I was meeting my friend for a drink at the all-day dining on the ground floor of this hotel in Singapore, and had arrived slightly earlier.
Me: Hi, is there Wi-Fi here?
Employee: (looking awkward and walked away without saying a word)
Shortly after, the same female employee returned to pass me a handwritten note on the back of a recycled order chit. She came and left in silence. I looked at the note she had passed to me:
For a split moment, I wondered if that was her name, or if she was telling me that I should be more sincere?
I waved my hand to get her attention so I could clarify. She explained in two words, “Wi-Fi password” and took her departure yet again. The words to sum up my emotions then were: bewildered and amused.
Try as I might, I could not locate the network on my phone. So I raised my hand again to ask another employee for the name of the outlet, since there were few options listed. The man said he did not know how the name was pronounced, but said it was LBS for short. I probed further for the full name and he said he would check it for me. Moments later, he returned to present me my second recycled note:
I could not help but wonder, how, if any, was the orientation and induction conducted for the newcomers.
Later on, my friend and I decided to move to the lounge bar on the same level for some early aperitifs and asked if the earlier bill could be transferred to the other outlet. There was much hesitation, a lot of checking, and endless discussion internally if this could be done, while we stood around for at least five minutes.
Everything seemed such a hassle and non-seamless for what was supposed to be an easy and relaxing late afternoon. The sense of luxury and attention to details were unfortunately, lacking in this particular experience.
Reflective thoughts: Have you recently asked your team, standards and processes they are unsure about and offer to clarify or explain (once again)? Let’s not simply assume “They should know”. What are the small details in your environment that could compromise the sense of luxury, if your brand is positioned as such?