I can't enjoy what I'm reading because I'm so angry!
Saturday, October 25, 2014
Reader Frustrations
As an editor, one of the most frustrating things I do is attempt to read a poorly edited ebook for pleasure. I feel as though the publisher has stolen my money - how unprofessional is it to publish a book that spells "rifle" as "riffle"? And where the wrong forms of "you're" and "your" are used...consistently??
Saturday, June 21, 2014
Merging...
After some consideration, I'm going to merge an older travel blog that I had with this one. Since I don't want to lose those posts when I delete that blog, I'm going to post them here --
Winter Travel Favorites
As wintertime (or what passes for it!) approaches Texas, our thoughts begin to turn to the fun to be had on the ski slopes just a few days drive to the north. Although every skier has his or her own favorite tracks, there are many other factors that come into play when choosing a resort or vacation destination.
Our favorite ski resort is Wolf Creek Pass — famous for having the “Most Snow in Colorado,” and rightly so, as it boasts amazing amounts of powder early and late in the season. As of today (Nov. 7), they are reporting more than 80 inches of snow for this season, with all the lifts open and operating.
Since there are no hotels or properties in the Pass, guests must choose to stay in either Pagosa Springs, or South Fork. While South Fork affords an easier drive up and down the pass, there are very few restaurants or nighttime activities on the east side of the pass, and Pagosa Springs is the more popular choice for most visitors.
Our favorite place to stay in the last few years has been Hart’s Rocky Mountain Retreat. They have 4 incredible, fully-furnished cabins, which can accommodate groups up to 10 people. We’ve been made welcome every time, and will go back there every time! (http://www.4getaway.com)
All three of my children were Wolf Pups, and learned to ski like pros…so now it’s the grandbabies turn! Can’t wait!!
Our favorite ski resort is Wolf Creek Pass — famous for having the “Most Snow in Colorado,” and rightly so, as it boasts amazing amounts of powder early and late in the season. As of today (Nov. 7), they are reporting more than 80 inches of snow for this season, with all the lifts open and operating.
Since there are no hotels or properties in the Pass, guests must choose to stay in either Pagosa Springs, or South Fork. While South Fork affords an easier drive up and down the pass, there are very few restaurants or nighttime activities on the east side of the pass, and Pagosa Springs is the more popular choice for most visitors.
Our favorite place to stay in the last few years has been Hart’s Rocky Mountain Retreat. They have 4 incredible, fully-furnished cabins, which can accommodate groups up to 10 people. We’ve been made welcome every time, and will go back there every time! (http://www.4getaway.com)
All three of my children were Wolf Pups, and learned to ski like pros…so now it’s the grandbabies turn! Can’t wait!!
Customer Service — The Good, The Bad…Well, You Get the Point!
How important is customer service…really GOOD customer service…in determining your brand loyalty? In the past year, I’ve experienced excellent customer service, and customer service that basically ignored even my most basic requests, and certainly didn’t go above and beyond to retain my loyalty.
In February of 2012, my husband and I made an anniversary trip to Walt Disney World. The background here: we are regular visitors to WDW, as Annual Pass holders, we visit several times each year. On each visit, we tend to stay at a different hotel (although we do have our favorites!), and on this particular visit, we were excited to be once again staying at the Beach Club.
Upon our arrival, we were greeted by the bellmen, welcomed to the Beach Club, and directed to the registration desk. It is always a pleasant surprise to be greeted by name – and I have yet to figure out how they know our name! I promise we are NOT there THAT often!
After check-in, we proceeded to our room – on the wing that we’d asked for, although not on the first floor. I am aware that all room requests cannot be met, and I never mind being placed anywhere in a Disney hotel! The room, at first glance, was the standard Beach Club room, and so we put our carry-on bags down, and began to make ourselves comfortable. Since it was late evening, our plans were simply to wait for our luggage, unpack, and get a good night’s sleep before an early start the next morning.
Unfortunately, this is where the first problem arose. Upon turning back the sheets, hubby found a hair on one of the pillows. This would have been a minor irritation for me, but he was quite unhappy, and promptly called housekeeping to ask for the bed to be remade (a reasonable request, I think).
