The Details That Clients Consider Important
The Age
Sunday May 7, 1995
Comfort and convenience are important on the road. PENNY HUTTON asked five Melbourne business people what they would like to see changed.
ARE business hotels meeting the needs of regular travellers? We asked a handful of professionals what they were looking for, and what they would like to see change. There were almost unanimous calls for fresh milk, good coffee and irons in the rooms. Reliable message services, fast friendly check-in an out, and cheaper charges for faxes and telephone.
FABIAN DATTNER, entrepreneur, travels 60 per cent of each month, in country Victoria, nationally and in South East Asia.
``When I am travelling I want a warm human touch and for that I would tolerate a thousands failings. In five-star hotels, I am yearning to look into a green courtyard, instead I have to endure air- conditioning, with windows that don't open rooms sealed like time capsules with heating units that you need a university qualification to operate.
``I expect to find cuisine nouvelle in hotels, but what I want is plain home cooking with good-quality food.
``If I am business entertaining, my expectations are different again.
``I would like an ironing board and iron in the room, soft pillows and either woollen blankets or a doona. I would like a bathroom packed with things that I need, not a shoe buff, but toothbrush and toothpaste which I have normally forgotten.
``The only person I know who wears shower caps is my mother so I collect them for her. But, what I would also like is a razor, a mini medical kit with alka seltzer and panadol. Other things I would like are bathrobes supplied and tissues by the bed along with gallons of fresh water and curtains that close properly.
``I have found that six out of every 10 shower heads are faulty.
Fridges tend to be full of things I don't want and I would rather have fruit and healthy food and fresh milk in the rooms, not UHT.
``I want rooms to be quiet and I like security. I like room service to be fast and I don't want to see anyone before I have had two cups of coffee in the morning.
``There is a scam in hotels with communication costs. I was charged $130 to send a 20-page fax from Perth to Melbourne. I am also an outrageous phone user and need to have prompt message service.
``If I am a frequent visitor to the hotel, I like people to remember my name and not treat me like a number. In all the time I have travelled it has varied enormously. Ten years ago they were paying much greater attention to detail. I think Queensland has lost the plot.
``Hotels in the very expensive to medium range have got complacent.
Even though the service and the convention facilities are five-star the rooms are designed for the tourist industry.
``In Sydney the service is plastic and arrogant but not so much in the outer suburbs. I stay quite often at the Ramada in Pymble. In country Victoria I am happy to compensate glitz and glamor for warmth and affection."
GEOFF CONAGHAN, project director marketing, Federal Airports Corporation, Melbourne International Airport, travels extensively nationally and intrastate.
``I expect efficiency and fast processing so I can check in and out quickly. I like regular people working in hotels not pretentious sycophants.
``I like an iron and ironing board in my room as I never have time to send things to be pressed.
``I am not interested in being service dependent so I like a do-it- yourself breakfast like I would have at home toast, coffee, and fruit. I like all newspapers available to scan in the morning.
``I am not interested in extras. The last time I used a hotel pool was Darwin 1987. I have never watched an in-house movie.
I think a lot of hotels indulge in unnecessary pomp and ceremony. I can open a door for myself but I can't check myself in. I also find some hotels get caught up in the processes. If they can't find my reservation and there is a room available they should check me in then find the reservation later.
``The things they could improve are coffee-making facilities in the rooms. They have fantastic mini-espresso machines in Qantas club lounges.
``Faxes in the room are also good for writing reports and sending them back at night.
``In the country I like country hospitality and city efficiency. I would also like to see country hotels stop reproducing city menus and look at local specialties like wines of the region and produce.
``Why bother having a seafood basket as a specialty in the bush, where is the rabbit or the venison, or kangaroo?" CARMEL MOLONEY, area manager, Austrabelle, travels extensively throughout Victoria.
``If I have stayed at a motel several times before I would like to be greeted warmly and have my details kept on file so I don't have to rattle through them every time.
``I also like comforts like good coffee in the room not sachets of generic Flag coffee, a toaster in the room and a good selection in the mini-bar including diet drinks.
``If I am staying in a second-storey room, I would like a porter. I would also like a better ambience.
