Last impressions are lasting impressions too
Comes that time to leave and suddenly no one is interested. You want to pay, but staff now ambles about before taking your money! You take a last minute visit to the public toilet and wish you hadn’t. You’ve lost your pair of sunglasses and want to report it to lost property, but can’t find anyone or kept waiting in limbo. You begin to wonder “what’s happening here?” The great time you had, the wonderful room you slept in, the attentive staff that provided warm and caring hospitality…where did it all go? Was it all an amazing dream that had abruptly turned into a nightmare?
Not really. It’s the way most hotels operate – focusing mostly on what’s known in the industry as the ‘curb appeal’ mantra, where the first welcome service, a comfortable room , good meals and attentive staff at the beginning is considered good enough for a successful overall stay. It’s like getting the customer to judge a book by its cover even if the story is crappy and has a poor ending!
In the course of time and during our many journeys, we have discovered many beautiful spots. As for as our countless hotel stays - the first impressions we received in the majority of the hotels we stayed at, were generally good. Some first impressions were long lasting whilst other hotels provided impressions that flattered upon our arrival faltered during the stay and fell flat at the final fence – i.e. when it was time for us to return home. At a few hotels positive first or mid-way impressions were sadly replace by a poor last impression.
As a family, for some implausible reason we believed that the best reasons for holidaying are always found far away as possible from our home in Colombo. So, we usually drove hundreds of kilometers or traveled abroad when the opportunity arose. But after COVID-19 and the restrictions that followed, we felt more comfortable looking a bit closer home to spend our holidays, and that meant we literally didn’t have to go that far.
Last August, after completing a mystery guest audit assignment I undertook, at a 4-star city hotel in Colombo, what vividly sticks in my mind is the last thing that I saw on my way to the hotel’s car park. It was dark with litter scattered on the ground and felt unsecure with no one around. I sure as hell wanted to drive out as fast as I could…definitely not good last impressions.
Very recently, my family and I went on a staycation to a boutique hotel 18 kilometers south of Colombo.. This 36-roomed villa-concept beach fronted property promised a relaxed and personalized experience. We enjoyed a great holiday with excellent food, meticulous service, and comfortable accommodations. The kitchen and restaurant service staff went the ‘extra mile’ to please us. The hotel manager and the restaurant manager were always there to talk to us during mealtimes and it all went very well, until it came to checkout time - when things slid awkwardly downhill.
A fortnight before our visit, when making the hotel booking online I made a 25% advance deposit. A week later and seven days prior to our visit, I paid upfront (in full), for our total hotel stay. This payment was done at the head office of this boutique hotel -one that belonged to a hotel chain (operating a dozen hotels including a 250 roomed, 5-star property in Colombo). Any ‘extras’ we ordered during our stay was settled immediately.
So, being told at departure time that I had to pay a balance 75% of the hotel bill was, to put it mildly, astonishing!, Fortunately, I had the receipt with me to show proof of full payment and we left – leaving behind with some red-faced hotel staff including the manager.
As Pierre E Fares, a professional hotel general manager and award winning hotelier in 2015 puts it “In our industry, last impressions are key to customer service excellence and building brand loyalty.” Both result in additional direct bookings, positive online reviews, and a higher RevPar.
Yes, last impressions are lasting impressions too and it’s that last impression that influences our biding memory and call for future action.
Shafeek Wahab – Editor, Hospitality Sri Lanka, Consultant, Trainer, Ex-Hotelier
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