Housekeeping arrived quickly, remade the bed, and left. And then…the sinks in the bathroom were dirty, there were some stains on one of the bedcovers…several other small issues – the end result was a call to the front desk manager. Hubby was polite, and was simply asking for a different room. He explained that this was NOT the Disney experience to which we were accustomed. Not terrible, just that we definitely were not getting into the Disney mindset and escape that we need.
The front desk quickly arranged for a room change – just next door to the room we were in – and sent a Housekeeping manager to check the room for perfection. THEN we received a phone call from the night manager. Now, it wasn’t that late at this point – perhaps 11 PM? However, he informed us that he was issuing a credit for the full night’s stay to our account, as an apology for our inconvenience and because what we experienced was not a reflection of what was expected from the Beach Club. If this doesn’t seem like such a big deal, allow me to point out that one night’s stay at the Beach Club, in the room we were in, was $478.00.
Did this change our perception of our stay? Of course it did. While we already knew that this was not typical of Disney housekeeping, the fact that they went far beyond our expectations, to make our stay perfect, ensured that we will continue to return to the Beach Club, and to WDW again.
So….what brought this situation to mind during my more recent travels? A few weeks ago I was staying at the Airport Hilton in Austin Texas. Not my first stay at this property, since I am there quite often for various meetings and conferences. Slight disclaimer: I am a Hilton Honors Silver Member, and try to stay at Hilton properties often. Upon checking in, I was assigned to a room on the 3rd floor. The first time I’ve ever stayed on any floor other than the 4th, but since the hotel was sold out, it was to be expected. All of my usual room requests were met – close to the elevator, king-size bed, non-smoking room.
This hotel is unique in that it is built in a donut shape, with the rooms encircling the main lobby and restaurant area. There are two sets of elevators – on either side of the lobby – so if you take the east side elevators up, and your room is on the west side, you have a LONG walk to your room.
Since I was alone on this trip, I had two trips to make to my room to unload. Trek to the elevators, and I notice that one of the elevators is out of order, which leaves only one working car on my side of the hotel.
Arriving in my room, the first thing I noticed was the black marks on the wall. Obvious scuff marks, they hadn’t been cleaned, or painted over, just left on the wall. Dropping off my luggage, I began to unpack. Hmmm…let’s fix a Sprite (I always bring a small cooler with me on these trips – my own cups, breakfast food, Sprite, snacks). Off to the ice machine, which is just a few doors down…nope. Out of order. Onto the one working elevator and up one floor to fill my ice bucket.
Back to the room, and I collapse into the chair in the corner. Pull over the ottoman…and it’s filthy. Black stains across one entire corner (it’s a light beige plaid ottoman), and I am reluctant to put even my stocking feet on it. Ugh!
Well, I have work to do, so maybe I can at least watch TV while I work…? Remote doesn’t work. Now – I know that this is probably just a case of the batteries being low – but at this point it is just the final straw. Some of these things are not worth complaining about. The marks on the walls are just an annoyance – they aren’t going to be fixed during my stay, and I’m not changing rooms. I do however, need a working remote. It’s late, and I can survive the night, so I wait until first thing the next morning (thinking that they can more easily handle things with me out of the room). 7:30 AM, I call the front desk – after I change phones, as the one next to the bed doesn’t work. I inform the front desk clerk that the remote doesn’t work, and the ottoman is dirty and needs to be replaced. He assures me they will take care of those things.
Off to my meeting, and I am busy until just after noon. Upon returning to the room I find…it hasn’t been serviced, and nothing has been replaced. Elevator and ice machine are also still out of order. Back out the door, and downstairs I go. To the front desk, where I politely inquire if someone can tell me when, approximately, the items I requested will be handled? The two young men behind the counter apologize, and offer me a free dessert in the hotel restaurant. Now, I am not ungrateful for that, but I was not complaining in order to get something for free. I just wanted a remote that worked, and a clean ottoman.
I also asked when the ice machine might be working (found out then that they didn’t know it was down, despite the presence of an “Out of Order” sign on the machine), and when the elevator might be back in service (working on it).
Back up to the room, and the housekeeping staff are in the hall – seems they had a meeting earlier, which has made them late for cleaning the rooms. When I mentioned to the housekeeper that I was waiting on a working remote, she went to her cart, and pulled one out for me. Traded me for the one I had, and that quickly, that problem was solved. About 45 minutes later, someone from maintenance showed up to collect the ottoman. The problem there? He never brought a clean one back, so for the rest of my stay, I had a chair, and no ottoman.
