Star City – the hotel with the can’t do attitude

I know some of you are thinking that this is The Mole going on about something again, well be reassured, that’s exactly what it is!

Visiting hundreds of hotels all over world every year, gives you a pretty good nose for a hotel that knows what is doing and is doing well.

It was interesting to find myself last week at Sydney’s Star City, for the TNSW Awards announcment, when I got a call from a media colleague asking me to urgently check some copy – and it needed to be done now!

Easy, you would imagine in a top hotel – they will be able to help – they will have a business Centre, I thought!

It was the first time in months that I did not have my notebook with me and the doc was too large to read on my Blackberry, so the guys at the Concierge desk were the first port of call……….the Mr Fixits of any hotel, or so I thought!

I explained I was a journo and that I was attending the TNSW awards function, but I needed to use a computer to access the internet for at the most fifteen minutes.

………….The unsmiling response……….are you a guest sir?  

I had just explained my situation!

The continuing unsmiling response when I said no and explained my predicament again………………….”you are not a guest in the hotel, so I can’t help and……. it is not me sir it’s the rules”!

OK, so a little further explanation from me and about 15mins later – I am very tenacious – achieved the reply…..”Well OK sir, I will break the rules on this occasion, but as a casino we are not allowed to use let non-guests use computers and the internet”………..what an interesting set of rules………don’t know whose, but never mind if I was able to use the internet for few minutes to check that copy and I was heading quickly towards the deadline!

…………….”The Business centre is on Level Two sir and a card to access the internet is $6.95 for 15 minutes”!

Amazed, that we had gone through all this, I had been kept waiting for ages, they knew I was a journo and were now going to charge me for 15 mins of internet time!

TravelMole writes heaps about this hotel at no cost………and not only that, “Mr Concierge more than my Jobswirth” had made me wait the best part of twenty minutes to get the access in the first place!

OK, I was getting irritated. “Please get me the duty manager” I said, with another 20 mins elapsed before another fully trained “Star City Can’t Do” staff member came along – clearly a close relative of “Mr Concierge more than my Jobswirth”  and we shall call this one “Mr Manager more than my Jobswirth”  – he had name though and it was Ryan Patterson, Assistant Front Office Manager! 

Now I reckon Star City must send these guys to “non-smiling” and “can’t do” training school, because they were both the same with Ryan equally miserable and also saying, “sorry sir its the rules”! 

Thinking about it, nobody during the whole process, nor anybody on the front desk had smiled at all.  They all looked miserable even dealing with clients checking in – quite amazing really for a hotel of this supposed status.

In any case back to Ryan, as the discussion took a backward step back as he told me that I was definitely not allowed to use the internet because of the responsible gaming laws and during his long absences while he went to check with somebody, somewhere, as he was clearly not empowered to make a decision, the now only smiling front office staff told me that she had been told that it was to prevent money laundering……interesting!

So Ryan comes back and unsmiling says he can’t help me……..conversation over………….!

“Can I see the Duty Manager please?”……….I know what you are thinking………I am a pain in the proverbial, but I use the test of “My Mum” – basically what would my Mum do in a similar situation – well she does not use the internet, but that is another story, I am sure you get my drift though!

It’s all about attitude and can do!

So, another 10/15mins leapses, the way this was going I was going to miss the TNSW function and that is also another story, but Hotel Operations Manager Rob Everett arrived. 

Full of apologies, “Its not us sir, you have to understand, its the rules, but I will make an exception and it is $6.95 for 15 mins”!

OK, so my reaction………not printable.

His reaction………..”I will make an exception and give you a 15min internet access card with the hotel’s compliments.”

Phew at last!!

Now, before we get to the moral of the story – I did get access, but the computers in the Business Centre were so slow that I blew the 15mins on the card before I compelted the review and basically gave up…………too hard, doing the copy reading and correcting on the phone!

So, what is the moral of the stoy, well here we have arguably one of Australia’s “top” hotels and the staff presented a totally non passionate, non smiling “Can’t Do” attitude and response, a scenario sadly being seen and experienced increasingly in a number of hotels and service locations in Australia, with people also hiding behind the rules.

Star City, I don’t care about the rules, I care more about the manner in which the message is communicated and last week’s experience was terrible. 

I suggest that you need to change your approach from “Can’t Do” to “Can Do” and empower your staff from the bottom up to make decisions and to learn to smile! 

I suggest that you take a leaf out of the book of the GM at the Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley – I will leave you to discover what I mean, but it is all about empowerment and customer satisfaction!

You and you team members should know better than to have responded as they did last week – get your act together Star City!

A professional gripe by The Mole

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