Hi,

I am a regular hotel guest, staying an average of 2-3 nights a week somewhere, so I am really good at spotting bad service (especially when arriving late and tired).  However, every so often, I stay in a hotel and leave thinking 'that hotel is great'. This recently happened at the Holiday Inn in Bangkok and it got me thinking, why doI think this hotel is great. The facilities etc were good, but I am long over being impressed by flashy interiors etc.

What it came down to was the staff - they were all smiling and these were not the fake customer service smiles that appear when they see you and dissappear when you have passed them. Everyone said hello and after a day, most of them remembered my name. When I returned to the hotel a week later I was treated as a returning long lost friend.

In summary, to me the things that make me feel good in a hotel are the things that are free, its the little things of being treated as a person and more importantly as a welcome guest.

I think that traditional customer service methods of scripted conversations and the over use of the word 'Sorry' actually impede this.

I would be very interested in your views.

Oh and yes - I did write to Holiday Inn to complement them on their Bangkok hotel - if I feel I have the right to complain, I also feel I have the duty to complement.

Regards

Martin