08/05/2020
Meet Sophia Süess (Bosc3, EN) from Zurich - Copresident -
- “During my operational internship as a Front Office Intern at the Nobu Hotel in London, I did quite a few night shifts. One night, I was on shift with the night manager and another intern. We were expecting one more check-in; however, as the hotel was overbooked, we did not have any rooms left for this guest. The night manager tried calling other hotels in the area to find another room and only managed to find one at the next door HolidayInn in Shoreditch.
When the guest arrived around 1 am, we had to explain the situation and confess to him that he will be staying at the HolidayInn tonight instead of the Nobu. Luckily, the guest, who was a business traveler, was really tired and did not care too much. The other intern escorted him with his luggage to the HolidayInn in Shoreditch. When he arrived at the HolidayInn, the receptionist there informed him that he was at the wrong HolidayInn and that the HolidayInn in Limehouse was the one with availabilities. The guest and the other intern then took a taxi to the HolidayInn in Limehouse, where they ironically learned that there were no availabilities in Limehouse either. Around 4 am, both of them returned to the Nobu Hotel. The cherry on the cake was that the guest ended up sleeping on a massage bed in the spa. I felt so sorry for the guest, but at the same time, I could not believe that the guest who was expecting a 5-star service with a luxurious room, ended up sleeping on a massage bed. Luckily, the guest was the kindest and most understanding person we could have encountered in such a situation. The next day, we rewarded him with an upgrade to the Nobu Suite, the best room in the entire hotel. I will never forget this story ever again
1. for the fact of how ridiculous the situation was and
2. for how kind and understanding the guest reacted, even though he would have had every right to be mad.”
