I stayed at the Hilton for business this past weekend. The location is excellent, the rooms are comfortable, and the food was good. However, the customer service could use improvement.
There was an issue during my stay—something that was a mistake rather than intentional—and it was resolved. The manager personally came over, apologized, and offered our company four drink coupons for the bar, which I appreciated.
On Sunday morning, Starbucks inside the hotel was closed earlier than expected, so we asked the bar attendant if we could use the coupons for two non-alcoholic cocktails. To our surprise, we were told that the coupons were valid only for alcoholic beverages or coffee. I explained that we simply wanted the same cocktails, just without alcohol, which would actually cost the hotel less. Still, the answer remained no, and we were told, “You can come back tomorrow when Starbucks is open.” Since we were checking out that day, that wasn’t an option.
In the end, we returned the four coupons with our best wishes. I share this not because of the initial mistake—which can happen anywhere and was handled well—but because the bar experience reflected a lack of customer service and flexibility. A simple solution could have turned the situation into a positive one, but instead it left a disappointing impression.