I had the rare opportunity recently to
have 3 two night stays in 3 different luxury hotel groups in the space of 10
days so the possibility of service quality comparison inevitably presented
itself.
Philip Forrest
The first, a large beach front hotel in
Dubai. The check in process was immaculate from being greeted at the entrance
to the journey to the room even though it was at 2 am in the morning. There was
refurbishment work going on in the lobby but the temporary check-in would have
graced any hotel anywhere and was fully technically functional. The service was
effortless and seamless from all staff and even the ladies who made up the
rooms called me by name, not difficult to organise but the first time I have
had that particular experience. All facilities were carefully explained and some
additional preferences I requested for facilities in my room (which was already
beautifully equipped) were quickly and freely arranged. After the trip a simple
but very effective guest satisfaction survey was offered.
The second, a newer luxury hotel in Abu Dhabi part of a
group whose family have been operating hotels in Europe for many years and
whose motto is” The Art of Simple Luxury”. The greeting and midday check in was
lumpy and left me with the suspicion that I might never see my bags again! I was given a mini suite but my bags went to
the room of a colleague who kindly delivered them to me. The room had “hi tech”
lighting and heating controls. The lighting was managed by an intricate array
of tiny buttons which turned the night into a light show when trying to find
the button for the bathroom in the dark. The air
conditioning control was never mastered. A capsule coffee machine was present
but no coffee capsules, on enquiring I was told I had to pay extra for them! Simple
Luxury clearly has its limits. Am I the only one to find these kinds of things
an irritant. Everything seemed a bit hard for the staff in the restaurants and
the bar and one restaurant themed as Chinese served no food that resembled
Chinese cuisine in either content or presentation. After the trip – nothing.
The third, a palatial premises in Oman
operated by a group that is held up as a world leader in service quality. The
greeting was courteous and pleasant I was escorted to my room, the facilities
were explained and the bags arrived in a timely manner. A satisfaction survey left in the room by a
previous guest left a complaint about hair in the bath plug slowing down the
outflow of the water. It had been resolved but should I have read that? What
else had been missed? The restaurant service was friendly but on clearing the
cutlery from one course it was not replaced for the next, even after a request,
so leaving me to raid an adjacent empty table to acquire more. A city trip was
ordered from the hotel concierge. Not cheap at $US 180 for 3.5 hours. The guide
was a pleasant, affable post graduate in English. However his knowledge was limited
and he admitted he had taken the job only two weeks before to improve his
English skills. It appeared I knew many things about Oman that he didn’t and
was it my role in life to pay to improve his English? After the trip an
excruciatingly long online satisfaction survey followed by an email apology
from the hotel.
The best in my experience I am happy to
tell you is the Jumeirah Beach Hotel in Dubai and delivered one of the best
service quality experiences I have had in the last thirty years.
As for the other hotels. ….
Had the team in Abu Dhabi ever walked
the course from the customer’s viewpoint?
Should the team in Muscat set and check standards
for the excursions and other services they sell?
Do their very brands create a level of
expectation which is not possible to achieve and is disappointment the
inevitable consequence?
Philip Forrest
