily be of the same size, particularly when you take adding in ensuite bathrooms.  

Due to the circumstances in which we booked, we stayed in two (very pleasant) different rooms over two different nights. The first was spacious enough (given UK standards), but its only source of daylight was a skylight set into the sloping roof (you couldn’t really call this a “window” as it was impossible to look out without a ladder). Our opinion - we were only in that room for one night and the next would be different.

The next room was different, but not in the way we’d hoped. It was far smaller; a couple with large suitcases and (say) hand luggage would have found it a “tight fit” and the ensuite bathroom was tiny. The redeeming feature was a huge window, but as this looked onto a public courtyard, we had to keep the curtains closed all the time to ensure privacy!

The next “feature” was that, to get to the spa, guests had to walk through the bar in their robes – not a sight you’d want to see if you were trying to have a relaxing drink.  I suspect it may also have been embarrassing for spa clients. 

Allied to this was that we had to eat in the bar because the main dining room was closed. Even though we had asked at reception when we checked in if we had to book to eat in the dining room, it turned out that the latter was closed on the two nights we stayed and the receptionist misunderstood what we wanted and thought we were asking about booking in at the bar, where the only space left was at coffee table-height areas – not the easiest at which to eat a meal.  To top it off, my meal, when it arrived, was cold and I had to ask for it to be reheated. 

The final issue was the first member of staff who served us and whose voice carried throughout the bar (we suspect she was unaware of this).  What this meant was that everyone could hear our order and we could hear everyone else’s until she was moved to another area. 

Now the good: staff, although young, were willing (just lacking in training and awareness in some respects).  An example was when we commented on the lack of warning when we checked out and were informed by the (rather supercilious) young man who dealt with us that our confirmation had made it clear that the dining room was closed.  We checked; it didn’t. 

The lesson: everyone has different expectations from every business and businesses sometimes assume too much. How do we as leaders or service staff cope with this?  Is “uniformly good service” actually enough, or do we need more?  Structuring expectations can go a long way to minimising problems, but in the end it’s training, awareness and attitude that make the difference. 

I’ve spent more than half my life delivering change in different world markets from the most developed to “emerging” economies. With a wealth of international experience in international financial services around the world running different operations and lending businesses, I started my own Consultancy to provide solutions for improving performance, productivity and risk management.  I work with individuals, small businesses, charities, quoted companies and academic institutions across the world. An international speaker, trainer, author and fund-raiser, I can be contacted by email. My website provides a full picture of my portfolio of services.  For strategic questions that you should be asking yourself, follow me at @wkm610.

Labels: Customer Care, Leadership, Strategy, Teamwork

posted by William Martin @ 14:15