Upset created by the hotel staffs at Seri Pacific Hotel
PROVERBS 22 :1
“ A good name is to
be chosen rather than great riches, loving favor rather than silver and gold.”
One month
earlier which is last year 2013, I have start google to search for the right venue
and to do advance booking on hotel at Kuala Lumpur to celebrate our 8th
Wedding Anniversary on 18th of Jan. 2014. Due to nostalgia value, I had chosen
Seri Pacific Hotel.
About 2-3 days before out actual
date (18th of Jan.) I personally called up the hotel and confirm my
booking and check in time, also informing the hotel staff that we are coming
for our Wedding anniversary celebration. Could not remember the lady`s name but
she informed that the hotel will take note and give “Special” for us a
welcoming us to celebrate in their hotel by complementary of 3 roses and a
piece of cake. Well, I was happy and thinking that Seri Pacific has wisdom to
take care of their hotel guests.
On 18th Jan. Mr. Rasul
was serving us during our arrival at about 1:30 p.m. at Reception counter. After
getting down all our detail for checking and handed over our keys, he mentioned
nothing about the complimentary item. Out of curiosity, I questioned him
whether the system (Computer screen) has
stated about sending flowers and cake to our room. Then, he looked at his
computer and answer, “I will try to arrange flower but we might have run out
the stock for the cake.” I feel disappointed, nevertheless I gave him my mobile
no. to contact us if they are sending to our room as we were rushing out for lunch in
town. We left the hotel premises after checking on the room condition for our
“special” lunch nearby Time Square Berjaya Kuala Lumpur. At around 8 p.m. we were around Ampang Park complex
which is just 10- 15 min. walking distance away from the Seri Pacific shuttle pick up
point (K.L.C.C) at 8:30 p.m. The day has already getting dark, so I called the
hotel front desk to inform them, the receptionist put us through to the
concierge who was on duty, he answered unfriendly and asked did we registered
when we went out from hotel, { we already check in the hotel in the afternoon}.
He said, if we did not take the shuttle out or registered with them than we cannot
come back to the hotel by their shuttle bus.
My husband and I got really upset
with this rude treatment as other hotel willing to go extra mile by driving up to pick up their
guests if they are around the vicinity whereas Seri Pacific cannot even
fetch us back even we decided to rush to the pickup point the entrance of KLCC.
Then we saw Intercontinental Hotel just opposite of the street with Citibank
standing just next to it. We walked over. My husband spoken to the Hotel concierge Mr Jalil and asking him for help if
he can call Seri Pacific hotel to inform that their guests are waiting now
at the Intercontinental Hotel lobby, hopefully Mr Jalil was able to related
some sense to right party who in charge of shuttle bus. It was 15 min before
pick up time. After he put down the phone and he told us the concierge of Seri
Pacific refused to honor us and fetch us home. We explained to him that that
was our wedding anniversary night and we do not feel safe to go back to our
hotel by public transport. Mr Jalil who is the chef concierge was kind enough
to arrange one of his driver to send us back to Seri Pacific using
Intercontinental hotel shuttle. Finally
we reached the hotel safely by 9:30pm.
After thanking Mr. Wong who fetched
us back, we went direct to the front desk to ask to speak to the front desk
manager. I also give another reminder about my Wedding anniversary gifts yet to
received. Mr. Ismail who was the duty manager came to speak to us and inviting
us to talk over the issue at his desk at the side lobby.
Shame on you Seri
Pacific, shame ! Shame on you !!!!
***********************************
In the previous year as we
celebrate our anniversary day, the hotels’ manager honor us due to given us the
wrong room with dirty toilet and no water heater. After we raise our complaint
to the hotel manager Mr. Mike next morning, right away he upgrade our room to
double bedroom, not only he granted our request for an extension of one more
night, the manager himself use his own car to fetch us to and fro from tourist
places which we wanted to visit to ensure we have a good memorial on our
Anniversary. With this manager kindness and friendliness we agreed to promote
this hotel at my website without any condition.
Deep in our heart we know as long as this manager is still running the
hotel we will receive warm welcome to always go back to stay and bring our
friends or recommend to others, we build a good relationship because of the
humbleness of Mr. Mike we mentioned about his excellent service whenever we
have the chances because of honor us as a loving couple.
