Originally Posted by
david22
Agreed, but I'd qualify this with... "don't go in expecting perfect, even at a high price." Even the best hotels aren't perfect. But I'd say expect consistently excellent or very good recovery on mistakes (which will happen with any human endeavor). Also if they screw up, make sure it doesn't repeat. :-)
The service not quite meeting high expectations matches my experience at Crillon. At > 2000 EUR / night you expect a lot, service-wise, and they just weren't consistent enough in a few dimensions (housekeeping, people in the lobby were sometimes rude or clueless, etc.). Meanwhile Peninsula's housekeeping was a well oiled machine. But YMMV over multiple stays.
Of course “perfect” does not exist, although some of the best hotels approach perfection. More accurately, what I mean to say is that the hotel demonstrates a level of service that is highly responsive and focused on guest satisfaction. It’s also true that the guest plays a role in commanding good service, and sometimes that requires a bit of direct communication in order to make dissatisfaction or other feedback known to the hotel.