aside from all the upgrades and perks and benefits and bottles of wine and free wireless internet etc etc, i'd like to touch on the general level of service level from my short experience. with my decision to give Hyatt a try since January, i've had five stays: Hyatts in Seoul, Bangkok (x2), Singapore and Tokyo.


for example, it wasn't until i stayed at these Hyatt properties that i realized that the bellmen who opens the doors of ur cabs/limos as you alight at the entrance of the hotel would actually say

"good morning/evening, welcome to the Hyatt (enter name of city). May i take your luggage?"

and this was consistent across the 4 hotels. NEVER DID I GET THIS SORT OF GREETING ONCE IN ANY SPG PROPERTIES (and no, it's not like i only stayed at 4pts with SPG, my stays were 80% above cat 3 - i.e. Westin Chosun Seoul, Westin Tokyo, Westin Grande Sukhumvit, to name a few in those same cities).


i asked where the bathroom was at my stay in Hyatt Erawan BKK, and the staff accompanied me all the way to the bathroom. I remember being politely pointed the direction when i had done this at St. Regis Singapore (go straight there, then turn left, then go straight again yeah?). i tried the same thing in Westin Tokyo for a payphone, and yes, again they accompanied me to it. not a big deal? maybe.


Another "little thing" i noticed of the three hyatts is that when i call the service line from my room, they would always pick up in less than 2 rings. I remember calling numerous times because nobody picked up the service line call at Plaza Athenee Bangkok in Dec last yr (sure it was late then, but that didn't seem to matter for Hyatt).

Bellmen are never seen standing around chit-chatting (i hv fond memories of Sheraton Towers Singapore, where the doorman was sending an SMS on his cellphone and I had to push open the door myself). I have a keen eye for these little details and it's quite amazing how on every one of these 'small service fronts' Hyatt wins hands down.



so, very small issues, but with big implications.
1. doormen greeting guests and welcoming them to the property - often the 1st point of contact for guests with the hotel and where the 1st impression is formed

2. staff guiding guests to the end point when they are looking for something - being pointed the right direction is something you can get from any joe on the street - should it be diff at a 5 star hotel where service is the main business?

3. attending to guests' calls quickly no matter how busy. if the hotel is too busy pick up the guests' calls immediately, then yes, they ARE too busy.

4. staff are professionally behaved, whether or not their bosses are around. because at properties that are truly 1st class, the bosses are the guests and the staff know this at their core of their hearts.