CDG-A Tale of Two Hotels
Feb 27, 2013 | 6:51 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 1999
Location: Denver CO
Posts: 3,686
CDG-A Tale of Two Hotels
We recently spent a night at CDG. I was flying home as I had a serious back problem which made it very painful to sit down.
We decided to have dinner at the Novetel at Roissypole. We have eaten there before with pretty good success. There is a dining room there and across a hallway, a bar. The bar had high top tables which meant I could stand to eat, thus avoiding pain. I explained my situation to the host at the restaurant and asked if we could order from the restaurant menu but eat at one of the tables in the bar. I thought it was an easy request since the bar is only 20 feet or so away, the restaurant was less than half full and the bar had three people nursing drinks. The host told me they couldn't allow that.
So we went over to the Hilton, which is about to open a newly renovated restaurant area. That night, dinner was in a large dining room with regular tables but there was a large ballroom nest to the dining room with a couple of high top table where I could stand. I asked the host if we could eat in the ballroom and he said "of course" and turned on the lights in the whole room. He then preceded to wait on us himself, coming back every five minutes or so to see if we wanted anything else.
So one hotel had an extra 60 in receipts and a host with a 10 tip, while the other had people standing around. Maybe I should have called this thread: Attitude-Can do & Can't Do.
We decided to have dinner at the Novetel at Roissypole. We have eaten there before with pretty good success. There is a dining room there and across a hallway, a bar. The bar had high top tables which meant I could stand to eat, thus avoiding pain. I explained my situation to the host at the restaurant and asked if we could order from the restaurant menu but eat at one of the tables in the bar. I thought it was an easy request since the bar is only 20 feet or so away, the restaurant was less than half full and the bar had three people nursing drinks. The host told me they couldn't allow that.
So we went over to the Hilton, which is about to open a newly renovated restaurant area. That night, dinner was in a large dining room with regular tables but there was a large ballroom nest to the dining room with a couple of high top table where I could stand. I asked the host if we could eat in the ballroom and he said "of course" and turned on the lights in the whole room. He then preceded to wait on us himself, coming back every five minutes or so to see if we wanted anything else.
So one hotel had an extra 60 in receipts and a host with a 10 tip, while the other had people standing around. Maybe I should have called this thread: Attitude-Can do & Can't Do.
Feb 28, 2013 | 10:17 am
#2
Join Date: May 2006
Programs: Delta Skymiles, Flying Blue
Posts: 717
If you've been to France often enough, you will realize that the rules and traditions are often much more important than profits. A totally foreign and weird way of thinking to Americans, but that's the way the French are.
In some small shops, they won't wait on you at all unless you greet them while walking in with a perfunctory "Bonjour, Madame!(Monsieur!)."
Once we happened upon a restaurant in the countryside at about 8PM and walked in to have dinner, sans reservations. The place was about half full. The hostess said, "Sorry, monsieur, but without a reservation the chef cannot prepare adequately for your dinner. Please make a reservation in the future." And proceeded to throw us out.
I once waited at a bistro out in the provinces for Noon, when they would serve me a Croque Monsieur. (Lunch service). We got to the place at 11:48, but they made us sit at the table for 12 minutes just dawdling...
And so on...
In some small shops, they won't wait on you at all unless you greet them while walking in with a perfunctory "Bonjour, Madame!(Monsieur!)."
Once we happened upon a restaurant in the countryside at about 8PM and walked in to have dinner, sans reservations. The place was about half full. The hostess said, "Sorry, monsieur, but without a reservation the chef cannot prepare adequately for your dinner. Please make a reservation in the future." And proceeded to throw us out.
I once waited at a bistro out in the provinces for Noon, when they would serve me a Croque Monsieur. (Lunch service). We got to the place at 11:48, but they made us sit at the table for 12 minutes just dawdling...
And so on...