Before I had lunch with my colleague today, I never knew that a simple order of a Japanese cucumber roll could be requested “inside out” with “8 pieces cut”. Each roll is usually cut into 6 pieces. But each piece is too big for her to take in one bite. So, to make her piece bite-size and enjoyable for her, she changed the order to 8-piece cut. How smart! That reminds me that I have the same bite-size problem with the sushi-roll too! I usually have to take two bites out of each piece. But it never bothers me enough to change the standard cut, I just take it as is.
It reminds me those days when I worked for a luxury hotel in Hong Kong. We encountered guests with many creative requests for their breakfast.
I wouldn’t be surprised if someone orders an omelet with 6 fillings or a cup of Americano with soy milk and top with skim milk foam.
A guest once ordered two boiled eggs, demanding that the eggs be cooked for precisely 6 minutes and 30 seconds. “A serious egg eater”- we guessed.
One of our frequent guests always preferred to follow a specific sequence for his breakfast: He’d like to be served with a glass of watermelon juice to kick off his dining ritual, followed by a bottle of diet coke with two pieces of toasted bread with cream cheese. A bowl of fresh simmered congee with specific condiments – pork floss and egg yolks would be his next craving. Until then, he won’t need any personal service and will help himself at the buffet counter. Although he was friendly and shared a lot of personal stories with us after many visits, he could get upset if anyone messed up the service sequence or skipped any steps. His personal profile in our system was a page long with all preferences recorded. That’s our way to provide consistent service for him no matter who is on duty.
I still remember a real-life story from our trainer of butler service, who used to work for the royal families and later trained butlers of London luxury hotels.To satisfy a VIP guest who gave a sour look of his orange juice and left it unfinished after the first sip, the hotel sent their butlers to the local markets and gathered 12 different types of oranges. They surprised the guest by making orange juice samples and finally served his favorite one during his stay.
Being professional means that we don’t judge but respect. After all, never say no but always provide solutions is what luxury hotels are renowned for. The fun part of working in the hotel world is to see people with a wide range of nationalities, background, and behaviors. They never stop surprising us with their unique approach to life through a small request. Finding a way to meet or even exceed their expectations could be pressingly challenging but also extensively rewarding. We are passionate to make people happy and turn what may seem impossible possible. We also became more observant, tolerant and creative along the way.