One another occasion, our
anniversary was with Holiday Inn, Glenmarie. My husband got upset due to
treated very rudely by one of the golf marshal as he was taking a walk along
the golf field after his breakfast. When he came back to the hotel lobby, he
was terribly upset. As both of us bring up the issue to the deputy manager Miss
Ruby who was in charge of calming down his anger, without much hesitation she
invited to have our dinner at the hotel Japanese Restaurant that evening. We
were recapping our unhappy time during evening time as Japanese food is one of
our favorite. Same day when we are going home the shuttle bus got an unpleasant
incident for failure to pick up hotel guests. Holiday Inn show their sincerely
apologize for consequence of up set during our anniversary celebration. The
hotel sincerely welcome both of us back on the following month of Valentine’s
Day to stay at their executive suite room, free excess to the club lounge all time, complimentary
breakfast and a golf lesson all paid by the hotel. The warmness of the hotel
staff receiving us so well that the manager sent a personal car and driver to
fetch us from our home and send us back after our wonderful stay to compensate
what we have lost on our anniversary day. This is what I mean “5 -6 star”
service who earnestly wanting loving couple to come and enjoy holiday at their
hotel. This happened last year 2013, before we check in they claimed to be 4
star but sincerely the hotel already providing 5 star service and when I checked
back with their website few months later, they have been upgraded to 5 star
hotel, congratulation to you Holiday Inn Glenmarie, Shah Alam.
***********************************************
Now, let us come back to Seri Pacific issue,
my husband spent about an hour talking to Mr. Ismail regarding our upset and
how other hotels receive us and honor us. After much sharing, Mr. Ismail find
out we both are vocalists and good singers, and singing to one another during
our special occasion day could increase much love within a couple. I have put a
request if we can sing to one another that night for our anniversary
celebration. At first he was reluctant because he was afraid we will charge him
for payment, but then after ensuring him that we just want to sing to show love
to one another. He then agreed to speak to lounge manager but we saw there
already have the Philippine group singing that night. When he walk back, he
said, “Yes, you are allow to sing but must wait after 12. There is no more food
served that hour, (we forgotten our dinner due to the upset of hotel shuttle)
only snack and drinks. I also mentioned for the 3rd time about cake
and flowers which the hotel has given their words few days before I checked in.
Mr. Ismail try to lowing key the incident by saying the hotel run out of roses !
And the cake will be preparing for us on the following day.
Come on !!! Our anniversary is on 18th not 19th
of Jan. Does this make any sense to anyone in the Seri Pacific ?
At first, we taught if we sing
after 12am that could mean those Philippine ladies must have finish with their
show or singing, possible we both can have some privacy time together to rejuvenate
our love after an unpleasant and heavy day. ( O! forgot to mentioned when we stayed at Holiday
Inn twice, we were being received well with great honor by the Karaoke lounge in
charge and we were so glad to be received as a honorable guests by have the
lounge all by ourselves for few hours till mid night.) As we entering the
lounge then only I we realised they were just having a 5- 10 minutes break
time. Ismail did not really ensure that things are going smooth for us. I
strong believed the hotel did not show any apologize out of their bad service despise
of my husband spent patiently to talk to them about “good service”, “ morale
value”, “keeping one words once has uttered “ etc. etc. We do not drink alcohol
drinks and one of the staff made us cocktail fruits drinks, nice drinks and
served with some snacks. Forgotten to mention when I booked the hotel, I was
having the idea that a huge shopping mall was running well just across the
street. Unfortunately, we realized as we arrived at hotel that The mall is
undergoing renovation for another 1 -2 years before re-open. This is another
upset and inconvenient for the hotels guests who wish to do some shopping while
staying in Seri Pacific.
My husband is 57 years old and I am
going to be 45 years old this year. The facts speak for themselves how precious
and honor to have a older couple celebrating their wedding anniversary in their
premises. Again, “The facts speak for themselves.” If I am the hotel owner or
even a restaurant owner, I would feel much honor to host such a precious loving
couple but this does not happen to Seri Pacific staff, sad to say !!!
At the hotel lounge, 3 young Philippine
ladies having their low cut and mini-mini skirts standing on the stage singing
with us. And they only allow us to sing two songs then entertain other hotel
guests by slotting time for them to sing too. When I raise up the issue we have
more songs to sing for one another as this is our wedding anniversary day, one
of the lady shut us up and said “ Wait!” and they put us to sing the last just
before 1 am in the morning ! I would rather sing A Capella without music as the
person who play the keyboard was totally out of key as I sang “ You raise me up”to
my darling. ( If I would know this is
the kind of arrangement from Ismail so called the duty manager to show his
apologize by upsetting us with the shuttle service, and now further with
singing at the lounge, we would have decide to check out that night itself and
follow Intercontinental hotel shuttle back to its hotel and boycott Seri Pacific
for the rest of our life). I did express my condition if the hotel care to host
us back for a good lunch at Japanese or a buffet lunch during weekends, we will
consider not to raise the complaint issue toward the hotel and Mr. Ismail was still
given excuses that the hotel restaurant are “FULL”, not extra seats for a
couple !!! How great of using lips service to say “sorry” but action speaks clearer
than the truth!
