A real hotel guest experience (story telling) at a 5* International chain hotel.
A guest came to the front desk for check out. He was politely greeted and the guest room number was inquired. The receptionist started to work the computer for the guest check out. The guest asks the staff whether he could get a glass of water since he is very thirsty and he need to leave for the airport in a rush. The staff perplexed (admittedly) – returned a slightly bleak facial expression but picked up the phone and called the restaurant outlet (just across the lobby) and ask the waiter if he would come over with a glass of water (the guest is British but the receptionist communicated with his fellow colleague in the local language). The waiter told the receptionist that he is busy – the receptionist insisted – can you not help me – it will take less than 1 min. The waiter regretted maintaining that he is so busy. The guest is already looking at the receptionist with a bit of suspicion since the phone conversation for a glass of water seems rather long. Meanwhile the guest had confined the charges posted to his room account proceeded with t het formalities while looking up and saying sorry sir one moment please (at that moment the receptionist seemingly blushed a bit) the glass of water will be here in a minute. The staff pick up the phone again and calls the concierge (since he saw that they are not busy at that moment) to ask if they can go and get a glass of water for the guest. The Concierge said ….sorry I cannot leave the counter if there is a guest that need luggage assistance and nobody will take care of him. The receptionist put the phone down and slowly looked avoiding direct eye contact and uttering ….sorry ….one moment please. The guest replied is there any problem? – Receptionist no they are just getting it and he picked the phone again to – this time – call the room service office. The room service office staff told him that he can leave his station right now and also verified and can I post the water to the guest room. The receptionist felt now very embarrassed. He desperately looked up and (luckily) saw that another concierge (not the one he called a min ago) who is known for his friendliness and who is always very helpful. Over the phone he committed that he will get water for the guest. That Concierge got immediately to work and called the waiter in the restaurant who brushed him off saying …….and who will pay for the water citing that he is responsible for the stock and day closing. The Concierge hung up and dialed room service who gave him a very similar response. Luckily the Concierge is a very experienced and smart employee. So he just skipped the discussion and said bring wand glass of water out to the front desk and I give you a new bottle of water as a replacement (after 10 min). So half a minute later the guest could quench his thrust and leave the hotel happily. The concierge had to go up onto the guest floor and went to one of the room attendant trolleys and pulled out a bottle of dirking water and brought it down to room service for replacement.
The morale:
Culture is very strong glue that is holding together a community of people (at times it can be very strongly positive or negative).
- No matter what you spend (e.g., USD 100 or 2.000 per night) water can be more valuable than anything.
- Clearly this hotel got a strong culture of profit maximization (that can be both good or bad).
- One should expect a high level of mistrust amongst the employees of this hotel.
- Sometimes one smart employees can save an entire hotel reputation (that can be good or bad too the employee is breaking the profit maximization cycle or does save the guest lives [before death by dehydration])
In retrospect, this incident spoke volumes about the hotel’s internal dynamics. It highlighted a vital lesson about hospitality culture — one that can swing between extremes of efficiency and mistrust. While the hotel’s emphasis on profit maximization is undeniably important, it became clear that sometimes, the simplest human needs, like a glass of water, should take precedence.
The experience underscored a crucial point: no matter the price tag on a room, a guest’s comfort and satisfaction hold immeasurable value. Ironically, it takes just one smart employee to navigate the treacherous waters and save the day, illustrating that true hospitality thrives not only in grand gestures but also in the small, yet meaningful acts of kindness.
