Following is additional feedback from meeting planners who participated in the poll for our “Are You Being Served?” story.
What’s your take?
“It's small things, like less than great customer service at the hotel registration counter or a board meeting room with dirty linens and a flip chart with three sheets of paper--all written on. But I know that there have been staff cuts at hotels, so I try to be understanding and more patient than perhaps I would have been previously.”
“Needed more chairs—had to find them myself and drag then into the room--no hotel staff to be found to help me.”
“At a recent meeting, the hotel was short-staffed and I did not have enough banquet staff available. The sales department also double-booked a wedding in my general session room, without notifying me.”
“I've been able to deal with poor service, but getting hotel sales people to call me back this year has been extremely difficult. I've had to do extra work and follow up with hotels much more than usual just to get proposals and contracts.”
“Comments from attendees as to a different feel in all aspects of service around the hotels. No major snafus, but there is less staff on the floor resulting in slightly less responsive service. Nothing major, but noticeable.”
“We contracted with the hotels in house AV to record our 75th Anniversary program; due to a number of errors on their part, our program was not recorded and we didn't find out for a month after the program.”
“The upscale hotels and resorts are maintaining, and INCREASING service levels, while the two-stars are trying to cut costs and hire inexpensive, untrained labor while laying off the older, more experienced labor. Truly, a stupid move as proved by the four-stars.”
“I've noticed one negative affect PRIOR to the meeting--some venues are no longer able to fully support site visits either due to smaller staffs, or cutting back amenities during low season. In one case, we decided against a property because we couldn't be sure what their service would be during the meeting due to the fact that they were at half-staff during our site visit.”
“Hotels are working with less staff in an effort to reduce their costs, therefore reducing the resources available to meeting planners while on-site. Over the last few years I have found myself and other staff members with our association wasting precious time searching for hotel staff to assist us with basic needs.”
“One meeting held was not set up when we arrived, due to the fact that they had cut staff so drastically that there was no one there to set up!”
“Set-ups not correct; not enough staff on board to fix the issue in a timely manner, etc. You sit in a pre-con meeting to discuss everything just hours before the event arrives, and yet two days later there is no one around to assist, correct or help. When my client wants something, they want it now. I expect there to be someone ready and able for me to make that happen, not wait 10 minutes to find someone available to come speak with me.
“We recently received photos from an attendee of dirty elevators with a statement they would not attend a program if held at this hotel.”