This time, we continue the series of articles on what customer service should look like in top-quality hotels. What to pay special attention to and what falls within the responsibilities of the highest standards. Karol Weber, who specializes in hotel luxury, will tell us about it.
BUTLER
Perhaps the most popular service distinguishing a truly luxurious hotel from an ordinary five-star one is the butler. The term 'butler' is associated with a person dressed in a tailcoat, as in an English estate.
It is more of a personal guest assistant, available 24/7. This is a kind of "companion" with whom you can talk, seek advice, and who is the first point of contact for any request, instead of calling various numbers.
Guests are greeted in the lobby by the butler and then escorted to their room. The butler offers to unpack luggage, iron shirts or jackets, make restaurant reservations, and arrange room service times. A butler (male or female) can help with dressing, organizing meetings or parties in the suite, and even go shopping. They serve dinner in the room, wake you up in the morning with aromatic coffee in bed, and deliver breakfast at the appointed time. They fulfill all guest whims. If needed, they can also walk the dog.
However, from conversations with butlers in hotels where I have experienced this service, I know that not all guests understand their role and may not feel comfortable having someone, for example, unpack their luggage.
In Poland, there are three hotels offering this service. Dr. Irena Eris Spa in Polanica Zdrój, where a private assistant is available only for guests of the Presidential Suite. Recently, a butler service for suite guests was introduced at the Bristol hotel in Warsaw Luxury Collection, in response to the neighboring Raffles Europejski, where a butler is available for guests of all room types.
LIMOUSINE
Arriving at a luxury hotel must have the appropriate setting, such as a Mercedes, or in the case of the St. Regis hotel in New York, a black Bentley, and at the Ritz in London – a blue Rolls-Royce.
When I stayed at the Ritz in Paris, a dedicated airport staff member was waiting for me right at the plane exit and escorted me to the chauffeur. The limousine was equipped with a panel to control air conditioning and windows, magazines, and Evian water, and as we approached the hotel, the chauffeur texted the hotel staff, who were waiting at the driveway and greeted me by name before I had a chance to introduce myself.
Raffles Europejski offers complimentary limousine transfer from the airport for guests who have booked a suite. But limousine transport is not all. Guests of the Hotel de Paris in Monte Carlo can fly from Nice airport by helicopter.
HOUSEKEEPING
In luxury hotels, the role of housekeeping staff is invaluable. A housekeeping employee is often available 24/7 in larger establishments. Important elements of room service, besides the obvious ones, include folding guest clothes, polishing glasses left on the table, sewing on a loose button, or complimentary shoe polishing (sometimes this service is provided by porters). Refreshing the room applies not only to the one occupied but also before the guest's arrival, and even on the day of departure in case of a late check-out.
No hotel can call itself luxurious if it does not practice, besides daily room service, also evening service (known as turndown). In addition to refreshing the bathroom, changing towels, dimming the room, and making the bed (or even changing the sheets if necessary), characteristic elements of the service include a mat by the bed with slippers (so the guest does not step barefoot on the floor) and a radio with a music channel to put the guest in a state of relaxation.
Special bedtime rituals (massages), infusions, and herbal teas are also practiced.
In luxury hotels, in the case of a 'Do Not Disturb' sign on the door handle (or its equivalent in the form of a red light), the staff does not treat this request as a release from the obligation to attend to the guest and their room. At the Four Seasons Hampshire, where I worked, we would call the room in the afternoon. If the phone was not answered, we would enter the room to check if everything was alright and slip a note under the door asking for contact if the guest needed anything.
Toothbrushes and other accessories were delivered upon request on a tray lined with a napkin within 10 minutes (that was the standard). Guest cosmetics on the sink counter were arranged on small towels, with the label facing the guest. In the event of a technical fault in an occupied room (such as a burnt-out light bulb), the employee was required to report it to the technical department, and if the fault was difficult to fix, the guest was informed with a special note requesting them to contact the reception.
It is absolutely unacceptable for the housekeeper to enter a departing room before the end of the hotel day to check if the guest has left!
They may do so if they see the guest leaving or have received such information from the floor inspector. In the case of an extended hotel stay, the reception should inform the floor inspector.
Alongside music tailored to the hotel's character, scent plays an important role (in the lobby and room corridors) as well as well-maintained plants. Responsibility for this lies with the Housekeeping staff.
I should also mention uniforms. As much attention is given to the attire of Reception and Gastronomy staff as is given to Housekeeping staff. Traditionally, women are dressed in dresses or elegant tunics, depending on the hotel's style, and men are no less elegantly dressed. At Four Seasons Hampshire, the men cleaning rooms and public areas wore pleated trousers, a shirt, a vest, and a tie, along with polished shoes. As important as the uniform are hairstyle, well-groomed facial hair and nails, and hygiene standards.
Karol Weber
Trainer and author of the blog www.enjoyyourstay.pl
