My Stay at the Westin Hotel - City Center in Washington, D.C.

I stayed in the Westin Hotel – City Center in Washington D.C. last week for the 119th Annual APA (American Psychological Association) Convention. I enjoyed my stay and would like to comment on several small “impressive touches” added by the hotel staff.

Upon check-in, the Front Desk Agent asked me if I wanted to take part in the “make a green choice” program that I once discussed in February 2010. This program allows me to choose to opt out the housekeeping service during my stay. In return, the hotel will reward me either a $5 F&B (food & beverage) voucher or 500 SPG (Starwood Preferred Guest) points. The reward is very small, but it lets guests get involved in a “feel-good” program. I like it.

I participated in the “make a green choice” program, and I put the “Do Not Disturb” sign on my door. When I came back from the Convention Center, I found additional refreshments (e.g. Starbucks coffee, tea bags, mouth wash, etc.) and extra sets of fresh towels in my room even though I opted out the housekeeping service. How nice!

I stayed on the SPG Guest Floor. Free bottle water and apples are included. It is another small nice touch.

The workout facility was nice. The hotel provides cleaned ear plugs and collects the used ones for guests. The ear plugs are those “cheap” ones and do not cost much for a hotel, but I feel very nice of the hotel’s thoughtfulness. I have found that a few nice hotels do that for guests.

The only thing I do not like is that the hotel charges everyone $12.99 per day or $39.99 per week for the WiFi service. Here, I have to ask the same question again --- when will full service hotels offer free WiFi service?

To see more pictures of the hotel, please visit my Facebook page.

Comments

Is today's market too tough for upscale restaurants?

Operating a restaurant is never easy, but is it particularly challenging for upscale restaurants?

Restaurants Unlimited Inc., for instance, which operates 35 fine-dining and “polished casual” eateries, filed for bankruptcy in Delaware last week. Earlier in June, the Four Seasons Restaurant, an iconic spot for power lunch in Manhattan also closed for business after its reopening within less a year.

Are these two examples an isolated case or the tip of the iceberg? Then, if upscale restaurants are struggling to survive in today’s market, what challenges are they facing?

The rising labor cost

According to the Bloomberg report, Restaurant Unlimited Inc. hires 50 salaried employees at the chain’s headquarter in Seattle, plus another 168 full-time and 1,885 part-time restaurant workers. The rising wages in Seattle, San Francisco, and Portland have resulted in a total of $10.6 million wage expenses in the fiscal year of 2019. Nevertheless, its revenue for the year ended in May dropped 1%, at $…

Suggestive Selling – All You Have to Do is Ask!! (By Nicole Lee)

A simple, relatively normal thing occurred while in the drive-through at Del Taco with my boyfriend the other day.After placing our semi-high maintenance food order, the person taking my order, in a forced monotone voice, unenthusiastically asks, “Would you like to add our new blah, blah, blah for dessert?”All my sweet-tooth-driven ears heard was “dessert” and I wanted something sugary to complete my four-course drive-through meal. My boyfriend asked if I wanted the donut thing they were trying to push, but I ended up going with a churro.As we received our food, my boyfriend told the server, “Good job on the upsell.”In which we received the same unenthusiastic “thank you” in reply. This all led to a discussion about suggestive selling, how easy it is, how to do it correctly, and how beneficial it is.Of course, this Del Taco drive-through upsell experience did not meet our standards of how to do it correctly, but it worked!

Easy-Peasy
Both my boyfriend and I have sales and hospitality ba…

Linchi Kwok, Ph.D.

Search This Blog