Short Sheeted
We’ve stayed in two upscale hotels over the past 10 days – a Hyatt Regency and the 4 star Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. I can now make the following pledge, without hesitation:
I will exclusively stay at the upscale, chain property – paying almost any rate – that declares it will use fitted sheets on their mattresses.
The company that does so should post billboards, advertise widely and send out press releases. I am certain their business will grow exponentially.
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We spent a few days in Chicago, the Fam and me. It’s my kind of town … more on that later. The Company picked up the check for my wife’s business travel and the rest of us rode the gravy train. Not a bad financial plan which was tragically undermined by a trip to the American Girl Store!
Anyway … we get to stay at the very nice Hyatt Regency near Michigan Avenue on the river. Being the modern family of four, we have two computers with us. Eager to check the Internet for updates on the price of oil (okay, really auto racing news) I look at the small card on the desk called “connect.” This is a pricey little piece of printing. Heavy paper, embossed printing, raised title lettering. It reads:
“Internet Connection Information is located in your In-Room Directory in the Guest Services Section.”
Great, I look in the book. Under the heading “Internet Connection” it says:
“Instructions for connecting to the Internet can be found on the desk in your room.”
Explain to me how giant companies do things like this! Isn’t there someone who walks into a room and stands there like a customer and says, “Hey, that’s not right!” I’m concerned that real quality control, especially in the service industry, has gone out the door. It has been replaced by a belief that “People don’t really care and probably won’t notice and hey, we’re a big company so they understand if we make mistakes.”
The complacency of cowed consumers with lowered expectations is what keeps the Ignored Critic ignored.
