On my recent Cathay flight the flight attendant brought out a little note, hand-written, saying how they appreciated me on there. But it had no personalization (well, it had my name on it).
In many hotels I got a note from the manager in my room, saying something to the same effect. With a handwritten scrawl at the bottom.

I feel these are all the same, an effort by management to tell the customer they are special. But because they are done so commonly they are meaningless.

Thoughtfulness to me means realizing something about me, remembering it in the future, and somehow letting me know you remembered it (whether mentioning it in a chat, giving a present that I like, etc). It seems awfully hard to do if one hasn't met the customer yet, still very difficult if one only briefly met the customer, and equally hard if that just isn't the kind of thing one does.

I presume the idea is to make the customer feel as if the big corporation cares. Or make the customer feel as if the corporation cares as a friend, not as someone who is taking your money.

So they shouldn't do anything? I don't know how a FA would remember something special about you since they deal with hundreds of people. Some hotels do keep track of your preferences (I received a form to fill out from the Stafford Hotel in London after staying there asking about my preference in flowers, etc.)

Which is patently silly but many get off on it nonetheless.

Sorry, what is your point?

When they are truly not personal (and I have had some great examples of when it really has been personal and tailored) then I see it as opening the dialogue as much as anything. A note from the GM with a small gift welcoming me to the hotel allows me to thank him for the wine / chocolates when I see him in the lobby, or to seek him out to thank him, and maybe mention something that is not up to scratch. It doesn't overly bother me that they are stock cards, except when they get my name wrong. That bothers me!

A few years back, I received a signed card from a United pilot thanking me for being there. Of course, I immediately logged into FT and searched on it, learning that this particular pilot does this a lot, but I still thought it was pretty cool. ^ It's obvious that neither United nor the pilots' union had anything to do with it...just something the pilot liked to do. I still have the card in a box with other random travel stuff...I still smile when I see it.

Around the same time, I would occasionally stay at a Kimpton hotel in Seattle. I didn't even stay there enough to be remotely considered high-elite, yet they always did little things like remember which beers and wines I liked and often have one waiting for me in the room when I arrived. Of course, that was no doubt more planned/organized, but still...Marriott and Starwood never did that, even when I was Platinum. (Whether Kimpton still does this now as part of IHG, I don't know...)

So I think there's room for a small amount of personalization that is appreciated/remembered. I don't want a hotel to go overboard about it...we've all heard of properties that will search guests on social media or look through your trash in the room...get too personal, and it gets creepy.

^^^^

Where's that "least substantive thing to complain about?" thread.

My personalization wasn't personal enough.

Wait until you have a complaint about anything. Airlines will throw miles your way and ignore the problem, and hotels will respond with a stupid generic "Your experience is important to us, I apologize for your negative experience, and will bring this up at our next staff meeting" response and then fix/address nothing. How's that for standardized "thoughfulness?"

One of the recent personal notes I got thanked me with two bottles of water for my repeat business. Never found the water...

I think you've hit on something. There's a particular Hyatt I frequently use and, because I have Diamond status, the MOD is frequently summoned to greet me, give me a card, blah blah. It comes off as somewhat forced. I used the term 'somewhat' because this is not the norm at Hyatts in general.

But if he or she handed me a small box with a truffle or similar (bottled water is not similar), then it would come across as more authentic or at least less inauthentic. Something along the lines of talk-is-cheap, but a truffle will set you back a dollar or two.

Park Hotel - Buenos Aires - two bottles of wine to welcome me (Platinum status, suite upgrade). One White and One Red. Called reception to ask about it - they said we did not know if you would prefer White or Red. Thanked them, mentioned I like Red wine, 10 minutes later someone shows up with another bottle of red wine and says "since you prefer red wine, we thought you should have this". I was floored. Would go back there is I am in Buenos Aires again.

My thought is that perhaps hotel chains/manager do this to set something of a "tone at the top" to remind employees to try to add a personal touch to employee interactions. When its set as a matter of policy at a hotel to leave a note for elite members (or anyone, for that matter) it may remind the employees to do the same.

When staying at a hotel recently in MEX I got a little note much like the one OP described, I'm certain they're printed out for all elite members. That same stay, though, the front desk staff remembered my kids, asked about one who was sick when they didn't see him for a few days, and offered a few other simple but kind gestures.

It wasn't the note that made a difference, but it did set the tone for the rest of the trip.

You volunteer to give them your money, big corporations or small business,in return for goods and services. Quit whining and appreciate the attempt at extra service.

If you think how much you spend with the hotel compared to their total revenue you will realise just how little you mean to them. I know it may feel fake but I think any gesture is welcome.