The elevator was repaired late the second evening, and the ice machine? Never did work while I was there. The only choices were to walk to the other side of the hotel, or get on the elevator and go up or down a floor for ice.
And the hotel’s response? Literally…nothing. The only “response” I ever received was when I physically went to the front desk, and they offered me a coupon for dessert (I’m sure they are told / trained to offer dinner, drinks or dessert to customers with complaints, but I simply wanted my problem corrected!)
The contrast between the customer service offered by Disney and that offered by this Hilton property is staggering. Do I think Hilton should have comped me a night? No, of course not. Offered to change my room? Perhaps, but they were sold out, so I understand if that wasn’t possible. Should they have done whatever they could to correct the problems in the room, and make a long-time customer happy? Absolutely. Someone in management should have been in the room to ensure that the problems were fixed. They should have called to make sure I was satisfied with the solutions.
Will I continue to stay at Hilton properties? Probably. Will I recommend this Hilton property to friends and family? Not unless I see some changes. Better-trained staff and more attention to the details of the rooms, to start. In the years I’ve been traveling to Austin, I’ve stayed at numerous properties. I’m sure I can find another that I like, and there are plenty of Hilton properties out there.
Brand loyalty. Excellent customer service is one of the best ways to earn it.
In February of 2012, my husband and I made an anniversary trip to Walt Disney World. The background here: we are regular visitors to WDW, as Annual Pass holders, we visit several times each year. On each visit, we tend to stay at a different hotel (although we do have our favorites!), and on this particular visit, we were excited to be once again staying at the Beach Club.
Upon our arrival, we were greeted by the bellmen, welcomed to the Beach Club, and directed to the registration desk. It is always a pleasant surprise to be greeted by name – and I have yet to figure out how they know our name! I promise we are NOT there THAT often!
After check-in, we proceeded to our room – on the wing that we’d asked for, although not on the first floor. I am aware that all room requests cannot be met, and I never mind being placed anywhere in a Disney hotel! The room, at first glance, was the standard Beach Club room, and so we put our carry-on bags down, and began to make ourselves comfortable. Since it was late evening, our plans were simply to wait for our luggage, unpack, and get a good night’s sleep before an early start the next morning.
Unfortunately, this is where the first problem arose. Upon turning back the sheets, hubby found a hair on one of the pillows. This would have been a minor irritation for me, but he was quite unhappy, and promptly called housekeeping to ask for the bed to be remade (a reasonable request, I think).
Housekeeping arrived quickly, remade the bed, and left. And then…the sinks in the bathroom were dirty, there were some stains on one of the bedcovers…several other small issues – the end result was a call to the front desk manager. Hubby was polite, and was simply asking for a different room. He explained that this was NOT the Disney experience to which we were accustomed. Not terrible, just that we definitely were not getting into the Disney mindset and escape that we need.
The front desk quickly arranged for a room change – just next door to the room we were in – and sent a Housekeeping manager to check the room for perfection. THEN we received a phone call from the night manager. Now, it wasn’t that late at this point – perhaps 11 PM? However, he informed us that he was issuing a credit for the full night’s stay to our account, as an apology for our inconvenience and because what we experienced was not a reflection of what was expected from the Beach Club. If this doesn’t seem like such a big deal, allow me to point out that one night’s stay at the Beach Club, in the room we were in, was $478.00.
Did this change our perception of our stay? Of course it did. While we already knew that this was not typical of Disney housekeeping, the fact that they went far beyond our expectations, to make our stay perfect, ensured that we will continue to return to the Beach Club, and to WDW again.
So….what brought this situation to mind during my more recent travels? A few weeks ago I was staying at the Airport Hilton in Austin Texas. Not my first stay at this property, since I am there quite often for various meetings and conferences. Slight disclaimer: I am a Hilton Honors Silver Member, and try to stay at Hilton properties often. Upon checking in, I was assigned to a room on the 3rd floor. The first time I’ve ever stayed on any floor other than the 4th, but since the hotel was sold out, it was to be expected. All of my usual room requests were met – close to the elevator, king-size bed, non-smoking room.