Due to the ill treatment of Seri
Pacific, we did not have a good night sleep and we end up having an argument
early in the morning because the hotel did not honor their words by treating us
complimentary cake and flowers. And my husband insisted that before breakfast
we must bring the attention of hotel service to the General Manager or CEO of
the hotel. When I called from our room, they routed me to see Mr Muhammad Fauzi
Mubarak the Guest Service Manager. As we went down to the dining hall, we met
Mr Fauzi at the front desk where Ismail was seated last night and this time, my
husband and I also spent about one hour more chatting and waiting while they sort
out our upset with the hotel and baked our “Celebration cake”. Then we were
being introduce to the the senior chef Mr. Steven G. Both are very friendly and
Mr Steven G. arrange a private dining room for both of us, even though they did
not honor the request from my husband by announcing our Wedding anniversary at
the dining hall (After all it suppose to be 18th instead of 19th ). 6 of the
hotel staffs including the Mr Fauzi and Mr Steven G. sang celebration song
before we have our cake cutting ceremonial. After this morning arrangement, I
finally get back my smile and spent some quality time at the lobby viewing some
the art exhibit during our stay. Taking some rest by snapping some photos for
our memory in future to share with family.
Everything seems going back to
normal in the outlook when we check out of Seri Pacific but in fact things gone
worse after we reached home. We realized how disturb we were and having much arguments
due to the shuttle of the hotel, delaying of our flowers (which they never give
roses to me) and cake, wrong arrangement of our singing section that night with
those ladies singing, dancing and touching the hotel guests. And until I have
to pick up the phone to demand to speak to General Manager Mr. Mohamad Halim Merican. The front desk
lady told us that GM was away at Sarawak for conference. We wrote our feedback
to trip advisor but no one contact us from hotel. And on the 2 days after we call
back they put us to speak with Mr. Peter Padman instead who claimed to be the
Operation Manager of the hotel.
Peter try to compensate us by having us to go
back on coming Valentine’ Day. He said, hotel will give us free night stay and
a candle night dinner at one of their restaurant. I asked , “ Is it a suite
room ? “ Peter said “No, a normal Deluxe room”. Seri Pacific cannot even provide
club room for their sincere apology! But instead he use the balt of having to engage
us to sing for special occasion/function for the
hotel guests. These in contrast to Holiday Inn, (whose management compensated
us with a Executive Suite room on our Valentine’ Day) which is too far lower
standard. Even a 3 star hotel can do better than this.\
I told Peter that I will relay this
message to my husband and get back to him whether we shall be back to Seri Pacific
again. Obviously, my husband and I are not happy and Peter never call us back
to check. So after a weekend, I rang up the hotel to speak to Peter about my
husband’s condition “ if the hotel willing to give me 99 roses on the day we
come back and stay in order to make up all the upset”, Peter can not make the decision
on the spot, and he promise to get back to me after consult his GM Mr. Mohamad Halim Merican.
For such an important issue and communication, Peter just “sms” me back in the
afternoon and apologized that the hotel cannot grant our request but the Free
night stay and Romantic dinner still available for us. Right away, my husband
get me to reply back in “ Proposal disapproved” in “sms” way as Peter like to practice
which I regard as total impoliteness or insincerely. Again, he reply by expressed his apology
thinking by sms the issue will grow smaller or quiet. We are furious on the other side how a 5 star
hotel can treat their guests’ upset in such a rude manner. My husband decided
to boycott and I also mentioned we will write blog to invited all our friends globally
to do so by letting our friends and connection aware about this via facebook,
twitter and media. I called up the next day to speak to Peter thinking that he
might be able change mind of receiving us better as I also feel bad of let this
bad news going out internationally to shame my own country Malaysia of our
hotel service. But very sad to say, Peter Padman from the Operation manager
handle the issue worse than Ismail, he spoke very rude to me via the phone and
my husband heard everything who was just standing beside to hear our
conversation and right away, my darling signal me to hand up the phone and
start writing on the blog.
Is this how a 5 star hotel Seri Pacific
treated older couple or loving couple who came back to celebrate their wedding anniversary and
granted a upset service which I claimed worse that a 3 star hotel.
PROVERBS 22 :1
“ A good name is to
be chosen rather than great riches, loving favor rather than silver and gold.”
