kmd0506

For those more experienced than I am, how important is it to you for a hotel to "get it right" when you check in vs what they offer with service recovery.
How much are you willing to do mid-stay (for a business trip in this specific context) for the hotel to get it right. Would you request a room change for annoying, but not awful conditions after the first night of a 2 night stay?

Do you judge hotels and set your expectations on what they have done on past stays?

I have seen a few threads on here about service recovery, but curious how recovery vs just getting it right influences future stays at the same property/ your reviews of that property.

....and yes I'm in the middle of a 2 night stay at a repeat hotel that is not living up to the expectations they set in previous stays.

Often1

If it is a true luxury hotel, luxury means getting it right. But, even the best-trained and most attentive operations louse things up on occasion.

When something gets loused up, it is all about making it right and doing so without much attention by the customer. If it cannot be made right, it is about doing something as a gesture.

On the other hand, every place has its limits and what you consider annoying may not be to others and most particularly not have been a problem for the property in the past.

MSPeconomist

My rule is that if I switch rooms during a stay, I expect the second room to be better--i.e., an upgrade of some sort--to (partially) make up for the inconvenience. I also don't want hotel staff digging through my room to pack for the move, nor am I normally willing to be homeless (without a room) during part of the moving day. This means that I pack and move after the new room is ready and I've inspected it. I've seen the results (things left behind) when hotel staff do the move, so I prefer to pack everything myself. [BTW I've never been fond of butler unpacking service either.]

Aventine

I'd rather the hotel just get it right the first time. It's aggravating to mail, have to state what I feel I deserve or wait for their offer and then move the room. The worst is when they feel nothing egregious went wrong and no recovery will happen.

Jaimito Cartero

I'd much rather the hotel just get it right the first time. I was having a discussion with a front desk manager yesterday about a problem, and realized that, sadly, getting it right the first time doesn't happen often enough.

I don't consider myself overly demanding. My latest problem was showing up 10 minutes before the posted closing of breakfast buffet (10am on a Monday), only to find that staff had already removed 75% of the items.

They offered us ala carte items, but with a much smaller selection than the buffet had. I've been to this property many times, and never had this happen. They also did not have a manager come, after multiple requests. If I have to go to the front desk to request a manager, I'm going to be pissed off.

Aventine

As an offside, I've found in recent stays that service recovery is becoming much more stringent and reticent. There's a lot of lip service to "high end suite upgrade on your next stay" and "please reach out to me personally". Even at high end places.

DSI

stay away from ani villas if service recovery is something you're aware of.

I'd 100% prefer a flawless stay.

Often1

As this is posted in the Luxury Hotel forum, I presume that this is a luxury hotel. But, "luxury" is a broad range and means many different things to many different people.

These sorts of abstract questions are better answered with the name of the specific property and the specific issue which was imperfect and then not handled.

Also worth noting that the higher up the food chain you go, the less service recovery is about points and upgrades and more about something property knows you like based on experience, e.g., a bottle of wine you have ordered before or a specific couple of drinks.

EuropeanPete

Even the world's best hotels won't get everything right 100% of the time, but what they can do is always make a skilled effort to ensure that the guest feels that the situation has been addressed with the appropriate level of seriousness, empathy and, if appropriate, investment.

I've rarely come across something so severe in a luxury hotel that a really good service recovery wouldn't leave me with a warm and fuzzy feeling about the hotel rather than a dark smoldering hatred*

* For more on dark, smoldering hatred try reading British Airways customer service responses to service issues. It's sometimes like they're actually trying to piss off their customers much more than arose from the actual issue.

bhrubin

I think everyone would prefer that everyone and every hotel get it right from the start...but it's unrealistic to expect that always.

When a great hotel gets it wrong, I almost always let them know and guide them into what I believe is appropriate service recovery. The best hotels always recover well before or without my guidance, but even some of the best have benefitted from such guidance.

Sometimes, getting it wrong isn't quite accurate. Sometimes, we expect different things than other guests. Without telling the hotel, they still may need to recover.

kmd0506

Thanks everyone for your opinions...it started with a specific hotel/issue, but made me curious about the overall thoughts on the issue.

I have only just started to return to "luxury" hotels for repeat stays and have had some very good return visits, with issues from previous stays corrected, but also had downgrades in rooms and service.

I do think the takeaway is to be clear and upfront with the hotel with your expectations, both before and during the stay.

Really appreciate those who took the time to provide answers.

Cardboard55

Perfection is impossible, and handling problems well when they happen is important for any luxury hotel.

But getting it right the first time is worth 10X as much to me as allowing a problem to happen and then fixing it well. I'm very understanding of the occasional hiccup, but if I have repeated problems at a property, I'm unlikely to return no matter how well they recover.

Annalisa12

I've never used the butler unpack service as I am not 100% sure what is involved. I don't want to look like a novice. Not that there is anything wrong with that.

bhrubin

I LOVE butler unpacking and packing service! It's one of the things I miss most when I'm not at a StR. It's not that complicated, really.

Unpacking service involves emptying your suitcase and putting away/hanging all your packed belongings, including putting your toiletry bag in the bathroom, shoes in the closet, etc.

Packing is the real beauty. I hate to pack. But the butlers fold your clothes up beautifully, usually with tissue paper. Pack it nicely and neatly in your luggage for you. So you're ready to go. And you don't have to figure out how to get it all back in; they do that for you. Heaven.

If you do a lot of shopping, though, you may need to cut them some slack...or buy extra luggage. (I've been there. Several times.)

Annalisa12

Agree.

I would expect a luxury hotel to not get basic things wrong. I hate a simple thing of not getting my promised newspaper each morning.