127. Case Review: Arrival and Departure Experience at The Landmark Mandarin Oriental

Here's a brief case review of the arrival and departure service encounters at this iconic Hong Kong property back in 2017, using the Service Bank Concept.


Arrival/Check-in 

  • Positive acknowledgement and eye contact by all the three team members behind the reception counter. (+2)
  • After ascertaining that the guest was there on a leisure trip, the employee offered to recommend some key sights and dining places. (+1)
  • The receptionist introduced his colleague by name, who would be escorting us to the room, and wished us a pleasant stay. (+1)
  • Our selected choice of welcome drinks was promptly served in the room. This was more personalised than the one standard drink offered in most hotels. It was much appreciated that the selected beverage could be consumed in a leisurely manner within the comfort of our room. (+2)
  • Porter asked the same question as the receptionist - if we were on business or leisure stay. This now made the question seem scripted and repetitive. (-1)
  • The Wi-Fi was not complimentary. (-3)
Net Service Bank for Arrival: Deposit of 2 hearts


Departure/Check-out

  • Receptionist asked if we had the time to experience the swimming pool and spa while retrieving the invoice. This demonstrated interest without causing delay to the process. (+1)
  • The employee reminded us about our passports and verified that we had cleared the safety box too. When we joked that if they did find a big diamond ring it would be ours, the employee understood our jovial mood and responded accordingly, creating a connecting moment. (+2)
  • The receptionist asked about the weather in our home country while handing the bill to us. (+1)
  • When we informed her that we were going for some light bites at the nearby mall, she recommended two restaurants within the building and knew first-hand which levels they were located. (+2)
Net Service Bank for Departure: Deposit of 6 hearts


Reflective thoughts: Choose one positive encounter each from above Arrival and Departure experience that you feel most pleased or impressed with. Do you think it is easy to achieve this? How would you ensure the consistency delivery of it? 

Popular posts from this blog

1. The Service Bank Concept

Put simply, it is an analogy of how a service interaction makes you – the guest, client or customer – feel.  Just like your bank account, the feelings experienced can be negative (a withdrawal or minus), neutral (status quo  or zero), or positive (a deposit or plus).  In each and every service interaction, whether a hotel stay or flight experience, a retail or house viewing encounter, a phone reservation or bar experience, there is the bland and disappointing (minus), or the thoughtful and extraordinary (plus). Expected service – even if good, garners a zero in the Service Bank. (e.g. Getting a clean room upon check-in or the restaurant hostess extending a standard   welcome doesn’t count as a service deposit. However, should there be a strand of hair on the bed or if the greeting was done half heartedly without eye contact, these would amount to a withdrawal in the service bank.) To illustrate further, each plus is represented by a heart 💖. The more hearts, the mor...
Read more

132. Post-Stay Surprises

What are some mention-worthy post-stay surprise you have received from a hotel after you have returned home? Here are some of examples: The mailman arrived with a rather large package from this Bangkok hotel: packets of tom yum paste presented in a woven pouch with recipes of the signature tom yam soup. (The guest had ordered this dish on two occasions during the hotel stay.)  Front office manager at a Japanese property emailed the guest to ask if she was feeling better. The guest had a high fever the day prior to checking out and had requested for a doctor. Email greeting from a Thai resort, with a photo of the butlers standing in front of the villa (in which the guest had stayed), holding several hand-drawn signages with messages such as   "We miss you (guest name)",   "Please come back soon", and "Have a lovely day in (country)!" A handwritten thank-you card, signed by various departments. A personalised email greeting on guest's birthday six months...
Read more