This hotel is unique in that it is built in a donut shape, with the rooms encircling the main lobby and restaurant area. There are two sets of elevators – on either side of the lobby – so if you take the east side elevators up, and your room is on the west side, you have a LONG walk to your room.
Since I was alone on this trip, I had two trips to make to my room to unload. Trek to the elevators, and I notice that one of the elevators is out of order, which leaves only one working car on my side of the hotel.
Arriving in my room, the first thing I noticed was the black marks on the wall. Obvious scuff marks, they hadn’t been cleaned, or painted over, just left on the wall. Dropping off my luggage, I began to unpack. Hmmm…let’s fix a Sprite (I always bring a small cooler with me on these trips – my own cups, breakfast food, Sprite, snacks). Off to the ice machine, which is just a few doors down…nope. Out of order. Onto the one working elevator and up one floor to fill my ice bucket.
Back to the room, and I collapse into the chair in the corner. Pull over the ottoman…and it’s filthy. Black stains across one entire corner (it’s a light beige plaid ottoman), and I am reluctant to put even my stocking feet on it. Ugh!
Well, I have work to do, so maybe I can at least watch TV while I work…? Remote doesn’t work. Now – I know that this is probably just a case of the batteries being low – but at this point it is just the final straw. Some of these things are not worth complaining about. The marks on the walls are just an annoyance – they aren’t going to be fixed during my stay, and I’m not changing rooms. I do however, need a working remote. It’s late, and I can survive the night, so I wait until first thing the next morning (thinking that they can more easily handle things with me out of the room). 7:30 AM, I call the front desk – after I change phones, as the one next to the bed doesn’t work. I inform the front desk clerk that the remote doesn’t work, and the ottoman is dirty and needs to be replaced. He assures me they will take care of those things.
Off to my meeting, and I am busy until just after noon. Upon returning to the room I find…it hasn’t been serviced, and nothing has been replaced. Elevator and ice machine are also still out of order. Back out the door, and downstairs I go. To the front desk, where I politely inquire if someone can tell me when, approximately, the items I requested will be handled? The two young men behind the counter apologize, and offer me a free dessert in the hotel restaurant. Now, I am not ungrateful for that, but I was not complaining in order to get something for free. I just wanted a remote that worked, and a clean ottoman.
I also asked when the ice machine might be working (found out then that they didn’t know it was down, despite the presence of an “Out of Order” sign on the machine), and when the elevator might be back in service (working on it).
Back up to the room, and the housekeeping staff are in the hall – seems they had a meeting earlier, which has made them late for cleaning the rooms. When I mentioned to the housekeeper that I was waiting on a working remote, she went to her cart, and pulled one out for me. Traded me for the one I had, and that quickly, that problem was solved. About 45 minutes later, someone from maintenance showed up to collect the ottoman. The problem there? He never brought a clean one back, so for the rest of my stay, I had a chair, and no ottoman.
The elevator was repaired late the second evening, and the ice machine? Never did work while I was there. The only choices were to walk to the other side of the hotel, or get on the elevator and go up or down a floor for ice.
And the hotel’s response? Literally…nothing. The only “response” I ever received was when I physically went to the front desk, and they offered me a coupon for dessert (I’m sure they are told / trained to offer dinner, drinks or dessert to customers with complaints, but I simply wanted my problem corrected!)
The contrast between the customer service offered by Disney and that offered by this Hilton property is staggering. Do I think Hilton should have comped me a night? No, of course not. Offered to change my room? Perhaps, but they were sold out, so I understand if that wasn’t possible. Should they have done whatever they could to correct the problems in the room, and make a long-time customer happy? Absolutely. Someone in management should have been in the room to ensure that the problems were fixed. They should have called to make sure I was satisfied with the solutions.
Will I continue to stay at Hilton properties? Probably. Will I recommend this Hilton property to friends and family? Not unless I see some changes. Better-trained staff and more attention to the details of the rooms, to start. In the years I’ve been traveling to Austin, I’ve stayed at numerous properties. I’m sure I can find another that I like, and there are plenty of Hilton properties out there.
Brand loyalty. Excellent customer service is one of the best ways to earn it.
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