Of late, I’ve been massively disappointed with the experiences I have in “luxury” hospitality. Rant in-coming. (read to the end for the counterpoint)
I just stayed the Number 2 ultra-luxury hotel in one of the top 4 largest cities in the US, and, while this is my most recent stay, I’ve stayed in comparable properties in the other 3 largest US cities in the last 4 weeks. Every single one has been an epic disappointment. Wow. And not the good kind.
Were all of these properties very beautiful? Yes. Gorgeous, sumptuous, modern, and breathtaking.
Was my room spacious, cleaned to perfection, and impeccably decorated? Yes. At this price point, the hard goods were exceptional and on par for the ultra-luxury category.
The service was efficient, effective, and the employees were well groomed, polite, and personal.
But here is the problem for me—with this property and the others--- ZERO EXPERIENCES and ZERO STEPS OF SERVICE.
In three days, I only had my name used twice.
Warm welcomes and fond farewells? None.
Any personalized touches in my room or during my restaurant visits (also highly rated and expensive). Zero.
Any acknowledgement from leaders on the property? None. I didn’t even see any during my three day stay.
And in terms of making my visit, special, memorable, or making me feel more than a transaction? Nothing.
If I had been on this property (or any of the others) conducting a CX Audit, this would have been an EPIC FAIL. Bottom quadrant. In terms of delivering Modern Luxury Experiences—this was so far off, I couldn’t believe it.
The above is exactly the experience I had at all four ultra-luxury properties, across the “top” luxury brands, in the biggest cities in the US. The emperor has no clothes.
In my view this is absolutely, totally unacceptable. Brands that market themselves as luxury or ultra-luxury simply must do better. Not just with their loyal customers, but with every guest, every time.
If you claim to be at the top of your game-- luxury hospitality brands-- you better start delivering. Because from my seat, you are way, way behind, even though I keep hearing your (clearly empty) brand promises.
Now for the counterpoint (thanks for reading this far):
I recently also stayed at a Marriott Courtyard, in a medium size US city. Was it as pretty? No. Was the room as nice? No. Were the employees perfectly turned out? No. Was the service just as efficient and effective? YES. AND… I had a personal note from the GM and warm welcomes and thoughtful goodbyes as I came in and out.
They literally ran circles around 4 of the biggest and "highest-rated" Ultra-Luxury properties in the US.
Luxury Hospitality, it’s time to wake up. Stop with empty promises and fancy rooms. Make my experience match your price point. Every guest, every time.