Caribe Hilton San Juan, How Can You Do Better?

After all the hassles I had been through, I expected Caribe Hilton San Juan would accommodate me with a better room. I was finally switched to an ocean view room. However, I feel more disappointed with this Hilton property than before. This property has serious maintenance and guest service problems that cannot be easily fixed.

At about 11:30am, a Front Office Agent left me a message in my room and informed me an ocean view room was made ready for my transfer. I stopped by the Front Office at about 1:00pm and picked up my key. I was asked: “do you want to take a look at the room first?” What does that mean? The hotel was not confident of their ocean view rooms? I then went up to the room and took a look. Indeed, I was not quite happy with the view, I requested for another room. Then, I was asked to wait another hour for a better room because the “better” room had not been cleaned yet. At 2:30pm, the room was ready. Again, I was offered to take a look before I make the transfer… The Front Office was actually very nice of offering me a chance to take a look at the rooms before I made the transfer. However, my question is how good this hotel is if its staff is not sure whether a room can satisfy the guest needs.

After I moved to the ocean view room, I actually felt more disappointed with this hotel than before because I found more problems: (1) there are marks on the walls from previous guests here and there; (2) the coffee machine was not working; (3) the TV was not able to turn on; (4) the plastic bag of the ice bucket was missing, and (5) the water stop that was supposedly attached to the bath tub was loose and could be taken apart.

If you think these maintenance issues should not be associated with a Hilton resort hotel, there are more. I called the guest service agent with the house phone and reported the maintenance issues. Twice in a row, I heard a lazy voice saying --- as if she was too annoyed to pick up my call --- “How can I help you?” I asked myself: Pardon me? Am I am in a Hilton hotel? Am I supposed to be greeted with a “good morning” or a “good afternoon?” What about my name?

I certainly expect more from Caribe Hilton San Juan, not because I paid more, but because it is a Hilton property. I feel maintenance a big issue of this hotel. Very likely, it does not even have a good preventive maintenance program in hand. Without nice rooms, everyone is trying to fix guests’ complaints. What do you think?

Comments

Is It OK for Hotel Staff to Wear Piercings and Tattoos?

Time has changed. I see more and more college students wearing piercings and tattoos nowadays, but is it OK for hotel staff to wear piercings and tattoos? The answer is “no, no, no.” According a report at USAToday.com, customers across the board do not want to see any hotel workers with pierced eyebrow, pierced tongue, tattooed arm, or nose ring. Some may argue that tattooed and pierced workers may seem more acceptable in edgy boutique hotels as compared to the big franchised hotels, but the survey results did not find any differences among a variety of lodging products. Many respondents believe people who wear visible tattoos and piercings are taking a high risk of their professional lives. If you stay in a hotel, do you mind being served by tattooed and/or pierced staff? What if you are the one who makes the hiring decision? References: USAToday.com: http://tinyurl.com/linchikwok08042010 Picture was downloaded from http://tinyurl.com/linchikwok08042010P

Where Coffee Meets Culture: My Experience with Orientation, Socialization, and Culture at Dutch Bros (by Karina Martinez)

When people think of Dutch Bros, they usually picture colorful drinks, loud music, free stickers, and baristas so friendly they’ll jump in the car with you. As someone who has had the opportunity to work for Dutch Bros, I can say that the energy customers feel isn’t an act; it is the result of intentional and effective HR practices that are focused on orientation, socialization, and culture. From your very first day, you experience how these practices shape the entire Dutch experience. Orientation, Socialization, Culture In HR management, orientation is the introduction of the role and company to new hires. This is intended to help them feel welcomed and informed. Socialization goes beyond the initial training process; it’s how new hires grasp the organization’s values, behaviors, and traditions over time. Together, these fun...

Average/Below-Average Looking People Can Earn as Much as the Attractive Ones

Research has shown that attractive people can not only charm interviewers (and thus get hired easier), they are also more likely to earn more as compared to those with average or below-average looks. Accordingly to a Wall Street Journal report , attractive people can earn 3% - 4% more than a person with below-average look. If such difference adds up over a person’s lifetime, an attractive person can earn up to $230,000 more than an ugly worker; even an average-looking person can make $140,000 more. Another relevant Wall Street Journal report also suggests that workers who exercise regularly can earn 9% more than those who do not. If that is the fact (I believe it is), is it legal? Can employers do that? Linchi Kwok and Otto @SyracuseU Career Fair To my knowledge, no law or regulation under EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) considers a person’s look as a protective class. It is true that people in general have an idea of what kind of person they feel attract...

Linchi Kwok, Ph.D.

Search This Blog