Am I expecting too much?
 

I've just arrived at Grosvenor House and am feeling fairly cheesed off with my welcome at the front desk.

I have stayed here a lot and it isn't typical, but I'd like views on whether I'm being unreasonable at not being entriely happy with what Marriott call my arrival experience.

The converstaion went something like this...

No, let's start with the preamble. My taxi dropped me off outside the Park Lane entrance. There were two doormen inside the first door, who watched me get out of the taxi, wheel my bags across the pavement and struggle to get the door open without moving a muscle.

So I'm not in the best of moods when I approach the front desk, dragging rollabord and laptop bag behind me.

Me:-"Hello, thegoderic"
Her:- "You have a reservation?"
Me:- "That's the general idea"
(much typing)
Her:- "Have you stayed here before?"
Me:- "Yes, often"
Her:- "Your postcode is A1A 1AA?" (in a disbelieving tone)
Me:- "Yes"
Her:- "And your address is xxxx?"
Me:- "Yes"
Her:- "Welcome back" (in a tone of voice that said the exact opposite of welcome)
She then got the exec lounge welcome letter and gave it to me, then turned to her colleague and asked if she had any Platinum arrival gift cards.
Me:- "I'll take the points"
She didn't respond to this but printed my registration card. I signed it and gave it back, but she decided it necessary to read out every word on the card. "You are staying for 3 nights and your check out date is... and your rate is..."
Me:- "Can you cut the key for the gym please?" (That doesn't happen automatically)
She then got the waiver form and offered it to me to sign.
Me:- "Do I have to sign this every visit?" Having been told by someone last time that I didn't, as long as I'd signed it once.
Her:- "It's for your own safety"
I was tempted to repsond by asking how signing a form waiving my rights to sue Marriott should I have a heart attack in the gym was for my own safety, but I bit my lip at this.
She then told me I'd been upgraded to a superior room, and wrote out a 6th floor room number.
Me:- "Do you have anything on the 7th (exec lounge) floor?"
(much typing, then room card replaced with one for 718).

That really did cheese me off as the hotel is wide open for the next few days (I checked this morning) and whoever did the room allocation could have put me in an exec level room from the start.
Her:- "Have a nice stay"
Me:- (silently) "Only if it improves from check in"

I have been a great Grosvenor House fan, but they'll need to improve to keep my business.

Guess you're angry because you didn't get this ;)

"I stayed there quite a lot last year as a Plat and was well looked after, but this year I moved up to Plat Premier and have had suite upgrades, personal greetings from and an offer of being escorted to my suite by the guest relations manager, baskets of fruit in the room and personal, handwritten cards of welcome."

which you posted on your last stay.

From what you posted above I think you have some quibbles (the doormen & the have you stayed here before), but IMO overall you're over-reacting. And I'm only speaking for myself, but I wouldn't drop a place based on a 1-time experience, especially when your prior experiences went over what we're all entitled to as Plats.

I am a bit confused on why you bothered w/ the front desk when you know you can go to the exec lounge & check in there?

Cheers.

You can check in in the exec lounge in the basement? I assume you just knock to gain entry?

I've stayed there probably 6 times in the last 2 years as a Plat Premier. I've always found the upgrades to be consistent, even on busy weekends. The fruit, personalized letters, and "status" calls are also spot on as well.

I'm confused on the basement part of your post, since the exec lounge is on the 7th floor of the hotel. Was that just a joke, or did I miss something?

I'm with you on the consistent treatment, and I think this might just be a 1-off for the OP.

Cheers.

Well, I see the begging for the "upgrade" benefit as disturbing, especially if the hotel was empty and the desired room was available anyway. I'm very much the victim of this in the States. Not sure what a "superior room" is. A lot of pounding on the key board and it can be sometimes fixed.

Perhaps it was a same day or previous day reservation? I've been schooled by nasty FD folks about making "late" reservations and expecting anything - perhaps due to all the typing that's needed to fix something not pre-blocked.

Definitely some 'tude going on and perhaps some laziness, I've seen this in the service industry during "dead" times, they get so used to doing nothing that when someone walks in, it becomes a bother to do their jobs. Sort of when you walk into a resturant late and they are pissed because they wanted to skate out early.

Per normal I agree with SKiAdock.

I would ask for the manager on duty and express your displeasure....not very warm or welcoming

And don't forget to ask for compensation :rolleyes:

Having stayed at Grosvenor House a number of times, the superior rooms are usually quite nice. If I have an option between a superior room on a non-exec level & a reg room on exec level, I know what I'm going to take, but that's just me. And as has been noted by many FTers in numerous posts, including the OP (see his post that I quoted where he got a suite, personal escort to his room, etc, previously), they usually are quite good towards Plats.

Truthfully, other than the doormen & the have you stayed here before hiccups (I'd agree w/ being irritated on both those points), I think the check-in clerk pretty much did everything by the book. Not perhaps the most warm & effusive, but it could also be a new clerk.

It also sounds (this is just a guess) that the OP was tired because starting out w/ his comment "that's the general idea" isn't exactly the most sociable either. It certainly isn't what I'd respond if asked that. I'd just say yes & hand over the cc & Plat card (latter not needed, but it's habit w/ me).

If the OP is that upset about the perfuntory (sp?) check-in & the bellmen (I think the Park Lane guys don't jump to as much as the front door guys), I'd second socrates & chat w/ the FD manager.

But given the OP has posted in other threads that he's been treated well numerous times by GH previously, I certainly wouldn't dump the property based on a single ho-hum check-in experience.

FWIW - I think a hotel would be bonkers to accept a previously signed waiver on a health club form for dif stays. That's just a liability/lawsuit waiting to happen.

Cheers.

Ooopps, short circuit in my brain.

For some reason I was recalling the layout of Grosvenor Square, not Grosvenor House. The lounge for Grosvenor Square is in the basement. The lounge for Grosvenor House is, as posted, on the 7th floor. I'm getting older.

Agreed: definitely ask for compensation.

LOL - he was being sarcastic - assume you were too? ;)

Cheers.

I was just teasing annerj :) I'm sure he realizes it even if no one else did.

He frowns upon asking for compensation, while I believe it's fine if the hotel genuinely screwed up your stay... we debated this on some thread not too long ago. In this case, it would of course be ridiculous.

Tee-hee - I figured it was a bit of a joshing situation - will all due respect to any Josh's reading this thread :D

FWIW - I've never asked for comp (beyond the $100 Plat thing) from a hotel but i agree that if there's a major f/screw up, then it'd be one thing & also agree w/ you that this doesn't qualify. And in fairness the OP wasn't asking for comp.

Cheers.

In the cold light of day, I think SkiAdcock is right (as ever) and I was overreacting somewhat in threatening never to return.

However, I think my main point remains valid. In my experience, there is a span of check-in experiences from the totally welcoming, through the transactional to the grudging.

This was very much at the grudging level and can't be what Marriott want to see when welcoming one of their most lucrative guests at their flagship London property.