Warm monsoon air enveloped the Sybaritic Single as he sat down on his balcony at The Oberoi Amarvilās in utter shock and despair: the entire hotel did not have a single bottle of Champagne (not even a pedestrian Moët!) and he had to settle for a sparkling from Veneto. The silky mousse of Ti Amo prosecco left a funny sweet aftertaste, so unworthy of the iconic view of the Taj Mahal in front of him and the luxury hotel.
He wished he had been more thoughtful and gotten a bottle of Krug from the duty free store. He carried his own Baccarat flûte everywhere he travelled but there was suddenly no Champagne to pour in it.
“This is awful,” thought the Sybaritic Single as the Taj shrouded in humid darkness.
That very moment, his mobile buzzed signaling a new e-mail: “Guests have been very helpful to share feedback with us during their stay – we act on this immediately as our most important objective is to ensure our guests are comfortable.” Signed: Vikram Oberoi.
Isn’t it so clever to ask guests for their comments during their stay rather than after? The Sybaritic Single quickly tapped everything he thought was wrong with the hotel, including flimsy butter service and the nasty souvenir shop. The general manager acted upon it the same evening, going into lengths to explain the reason behind the temporary Champagne crisis:
“Unfortunately in India procurement of good international Champagne is a challenge due to many local laws and registration processes involved. We have already placed our orders for Champagne that have been newly registered in the state and are expecting the same to arrive by next week.”
The Sybaritic Single was solidly impressed by the sincere willingness to fix things and the prompt reaction. The hotel’s team went out of its way to ensure that the rest of the stay was most comfortable at one of India’s most iconic luxury hotels. And while there was still no proper Champagne in sight, everything else was quickly elevated to the level worthy of a Mughal palace.
Proactively seeking guest feedback during the stay and precisely acting upon it is such a smart thing – because, let’s honestly admit it, nobody really cares what happens after checking out.
