Reference no: EM132812456
Case Study: Let Me Tell You What I Want Found on pg. 61 of the required text...
Mr. Garrison is a seasoned business traveler. He travels in excess of 200 nights a year. He typically stays at another popular 3-star hotel because of the brand and the rewards points, but tonight he decides to try a new, sleek hotel named T.
After a long flight, Mr. Garrison's cab pulls up to the curb at T. He gets out and looks around. It is a great-looking property, but something is odd. It is very quiet and he sees no one. He grabs his bags and enters through the front doors. He looks around and sees small stations with computer modules arranged around a small lobby. It is oddly small and very quiet, and he sees no one. He walks up to one of the computer stations and begins to look at it. Within a few seconds, Josh, an attendant in a fashionable uniform, comes out of the back office and greets him. Josh asks if Mr. Garrison is checking in. Mr. Garrison looks down at his bags and replies, "of course." Josh then asks him to step over to another computer station, where he is logged in. Josh is very polite and smiles the entire time. Mr. Garrison is a little troubled because Josh did not notice that Mr. garrison is new to the property and the protocol. Josh quickly finds the reservation and notes that there are no preferences. He asks if Mr. Garrison has any allergies. Mr. Garrison, acting troubled, replies, "No." Josh assigns a room and then asks him if he would like to help with his bags. Mr. Garrison refuses help, stating that since he has already brought them in it doesn't matter at this point. Mr. Garrison is directed to the elevators. Upon looking at the room number, he realizes that it is on a higher floor than he expected. He prefers lower floors so that he won't have to deal with traffic in the event of an emergency. He says nothing and proceeds. Upon entering the room, he sees that it doesn't have the king-sized bed he is accustomed to. It is also very cold in the room because the thermostat was set to 55 degrees. He tried to change it but realizes that it is controlled through a computer module in the room. He turns and opens the curtains to find out that the room also doesn't have much of a view. He tries to connect his computer and realizes that he isn't sure how to connect to the Wifi. A short time after this, Josh calls the room to see how everything is going and to ask whether Mr. Garrison needs anything else. Mr. Garrison begins to take Josh up on his offer. He replies, "Yes. There are many things. No one helped me with my bags. I prefer a low floor, and I received a high floor. I need to use the internet before I go to sleep. I prefer a king-sized bed. What kind of view is this? Who lives in temperatures this cold? I need the air conditioning to change now! In fact, I think that I need a new hotel!"
Josh is surprised to hear this. He thought things were going well.
- Describe the expectations of Mr. Garrison.
- Describe the gap between Mr. Garrison's expectations and the service provided.
- How should Josh handle Mr. Garrison at this point?
- What should the hotel have done differently to avoid this disparity?