Originally Posted by
jemmazee
...I would have thought the hotel would try to do everything they could to ensure guests still had a positive experience, despite the lights being out.
Shouldn't the staff have notified the guests by the pool so they could consider their arrangements for the rest of the day and have the opportunity to use the daylight to their advantage?
To do what? Hunt for food? Build yourself a bivouac? I am not sure what difference it makes, to be honest. I think you're exaggerating. Besides, isn't sitting by the pool "having a positive experience" in the hotel?
Originally Posted by
jemmazee
- No effort was made by the hotel to communicate the situation to guests - when I asked what was happening at the concierge desk, I was told that they had no idea since their phones weren't working. Really? Nobody had a cell phone to call SPG corporate or an off-site manager so they could stay on top of the situation? It seems that they should have made an attempt to provide information to guests who were far from home and in the dark.
Not to sound rude, but do you not have a cell phone, too? I am in Boston, and I saw info about the blackout on all the major national news sites. You could either have surfed to that info on your phone or called someone back hoe to look it up for you. That would get you exactly the same information you expect someone else to provide.
Originally Posted by
jemmazee
- When I asked what the plan for the evening was if power wasn't restored before sunset, I was told that I had a flashlight in my room. That's it. I'm not sure what more I expected, but maybe a little more effort to help us make the most out of the evening?
Let me ask you this: what does the hotel do to "help you make the most of the evening" when the power is on? Why are they responsible for keeping you busy?
Originally Posted by
jemmazee
- When I asked if the on-site restaurant where we had reservations would be serving, I was told by the front desk "as far as I know." I ended up calling the restaurant myself from my dark room and was told they were cancelling service.
Sometimes plans change. "As far as I know" is a fair answer.
Originally Posted by
jemmazee
- Turn down service was cancelled - maybe they could have replaced wet towels and at least checked in on people who were sitting in their rooms in a dark hotel to see if anybody needed anything?
Unless this hotel is a 22-story high-rise, you also could have gone down to fetch these items. If a hotel doesn't check on you to see if you need anything when the power is on, why do they need to become your mommy when the power is out?
Originally Posted by
jemmazee
- No A/C, so rooms were pretty warm by the time the sun went down, but there was nobody even offering additional water in the lobby. (I think back to a time when I was in a black-out at a basic airport hotel in PHX and for the couple hours the power was out, there was somebody standing in the lobby handing out water and checking with guests as they walked through the lobby.)
Sinks still work when the power is out.
Originally Posted by
jemmazee
- On that note, we walked through the lobby several time during the course of the evening and not one single hotel employee checked in on us and asked if we were OK. They were gathered in little groups behind the front desk and concierge desk, but not one person made a proactive effort to offer assistance.
I really don't understand what assistance is required. Assuming the hallways were lit adequately to provide for safe passage around hotel grounds and there was no apparent threat to the safety of guests, what exactly do you expect people to do?
Originally Posted by
jemmazee
- Power came on around 11:30 p.m. - then at 6:00ish the next morning the fire alarm came on, lasting several minutes. I think it turned off and then turned back on again, and then finally off. OK, I get that systems were coming back on-line, but somehow we managed to check-out that day without one person mentioning the alarm and apologizing for the early morning disturbance.
I'm pretty sure they did the best they could or darn near close to it. I am sure they had a lot going on.
Originally Posted by
jemmazee
Am I silly to think that they could have done more to make the stay more pleasant, despite the unfortunate circumstances?
Yes.
Originally Posted by
jemmazee
I think it would have made me feel much better if there was a note under my door in the morning thanking me for my patience and apologizing for the alarm or noting that they were sorry that I missed the opportunity to dine at their fancy restaurant because of the power outage or an invitation to have a drink at the bar when the lights were out that evening. But overall, the staff seemed more interested in telling me it wasn't their fault, then trying to help guests salvage their stay. ...
That's because it wasn't their fault. Yes, they could have put forth a bunch of platitudes, but at the end of the day, a major blackout is an emergency situation. They provided for your safety, and I am sure that if the blackout had extended for an exceptional amount of time they would have provided or helped you secure food and drink, but wasn't the blackout a grand total of about 8 hours or so? I mean, "salvage your stay"? Really?
Originally Posted by
jemmazee
Maybe it's a regional thing and people in southern CA are just more used to random black-outs? Or maybe I'm just too picky?
Ding ding