``I have found seven out of 10 rooms have exposed brick walls that make them dark and dingy. I think there should be non-smoking rooms and I expect a selection of suites from standard to deluxe to super deluxe.
``I prefer a hairdryer in the room and more than two towels supplied and I like things like cotton buds, and sewing kits. The ones who do supply those things I go back to. For example, Como Hotel in Melbourne has panty hose available in the room.
``I am also concerned about all those small plastic wrapped soaps; what happens to the wastage and why don't hotels supply liquid soap as an alternative?
``When you are away from home it is nice to have a supply of magazines in the room and a current television program.
``As a single woman travelling alone, I never eat in the restaurant, so I usually eat early in my room and want to know what is on television.
I like a bit of luxury when I am away from home for a few days.
``Noise can be a problem so I ask for quiet room and usually chain the door for security once I have settled in.
Because many sales reps travel with a lot of stock in their cars, I like to know that the car park is patrolled at night. In Albury, one hotel washes everyone's windscreen, early in the morning, which I think is a nice touch.
It has taken me 18 months to work out where to stay. Anywhere I go, I know it is not going to be brilliant, but I want it to be pleasant, so it is conducive to work.
``I have never stayed in a regional hotel and felt luxuriated.
In the long term, it is the little things that count like having your windscreen washed and offering a heated indoor pool, especially in winter.
I think regional hotels need to realise that the people who travel are the ones who will decide whether they come back not, so they should cater to the individual not the corporation."
SEAN SUTTON, senior account executive, Honeywell, travels frequently nationally and in South East Asia and the United States.
``When I am on business I am generally in a rush, so fast check-in is important.
``There is nothing worse than incompetent staff and waiting in queues.
``When I am working I generally come back late to the room, so I want services like direct-dial phones, a room that is quiet and late meal services.
``Some hotels offer wonderful extras like shuttle buses to and from the airport and the CDB, and complimentary valet service for laundry and ironing.
``If I am travelling with my partner I like good in-house television and the latest release movies available.
``Where hotels fall down is in overcharging for communications, and slow service.
``I need a quick response for messages, getting information such as phone numbers and faxes.
``Another pet hate is air-conditioning that is hard to control or has no individual controls in the room.
``Gyms are also important for travellers who may want to exercise.
And good bars and restaurants to meet clients if you are in a strange city and don't know where to go.
``I also like bed-and-breakfast deals at hotels and touches like robes and hairdryers in the rooms and extras like a bottle of mineral water by the bed at night.
``I think many hotels need to recognise the individual needs of business travellers.
``One of my favorite hotels is the Airport Sheraton in Sydney which offers five-star service, airport shuttles, and an express check-out service.
``I can access my bill on one of the television channels and if it is in order I can leave the hotel and allow charges to go straight on to my credit card."
ROBERT LE TET, executive film producer, managing director, The Film House, travels extensively overseas.
``I don't go back if I had a bad experience, but when I travel there are a number of forces at play whether it is for business or fun and what is the budget. If I stay on a regular basis, I want them to know what room I like and whether I like to take calls.
I want personal service, privacy and convenience to what business is being done. Ideally, I like to step out and walk to the theatre, be close to a park to exercise in and my favorite coffee lounge. When in London, for example, I stay in different parts according to what I am doing.
If I am meeting a producer I stay at the Connaught because it induces confidence. If I am meeting a writer, I will stay at the Groucho Club in Soho, because it is a terrific, economical, fun, place to stay.
``It has tiny rooms but they are well designed for people in the industry and there is a great sense of equilibrium. Reception doesn't mind running the dry cleaning around the corner. A lot of journalists and writers stay there.
``A really good communication system is essential. I am often working in two or three time frames, so I love faxes in the room, direct dialling and good television services, with CNN news.
``I would also like reception to deliver messages and parcels when they receive them, not when I leave a few days later.
``I hate being bullied over check-in and check-out times, but my pet hate is being ripped off for phone or fax calls. I don't believe hotels should be running their communication services as an independent profit business with punitive charges.
``The other thing is if you are dealing, you need a great bar or a reception area where you can do business.
``In the US, I find that you get good service if you lay a lot of money around. When you go to hotels be prepared to tip and give it with disdain. You have to play the game."
© 1995 The Age
