Talk About Hospitality!

My husband and I went to Boston for Memorial Day weekend and stayed at the new Westin Boston in the marvelous new Boston Harbor area, next door to the new Conference Center.  Westin is part of the Starwood Hotels chain so I expected something pretty upscale (big, yes, but upscale).  It's big all right and, let's face it: if you're a conference hotel, that makes sense.  Here's what didn't make sense:

Several days before our departure, they sent me an email welcome note, saying if I wanted anything additional in connection with our stay, just contact them.  I wanted to reply to the email saying that since they asked, yes, I would like to arrange for a massage.  Only trouble was the note said not to reply to the sender address, yet there was no place on the email message with an alternative address.  So I ended up calling the hotel, which was a hassle.

When we arrived, there was a long line for check-in.  Five or six checking stations, but only one functioning at the beginning of a long weekend.  I finally make my way to the front of the line and it was OK, though not a particularly welcoming experience.  I found it strange that the desk clerk asked if I wanted a key to the mini-bar.  I said no, we rarely use min-bars, but her practice of asking gives the guest a chance to say no, which means Westin loses what I imagine are more-frequent-than-not impulse purchases from mini-bars by guests who find themselves with a sweet tooth, or thirsty, when it's inconvenient to go down to the restaurant or lobby.

We got to our room.  Nice enough.  I do love their bed linens, but the rest of the room was standard issue.  I go to take a shower and notice there is only one terry robe.  So I call down to get one for my husband and was told, "No problem.  We'll send it right up."  Then I find there is no shower cap, something I've come to expect in any hotel room, so I call the front desk and get the same answer.  Then it becomes silly.  Qtips?  Gotta call the desk.  Emery board?  Call the desk.  Hair dryer?  Call the desk.  When the delivery person came up with the shower cap, I asked "How does this work?  Isn't it awfully expensive and inefficient for the hotel to have staff running all over the hotel responding to these requests for small stuff most of us consider standard inclusions in the room package?  I told him I often attend conferences for several hundred professional women and know that a majority of them will ask for a shower cap.  And Qtips.  And...and...and...  The fellow was nice enough, saying that they like to run these errands.  Huh? 

Well, they may not mind (after all, I kept tipping them although I resented it) and they were relatively prompt in bringing each item to my room, but it takes up my valuable time waiting for the bellhop to show up when I could already be showered and ready to get to my appointment.  Somehow I envision the Westin folks in a meeting where someone suggested they stop providing all these accoutrements and wait for people to ask for them.  Can't imagine it saves money.  And makes people like me think they're being cheap.  And since the room's standard rate can be as high as $500+, doesn't that sound like bad math? 

I think they need to have a conversation with a few regular customers.  Make it women customers.  The ones who use shower caps. 

Comments

[Linda Zdanowicz]

Hi Susan, service ain't always what it used to be is it? Let me ask you this since you're a discriminating consumer. We are always looking for ways to improve service to our patients in the dental practice I manage. What niceties would make our practice stand out to you as one delivering exceptional patient care? We offer patients neck rolls, headphones and CDs and blankets if they're chilly. We don't really want to go the spa route, we want to stick with dentistry. We were offering coffee, tea and water but nobody was accepting it much. I am available to patients who have questions and will spend unlimited time talking to them about their care. Anything you can add that would make us even better?
Linda