Lately, there have been many budget service providers who boast about 5 star service at 1 star rate. The low cost airlines and the budget hotels are probably the most prominent.

The problem is how do you delliver 5 star service at 1 star rate? How do you deliver RM500 service to a RM100 customer?

It is obvious that this budget hotel will keep the operating cost to a bare minimum so as to increase the profit margin. But 5 star service comes with a cost, the question is how much more? The answers may surprise you.

First of all, it is the understanding what our customers really want. Customer service is about customer care. Shangri-La has Shangri-La care, Starwood has starwood care, Hyatt has Hyatt touch. But you can't measure compassion to customers. We can, on the other hand, measure customer satisfaction if his stay with us, albeit transient, is as good as sleeping at home in his own bed.

Give me a clean room, comfortable bed and a nice environement. Aircond temperature that I can control. Cold, warm or hot water as I wish. Isn't this the basic requirement that we all ask for? In short, the product that has the essential but not necessary the extras that I have to pay.

Secondly, it is the service from the support team of the hotel. A customer wants friendly, courteous and efficient process that treat him/her as a human. Many service industries make the mistake of offering quick service so much that the customers feel "processed". Remember those experience when the staff wasn't interested in you? He quickly process the transaction and then you hear something like "Thank you. NEXT!". It is undeniable that we are living in a fast paced society now. Gone are the days of Ketchup bottle. What we get in the restaurant is the plastic sqeezable bottle because we can't wait that extra second for the ketchup to come out. Yet, customers wants to be connected, related and be treated humanly.

This lead to a third point. that is relationship. When the customer is able to relate to the staff, he is able to relate to the hotel. The positive relationship built will result in a positive experience that far exceed that marble floor, hugh chandelier or expensive chinaware. Be sensitive to his needs. When he has problem, show empathy. Customer experience is the creation of emmotional connections from every encounters. When we are able to build on this, we are able to deliver a 5 star service at relatively low cost.

Having worked in hotels of different class and category, one obvious observation is that the basic needs of hotel guests are no different. What are the fundamentals that one seek in a hotel? I believe the smart travellers nowadays are clearly ahead of the game and this also prompt the hotel industry to response shrewdly.

The latest is the express, the no frill, the 5 star service at 2 star rate hotels. For many travellers who are looking for value for money, this is the excellent choice.

The express brand that come up with clean and simple concept may just be the hotel for you. This hotel that provide comfortable bed, powerful shower and strong air-conditioning system in a clean and safe environment is ideal. The price range is attractive because the hotel is able to keep the operation simple. Many are not so concern even if the room size is small. For a one to two night stay, if the price is right, who will complain?

The next time you travel, look out for these hotels. You may not stay like a king, but you may be treated like one and with the extra saving, you will be happy like a king.

We emphasize on policies and procedures to our staff. We trained, we briefed and we reminded them again and again on doing the job right. But at the end of the day, it is common sense that is needed and we don't have to have the skill of a rocket scientist to be a hotelier. But sadly many times, it is not the case.


Case 1

A mother took her 3 year old daughter for lunch and there was a cocktail by the jar promotion. The drink was served in no time with two glasses that really pissed her off.


Case 2

To ensure honeymooners enjoy their stay and have a memorable experience, we surprise them by spread rose petals on the bed and make a big heart of petals on the middle of the bed prior to the arrival. By mistake a twin bed room was assigned but the staff went ahead to spread the petals and have the big rose spread across 2 beds. Imagine the honeymoon couple entered the room with double insult smack on their faces.

Having worked in the hotel industry for so many years that I care to remember, serving both external and internal customers, I am of the belief that we hotelier, are indeed a different breed of species.

I chose hotel as a carreer becuase I love to interact with people. The irony is that it never crossed my mind to take up a degree in hotel management study. I have always being better in Science subjects and so it was not surprise that I applied to study to become an Enginner. However, on the day of registration, while passing through the section that was registrating computer science, I dropped in to take a look. After seeing all the interesting subjects, I showed the staff my acceptance letter for an Engineering degree. She said she could accept me and so I registered to get a B. Sc degree in Computer Science. Little did I realise that I would later continue to earn a Master degree in Computer Science.

I did eventually join a 5 star resort in the IT department. In fact I enjoyed it so much that I ran the IT department for 6 years. Eventualy, after probably the 10th project, my Resident Manager approached me and offered me a switch of job to be at the Front Office.

From handling a IT team of 4 staff to the Front Office of over 30 was just the beginning of a fruitful and enjoyable "job". I began to realize that meeting people of all walk of lives is so much fun; even if the meeting was to handle a complaint. You see, at the end of the day, solving their problem and fulfilling their expectation make me a winner too.

I believe in customer is always right. But I also believe that we are not always wrong. It is perception, afterall.

A customer can tell me that she has traveled all over the world and never being asked to give money or credit card as a deposit. I have numerous occasions being told by the customer that he should get his room eventhough he arrived at 9am to check in because he has made the reservation a year ago. Never mind that it is during the Easter peak period. Needless to say, a little bit of explanation is expected.

Whether we are in a resort or a city hotel, in a metropolitan city or deep in the jungle, we must remember to service our customer as well as educate them. By being a better service provider, we also made them a better customer.

Once I have an angry customer banging the table and shouted at me which hotel school did I graduated from. I was contemplating to answer him from the University of St. Common. But then he continued to rave on and I just listened attentively. Thereby giving him another lesson on hotelier.

Hotelier is a special breed becuase we don't follow logic, we are not as structured as an Engineer. We can be as flexible and still not being wrong. We are people person but we are also educator. But rocket scientists we are not, it is common sense that carry us through.