84. When the Room is not Ready...


At a LHW hotel in Shanghai, I was informed that my room was not ready upon arrival as it was not the official check-in time yet. I showed understanding and asked about the approximate time when the room would be ready, so that I could better plan what I would do (and how far I would go) in the meanwhile. In a bid to pre-empt what the young team member would say, I stated that I knew they would take care of the luggage during the wait.

In response, the employee repeated the official check-in time and informed me that I could leave my luggage with them. (In terms of an actual audit, the key emotion for this encounter would have been rated as 1 - Frustrated.)

The employee clearly did not understand that all I just wanted to know was when the room would be ready, whether earlier or later. I was not demanding for a room right away. I felt completely ignored.

The employee was probably just regurgitating what he had been told to deliver in such a situation - as if there was a one-size-fits all answer.

Sadly, we have had such similar encounters in various hotels across different continents over the year. To all hotel receptionists in the world: let's do better!


Reflective thoughts: Simply telling guests that they can store their luggage while waiting for the room is hardly good enough. How can we demonstrate care and anticipatory service?

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