In the last 7 months, my wife and I have stayed at a Fairmont property 3 times.
The Fairmont is one of the most popular luxury hotel chains, and takes service to a whole new level, including calling the instant you enter your room to make sure everything is ok. We have stayed at the Fairmont in Montebello, Quebec and the Fairmont in Lake Louise, Alberta. Both of those properties are stunning and tranquil, extraordinary, yet with a boutique feel.
Fairmont San Francisco Early Check-in Fee: $75
So when a Google event was being hosted at the Fairmont in San Francisco last May, I was looking forward to the stay. It’s also at the top of San Francisco on Mason Street, which presents beautiful views, yet is also hard to navigate with steeps sidewalks that make your calves burn.
Anyhow, we got there at 10:00 a.m. after a weekend in Napa, which, granted, is way earlier than normal check-in. The lady at the front desk politely told us that our room was ready, but there was a $75 charge if we wanted to take early possession of the room. Since it was a company expense, we wanted to be fair and passed on the pricey early check-in, leaving our luggage with the concierge, and taking in the sights and sounds of one of the greatest cities in the U.S.
Good News: the Fairmont has Gone Digital
When our room was ready, we got a text saying we could now check-in (loving the Fairmont’s digital mindset. Their lobby bar also uses tablets as their menus).
We checked in a little while after receiving the text.
The next morning, I received a text asking how everything was, and asking me to rate the experience thus far, on a scale of 1-5, in which 5 was excellent. I shot back a text minutes later with a score of 3.5. I was not trying to be difficult or harsh, but I thought that was more than fair.
Service Fail: an Apology, But Nothing Else
They immediately apologized and asked why it was a poor experience. (You get the picture of their high standards). I assured them it was not poor, but that the room had a terrible view and the toilet made noise for a few minutes after each flush. Also added the fact about the early check-in fee for a room that was already ready.
And here was where they could have been customer service heroes.
They could have asked to upgrade me to a room with a nice view (I did mention it was our third time staying at the Fairmont in the last few months). Maybe there were no rooms left? I believe they did have availability, but say they didn’t. They could have done something special, perhaps a voucher for a restaurant, or a voucher for a potential next stay. But they simply apologized, missing the chance for me to become an evangelist, like I am for the Fairmont Montebello and the Fairmont Lake Louise, where the staff went over and above our expectations.
Customer Service Lesson For All Brands
As Damon Richards once said: “Your customer doesn’t care how much you know them until they know how much you care.”
There’s a lesson here for brands. We all say we take customer service very seriously. But brands that action that statement better, win more.
The Fairmont San Francisco is very, very nice. They just missed a chance to hit a homerun when the situation presented itself.
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