NM

Last week I had one night at the new Hilton in Kuala Lumpur. What an amazing hotel. As soon as my diamond card came out or my pocket at checkin, I was targeted by two staff members doing everything they could do to assist me. The HHonors Manager was one of them. She immediately appeared to assist with checkin and to explain the features of the hotel to me. She even insisted on wheeling my suitcase all the way up to and into my room.

And what a room! I paid the lowest rate available to me via a web booking, about RM350 I think. I was given an executive suite on the 34th floor (upper of the two executive floors). The suite was about half the floor space of my home, which is a reasonable size for a family of six. And it was just for me! It was huge, with the most amazing furnishings and facilities.

There were two large plasma screens, plus a small LCD TV screen set into the mirror in the main bathroom (no TV in the second toilet , just a phone and speaker volume control).

I took a colleague to the executive floor and we consumed 6 beers between us as well as several plates of very nicely presented nibbles. All free of course and with no pressure or expectation of a tip. The breakfast spread in the exec lounge was also fantastic with quality ripe fresh fruit, bakery, cereals, both Asian and western hot food etc.

A few days later I checked into the Hilton Arlington (Texas). What a difference. I had again booked on line with the best available rate ($109 plus taxes, so costing me more than the KL Hilton). I had booked a king bed room, and confirmed this with the check-in agent and she repeated back to me that it was indeed booked as a king room. When I got to the room it was a twin room! Grrr.

It was almost as if they had gone out of their way to find the worst room in the house, unlike in KL where they tried to find me the best available room! The room was directly opposite the ICE vending machine that whirred and klunked 24 hours a day, and bangs loudly as people filled their ICE buckets through the night. The air conditioning rattled so much I had to switch it off at night.

Since there is no exec floor at the Arlington Hilton, I was given two breakfast vouchers (for my two night stay). It was the usual sugar or fat options offered by many USA hotels. The fruit was hard and unripe and the only healthy option I could find was Raisin Bran (and even that I am not sure about). And of course there is very much an expectation that I will tip as the bill is provided clearly showing a cost of about $12 with the comment that the voucher covers the food portion of the bill! So with standard tipping expectations that leads to leaving $2 for someone to clear my empty plate away and to bring me a glass of juice and coffee. And they have a separate "room" set up for HH Diamond and Gold members to enjoy their breakfast, at the opposite end of the restaurant to the buffet - just in case they mingle with the real paying guests!

Apart from giving me a room with different bed configuration that booked and confirmed at check-in, they did meet their obligations under the HH program (two bottles of water in the room and two breakfast vouchers). However, the difference between the approach from these two hotels was even further apart than their geography. One treated me special and did all they could to make me feel that way, while the other seemed to begrudge me getting in their way and seemed to do as little as they could get away with.

Guess which of the hotels I would like to pay a return visit next time I am in their region? One will get my business every time I am their city, the other won't be seeing me ever again. At least that is two nights closer to my Diamond renewal.