Some people out there still think Asia is this backwater of service and standards … and while in some areas it still has some catching up to do … interms of hotel service, it is absolutely miles ahead of anything the West can offer.
So I land in beautiful [and bloody cold] Melbourne at 5:30am and immediately head to my hotel, the Westin.
I quite like Westin Hotels … at least interms of corporate hotels … they have nice rooms, great beds, amazing showers and toptastic burgers [not that I’ll be having one Jill, oh no!] however one thing that bloody shocked me was this …
Yes, a bottle of water for AU$8.50.
EIGHT DOLLARS 50 CENTS. Lets get this in proportion … petrol is way under half that price … water covers 70% of the planet … you can buy a bottle of the stuff from a local newsagent for $1.50 and the drinking water in Australia is good enough to drink straight from the tap … and yet in a hotel, this product suddenly costs an amount that is equivalent to the Argentinean inflation rate.
That is fucking outrageous ESPECIALLY as the hotel I am staying in is hardly bargain basement!
Lets face it, the Westin are already getting hundreds of dollars a night out for simply supplying me with a fucking bed in a niceish room in the centre of the city and yet they have the audacity to try and charge me $8.50 for a bloody bottle of water.
Maybe this is acceptable for many people – but it’s not for me and it’s not because I’m a tight bastard Northern England / Midlands bloke, it’s because in Asia I’m spoilt.
OK … OK … so in many of the countries I visit, the tap water is not suitable for drinking so they supply bottled water as a matter of course … however the overall standard, service and commitment is way, way better than any of the hotels in Western countries.
The difference is you get the impression they really want you to enjoy your stay because they appreciate that will encourage you to come back again – whereas in the West there’s this subconscious attitude of ‘rip them for all you can get’ and quite frankly its rather sickening.
Companies need to realise that they cannot expect loyalty just because they say you’re a caring, good company … you have to fight for consumer loyalty each and every day because people have lots of choice and very short memories.
With hotels, it’s not about being subservient or cheap … it’s about appreciating the needs, fears and wants of customers and then finding ways to add REAL value to their experience … not seemingly having an eye on achieving outrageous profit at every opportunity … and that is why I will happily brush my teeth using tap water and not the Louis Vuitton of H20.
Fuck, I’ve only been here 45 mins and I’m already angry … how will I be in a few hours when my tiredness really kicks in!?