bhrubin

My point is that I don't understand the point of this thread at all. I wasn't sure if it was to complement the other thread of service recovery or not. As it's not, I still don't understand the point of this thread. At all.

bhrubin

This statement explains exactly why I see no point at all for this thread.

Kagehitokiri

how about this: if some prefer having dedicated staff, how often is something like that available

as well as discussing operational details (at luxury hotels) for those interested (if any) in that conversation

indeed, not ideal for guests to be told to follow certain procedures, or 'you need to talk to someone else' ('because that is not my job')

at larger hotels, especially in cities, there may be certain staff who are intended to be particularly proactive in reaching out to guests

some will never use/value the services, but some may be interested in finding services which deliver more than they have seen in past

and on the other hand, some may prefer not having such a service, and or prefer avoiding properties which operate in certain ways

MikeFromTokyo

I fail to see the disagreement. I just wasn't thinking in terms of service recovery. And by the way, I often agree with you. Cheers

scented

My initial train of thought was.. if I'm going to a destination, I'd rather pick a property with a guest assistant vs one with no offering, especially in resort environments. This is about standards. Not about recovery, at all -- but happy to have this merged

quitecontrary

In addition to the Cheval Blanc and the Siam another hotel which has butlers for every room category is Sugar Beach St Lucia. Every room/villa there also has its own plunge pool.

In support @bhrubin I did actually think that this thread was the other one on Service recovery initially.

Pierre&Cédric

To me a butler is useful only when he/she is resident.
Maison Al-Hamra & Dalem Jiwo Suite come to mind.

MikeFromTokyo

I just realized that my post you responded to was poorly written. I have edited to clarify what I meant to say.

Service recovery is extremely important, but in my view is a separate issue from what the OP intended to discuss.

DSI

Ani/iniala includes masseuses, drivers, personal chefs, mixologists, security, children's guest assistant, and personal trainers.

The only aman I've seen with impressive service would be amankora. Our son actually stayed with our guides family to play with his daughter and he was awesome. Otherwise, the private guuidibg at serian as well as our guides at scaleseia lodge was great.

Trying to think of any super memorable service, at places like aman, Four seasons, Westin--but can only remember the standard stuff that scented mentioned, which is great, too.

Valveking

Love how you casually toss Westin in there with Four Seasons and Aman. Well done! Next time maybe toss in the beautiful Marriott Courtyard I stayed in recently for my kid's soccer tournament.

DavidO

Amankora Paro possibly had the best service I've ever experienced in a hotel ( you can see my blog article about it here). Our last morning was over-the-top.

1. The room was made up twice, once when we left for breakfast and a second time when we went out for a hike.

2. We came back from the hike (a half hour before our airport departure) with muddy shoes, and the shoes were cleaned and dried.

3. After checking out but in the moments before we left for the airport, housekeeping had been in the room yet again, had discovered two small items we forgot in the room, and brought them to us.

DavidO

1. The room was made up twice, once when we left for breakfast and a second time when we went out for a hike.

2. We came back from the hike (a half hour before our airport departure) with muddy shoes, and the shoes were cleaned and dried.

3. After checking out but in the moments before we left for the airport, housekeeping had been in the room yet again, had discovered two small items we forgot in the room, and brought them to us.

DSI

Honestly, Amankora Paro was the single worst hotel stay I've ever had, and the single worst interaction I've ever had with management. The employees meant well and our guide and driver were awesome, but it's hardly worth it if paying $$.

I realize that saying AMankora had both the best and worst service sounds contradictory. The good service came from our guide and driver, and the rest of the hotel, the maid service, etc... didn't stand out. At the end of our stay, at Paro, I got a case of severe food poisoning. I inquired to management but was essentially ignored and stonewalled... which really, really upset me. I was then condescended to, as if it were some sort of stomach flu rather than straight-up food poisoning. (The two are different BTW.)

The other food there was horrible. The orange juice tasted a week old (fermented), rotten steak, something was terribly amiss like the fridge was left open for days. A Constellation of issues that other guests we met at other lodges were complaining about to.

I ended up just throwing up everywhere and they moved us to a room with a heater that was permanently stuck on. It was literally 90 that night and my SO called the front to get it turned off to no avail. Needless to say, after food poisoning--which was a severe pain, where I had to breathe rapidly for like 8 hours to hyperventilate--and an uncomfortably hot night. No sleep.

Then we did the "spa" treatment greeted by someone with a full parka and running shoes. Not spa like, but whatever. In the private treatment area, which is outside, they did hardcore masonry work some 6" feet away. The most unpeaceful experience ever.

I complained about all this and was ignored about these other problems and it was suggested that maybe the glass of wine caused the problem. Just absurd and condescending.

FWIW, I know ppl who know firsthand about the hotel there and it's on it's last legs. The staff all dislike the management and plan on leaving. To the TA's on this board, send them to COMO, and do your clients a favor.

vuittonsofstyle

I think the problem here is the sheer turnover of guest assistants and butlers. You can have an outstanding experience one month and a disastrous experience the next. It is not the provision of guest assistants, but the quality of them.

Aventine

And scheduling can change your butler too. Had a great butler on our first day at Mandapa but then it switched to a less than stellar one the next day. This was during their opening few months.