Where has the Service….Gone..?

“I’m sorry Sir, You’re not my table but I’ll see what I can do.”


How many times have we heard or seen this classic Movie/TV line. The scary thing is it is becoming truer every day. I see it all around in many different types of establishments. Servers are supposed to have assigned seats in sections, and lately I see that certain outlets are getting away from it. It was also said that we take care of the paying customers first.

As I see it in this whatever we are in currently, the operators have made so many cuts that they don’t see it affecting business or they do and don’t care. There is a way to do proportionately, and not cause harm to the operation, and if done correctly it will be a seamless and there may be a speed bump along the way, as in any business adaptation but it can be transverse. I ran into a friend that works in a national company, and they are being affected by the influx of summer business, as you know in a business paradigm, there is minimal staffing that should be adhered to so you can give at least the basic customer service. To prove a point when I started doing budgets as a Department Head, I would figure how many staff I needed to operate on a daily basis, and adjust up from there. There were key positions I had to have. If businesses’ in today ‘s market took that stance there would be.

A) More jobs

B) Happier customers that lead to more business.

C) Your business would increase.

The thing that business fail to look at is at some level regardless of revenue generated there has to be minimal staffing. The part that is disturbing is that they do look at it and don’t care and it’s the customer that suffers and then they wonder why revenues are sliding. One of the things that bewilders me, is If you ask for something the staff is instructed to stop what they are doing and take you there, and look it up if need be.
I enjoy looking for things on my own, and would rather have you direct me.


Service is the key part to success, much like a follow through on a baseball swing or a football throw. I observed a hotel lobby recently It was a nice place, the breakfast area was very busy and they managed to get by. I noticed that a guest needed directions and the Guest Service clerk looked up the places via Google maps and printed each and highlighted each, I looked at this from 2 perspectives. In one it was nice, personal, yet on the other hand it is the cost of paper and ink. I have seen preprinted area maps and served the same purpose and was just as well. In the wake of the situation we’re in, in some aspects Service is like the jobs that aren’t there..Gone…

Safety Should be a First Concern...

Given the past news that there was another attack in New York against a housekeeper in The Pierre Hotel (now a Taj Hotel,) again the maid a 44-year-old woman reported the incident and police were not notified immediately. I have spent time in both Housekeeping and Security in management positions with a luxury chain. This bothers me on two levels one as a Housekeeper; back when I was in Housekeeping I don’t believe we really had the issues we have today. Yes, there were some and we treated them as isolated incidents. From a Security perspective, even with a roving patrol it’s hard to be everywhere. Issues such as distance being traveled and use of elevators to get to the correct area could hamper the response time.



Are the panic buttons a good idea, will they work, who will monitor them, What if it gets bumped by accident, or worse yet, malfunctions. I think that Supervisors should inspect C/O rooms first, and be summoned immediately. This works if they have a pager, and roam their halls and not return to the office. The Executive Housekeeper and Rooms Division Director, Operations Manager, and General Manager need to take a more proactive approach to Housekeeping.


I recall when there was a disagreement over Weekend MOD duties, (I was a supervisor at the time) and it got so heated that the VP/GM took the weekend MOD duties himself to prove a point, and the Director of Operations released him from the meeting and kept all Managers behind. He made sure that no one had the weekend off, and on Mondays they had a meeting to review the Weekend notes, and address any shortcomings. Needless to say, I never saw so many Managers on a weekend before. He inspected rooms and was brutal, direct, and observant. Perhaps if “Executive Manager’s” took the time to walk the floors everyday, and inspect 1 or 2 rooms themselves, it will bolster the spirit of the back of the house. These are crucial times, and Managers need to be on the floor more than ever before. as a Owner of a Premier Luxury Brand once told me, “Nothing good ever happens in your office.”

The Killer Instinct…Where is It..

The U of A Softball Coach Mike Candrea summarized this past season that resulted in not reaching the Women’s Softball World Series, which is rare for them. He referred to some of the team as “deadwood”, he went on to state that he has noticed a change in their mental approach in the past 5 years; he explains what he perceives a changing culture and his own demands.




He states that his team lacked enthusiasm and desire. He also said their emotion was “hollow” He said, “It didn’t come from the heart”. Asked how he would make adjustments for next season, Coach Candrea said,” If I can get the players that are productive to buy into it, police it.” He went on to say, “That’s the other thing - we don’t have the people that are willing to embrace raising the bar.”

I think that a lot of what he said can be applied to the hotel business, how many times have you felt that your staff was going through the motions, How about the losing of a Star or a Diamond. There are changes that owners and Managers have to make decisions that are in the company’s best interest. I recall going through Roderick training for Customer service years ago, and one thing that stuck with me was the idea that Manager’s tend to keep the “deadwood” and beat the “workhorses”.

I recall at a luxury property I was at we had a Director of Restaurants who was interested only in advancement, and had control of the Restaurant and Bar, in times of crisis I as Assistant F& B Manager had to tend to their problems after the fact at the direction of the Hotel Manager, I was glad to help and yes I was resented.

We need to surround ourselves with those that are stronger than us and know that we too be a better person because of it. It’s the vision we share and portray and the enthusiasm we give. I firmly believe that they are things we are taught and shown. And sometimes things we take for granted.