Part 1. Eight hours to the wrong booking
Mila Torres arrived at the North Gate Hotel at 8:45 p.m. She was tired after an eight-hour train journey. Her friend Eva was coming from the airport in twenty minutes. They were in the city for a music festival, and the first concert started the next morning.
Mila gave her name at reception. The receptionist searched once, then twice. There was no arrival for Mila Torres that evening. Mila opened the confirmation on her phone. It showed two nights, two guests, a double room and the words "paid online".
The receptionist finally found a similar reservation, but almost every important detail was different. The hotel was nearly full. Only one double room was left, and it was not clean yet.
Stop and decide
- Why is Mila in the city?
- Why can she not simply come back tomorrow?
- What proof does she have?
- What is the biggest problem for the hotel?
- What should happen next: no room / pay again / wait and check?
Part 2. The code tells the truth
The receptionist did not say, "Your booking is wrong." She asked Mila for the booking reference and checked each letter and number. H7K-41 was correct. Then she called the online booking company.
They found the cause. The company had changed Mila's booking after her first email, but the update did not enter the hotel's PMS. The receptionist corrected the name, dates, guests, room type and payment status. She also added the quiet-room request.
Mila had two choices: take a twin room immediately, or wait twenty-five minutes for the last double room. She chose to wait. The hotel stored her luggage and offered her a drink. When Eva arrived, room 407 was ready.
Was this good service even though there was a problem?