The curious case of the birthday cake
Let’s ask ourselves why hotels give away certain perks and benefits to guests. To answer that, we need to gain some insight on the general profitability structure of the hotel. An analysis of a hotel’s income and expenditure statement will reveal that profits generated by the rooms department are typically 4 to 5 times greater than that of the food and beverage operation. This tells us that the income from the sale of one room for one night could equate to the accumulative revenue received from about 4 to 6 patrons who drink and dine in the hotel’s restaurant.
Understandably, the money is made on the room – which is why hotels can reward valued guests including those who are celebrating a special occasion (Anniversary, B’day, etc.) with complimentary food and beverages. Additionally, the goodwill they provide typically is repaid in the form of positive reviews and word-of-mouth, which increases the likelihood of both repeat and additional business.
Hospitality is the friendly and generous reception and entertainment of guests. When we enter a restaurant or a hotel, we do so with an expectation of a certain level of standard of service and quality. And, as we have invariably experienced not every stay or meal met or fulfilled our minimum expectations. Some fell woefully short whilst there were some that literally ‘wowed’ us beyond our wildest expectations.
I’ve done an extensive amount of travel on birthdays, and I’ve always found that for the most part, hotels are pretty accommodating and try to do something special. After all, it’s the hospitality industry. Sri Lankan hotels especially resort properties excelled by going above and beyond for guests to celebrate an exceptional moment or occasion – particularly during the 30-year war that ended a decade ago.
So, in 2015, when my friend from the UK, Phil, told me that he did not receive a cake on his birthday which fell during his stay, I was naturally disappointed. Moreso, as I had mentioned about his birthday to the staff of this 5-star city hotel, at the time I made his room booking in advance. (Infact, I need not have mentioned it as any well-run hotel should notice whether a guest’s birthday falls during his stay from the duly completed registration form).
When asked why? I was told by the hotel that the management had discontinued this practice. The lesson learned here was that as the ‘good times’ return, the company that ran this hotel scaled back on their generosity in order to boost profitability. Thankfully there are other hotels that operate on a give and take relationship. Doesn’t matter how big the cake – it’s the gesture that matters, although a 500 gm cake can be rather mean-spirited when a booking has brought in a large number of people who may have ordered a lot of beverages too.
In July, I booked a table at a 5-star International hotel’s restaurant. I asked the order-taker to reserve a table in a nice area, mentioning that it was a family dinner in celebration of my son’s birthday. It was a pleasant surprise to hear the order-taker tell me ‘”Then we will arrange a complimentary cake for the occasion”. Cometh the day, cometh the dinner, cometh the bill and cometh no cake!
Despite the good food we had from the buffet, we left the restaurant disappointed – not just because of the non-delivery of a service promise (B’day cake), but mainly that it happened in an internationally renowned chain hotel. By some stroke of luck, I was able to relate all this to the assistant F & B manager, who happened to enter the elevator, when we were going down to the car park.
To cut a long story short, he was quite apologetic, took immediate ownership of the situation, effectively controlled the damage caused and left us all happy at the end.
Shafeek Wahab – Editor, Hospitality Sri Lanka, Consultant, Trainer, Ex- hotelier
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