Originally Posted by
bhrubin
Bolding mine. You're a braver one than I am. The constant and consistent miasma of bad service experiences coming from so many reviewers for this otherwise obviously beautiful property make it an absolute hotel to avoid for me. Period.
I don't want to worry about what service fiasco will happen next...to me. The only person I'd have to blame then would be myself. And that service fiasco or another epic failure here seems inevitable.
Your comments make me even more thrilled to be staying at the Imperial in Oct. And I'm writing this from the PH Sydney!
Makes sense! I am positive you will enjoy the Imperial.
Originally Posted by
jonjparr
I had no idea that PH Vienna outsourced their housekeeping. Makes complete sense now why it's a mess. If the GM brought them in then I'd say it's fair game to lay all the blame for repeatedly disastrous housekeeping with her. Having read all the reviews of this place recently combined with my own experience my mind is made up - I'm not going back. There's got to be better places to stay.
I have a hunch that Ms Dekker is under a lot of pressure to produce a sizable ROI for Signa. It is no secret that the hotel project has not yet turned out as the owner has hoped. Benko invested so much in this building, he must have had all the choice in the world in terms of which management company should run it. Why was Hyatt chosen? And not Four Seasons, Mandarin Oriental or Rosewood? I bet Hyatt promised a ton of revenue, more than FS and the other usual suspects. But since he is now doing other lower end projects as well (Andaz Vienna opening soon), a management company with a broader portfolio of brands was an easy choice, which came down to Hyatt and Starwood. So in the end, this outsourcing thing is now a Park Hyatt brand standard, sadly, but also a way of cost cutting. I was told all other hotels in Vienna have an own housekeeping department and during times of high demand they have an outsourced company company come in and help, but that a department is fully outsourced, that is quite rare. Even in Austria. Right now PH is not a true luxury hotel just yet, but more a luxurious chain option. If Four Seasons were to manage this building, now that would be interesting. I have heard many stories about Ms Dekker and I think she has a proven track record of good customer service, although I believe she is now quite limited by the owner. And this affects the experience. It is one thing to build a luxurious hotel, but it requires a lot to run one as well.
The only thing that bothers me are the many instances in which they could improve the service without compromising their bottom line. A welcome letter does not cost much. It is also quite cheap to show up and say 'I am sorry about the noise last night, I hope you enjoy the hotel nevertheless. Is there any way we could move you, as we do have a wedding tonight and I would hate you being affected by it yet again'. Did she do that? Or have one of her team members do it? No. And that's bad management and that's where I hold her accountable.
Originally Posted by
FlyingDoctorwu
Thanks for the update on the PH, Scented. I had stayed there a number of years back (within the first year that it opened) and thought the problems with my stay were part of teething issues. Sadly it appears that they were not and they are endemic to the hotel.... it is indeed an absolutely stunning renovation but the service falls quite short... your amenity plate is the only one worse than the one I had- which was 5 mozart chocolates (on the third day nonetheless.).. this was after we had an extensive discussion at check in about what sort of amenity we would like... Housekeeping was definitely a weak spot during our stay as well... We also had issues with the bell staff during our arrival... Lots and lots of service mishaps that mirror your experiences... I would wager that give Ms. Dekker has had over 3 years to get the ship sailing straight, that either their are challenges that aren't apparent or that her leadership isn't appropriate for a luxury hotel. Would I go back? I'm not sure.. it's a great hard product, great location for sure but the service issues were so numerous that it would be hard to... that all being said, I'm not sure if there's another good candidate in Vienna(The RC looks nice, but no reviews; the SPG properties are a little old school for me)....
This may be more representative of the PH brand than anything; I haven't yet experienced one that quite makes it to the upper ranks of a luxury hotel (PH Istanbul is very very close though)
FDW
Thank you! There are a couple PH that would be interesting to you, I guess, namely Sydney, Buenos Aires, Istanbul, Saigon and maybe Paris (although problems lately…).
Originally Posted by
MacMyDay
I felt sorry for you reading the review, which is an achievement in my ability to feel human again. Even though my stay wasn't as bad as yours, none of it managed to surprise me. I leave with the same view as you, that somehow I'd consider it again.
Reading it makes me wonder if it is a sane reaction to spend so much money on this ‚episode‘. Need a vacation now after this! Certainly not at a Hyatt, though. For now, at least..